Parental leave

Information and guidance for PGRs on parental leave entitlements.

Student pregnancy

Students who are pregnant should familiarise themselves with the University’s Student Pregnancy and Maternity Policy, which outlines their rights and the support the University is required to give them. Students should also advise their school and supervisory team as soon as possible so that they can work together to implement a Pregnancy and Maternity Support Plan, and so that any relevant health and safety issues can be carefully considered and addressed.

All students who are either pregnant, breastfeeding, or have given birth in the last six months must have an individual risk assessment undertaken. This is also a requirement of UKRI Training Grant Terms and Conditions.

Postgraduate research students who are also employed as members of university staff, should refer to the maternity leave policy which relates to staff.

Further information relating to student pregnancy is available here.

Maternity leave

Mothers have a statutory requirement to take two weeks’ maternity leave immediately following the birth of their baby. They may take up to 52 weeks’ maternity leave in total. Maternity leave can commence at any time starting from 11 weeks before the week of the due date up to the day of childbirth. Arrangements for taking maternity leave should be discussed with the student’s supervisory team and school.

Maternity leave is normally taken as a period of leave of absence from the University, which must be applied for before the period of maternity leave commences. Students whose partners are pregnant are also entitled to apply for parental leave. Please note that the normal four-week minimum leave of absence rule does not apply to students taking a leave of absence on parental grounds.

Students are required to submit supporting evidence such as a birth certificate or MATB1 form when applying for a LOA on parental grounds.

International students who are studying in the UK on a Student or Tier 4 visa should refer to the guidance on leave of absence. The immigration rules outlined in this section also apply to those who require maternity leave.

Depending on the student’s sponsor, there may be provision for payment of additional stipend during a period of Maternity Leave (see ‘Financial support during a period of parental leave’ below).

Partner’s or paternity leave

Two weeks’ partner’s or paternity leave is granted to a postgraduate research student who is the partner of a mother or birth parent following the birth of their child. Depending on the student’s sponsor, there may be provision for payment of additional stipend during a period of partner’s or paternity leave (see ‘Financial support during a period of parental leave’ below).

Shared parental leave

The University permits students to share their parental leave with their partner provided they are in receipt of a university-funded stipend at the time of the expected birth of the child and provided they and their partner meet the eligibility criteria. Full details of the eligibility for shared parental leave are available to download from this page.

PGR shared parental leave policy (PDF, 112KB)

PGR shared parental leave application form (Word, 15KB)

Financial support during a period of parental leave

Many postgraduate research scholarship holders will be entitled to a payment during a period of maternity leave provided they are still within their tuition fee-paying period and receiving a stipend. Students should refer to their funder's terms and conditions for information on what financial support they are entitled to.

UKRI- or University of Sheffield-funded students

Students who are in receipt of a stipend funded either by any of the UK Research Councils (UKRI), or the University of Sheffield are eligible for paid parental leave if they are still within their funded period. Students should refer to the information on ‘Suspension of awards and paid leave entitlements’ on the following pages:

Information for holders of a UKRI scholarship

Information for holders of a University of Sheffield scholarship

Students funded by other sponsors

Students who receive financial support from a source other than than UKRI or the University of Sheffield, for example, from an employer, a charity, or an overseas government, must check with their sponsor whether there is any provision for additional financial support during a period of parental leave, as well as whether there are any specific sponsor conditions that must be met. Please note that it is the responsibility of the student to check this and to ensure that they comply with any sponsor requirements.

Students who are also employed by the University

Postgraduate research students on the Sheffield Graduate Teaching Contract are entitled to maternity leave and may be entitled to maternity pay as part of the terms and conditions of their employment, subject to meeting the relevant eligibility criteria. Please contact Human Resources who can give advice based on the specific circumstances.

Unfunded students

Postgraduate research students who are either pregnant or adopting a child may be eligible for a one-off support payment from the University, provided they are still within their tuition fee-paying period and are either:

unfunded and do not have access to statutory maternity pay, or
funded by a non-University of Sheffield/non-UKRI sponsor and do not have access to a maternity stipend from their scholarship funder, or to statutory maternity pay.

Apply for maternity support payment (unfunded students only)