Graduate Student Medical Leave Award

The Graduate Student Medical Leave Award provides limited funding for eligible research-based master's and doctoral students who must go inactive for medical reasons, including physical or mental health issues. Students are automatically considered for this award with a maximum value of $5,000 when they provide medical documentation to AccessAbility Services to support their request for going inactive due to medical reasons. Students must have been registered full-time for at least one academic term and have been in receipt of a financial package from their Department/School in the term immediately prior to going inactive. The award is a one-time benefit that can be received once during a master's program and once during a doctoral program. Based upon departmental funding details, master's students receive up to one-third of their annual funding package value (maximum $5,000), while doctoral students automatically receive the maximum of $5,000. Eligibility is limited to students within specific program time limits: master's students must be within term 6.0, and doctoral students within term 12.0 (or term 18.0 for direct-entry or fast-tracked PhD students). Students must be approved as 'Inactive for Medical Leave' status through AccessAbility Services based on health professional documentation. The award value is automatically assigned without requiring a complete needs assessment, though university refund regulations and the accommodation date may affect the final amount.