Please click on the relevant link for information
Different approval routes serve different purposes. Please use the route that best matches your circumstances.
Approval mechanisms for other situations involving absence from study and/or London/the UK – such as fieldwork, study elsewhere, interruption and residing outside London and/or the UK – are signposted throughout. However, these are not types of temporary absence. Temporary absence should not be used if you are conducting fieldwork, studying elsewhere, residing outside London or the UK, or need to interrupt your studies.
You must not make firm plans to travel, undertake fieldwork or data collection, enrol at another institution, stop studying or reside outside London or the UK until you have received the relevant approval. Visa-holders should consult the Student Advice and Engagement Team before seeking approval for absence from study and/or London/the UK, as absence may have implications for visa status.
Travel approval is also separate from academic approval for absence. If you are travelling on School business – e.g. for conferences and fieldwork – you should always follow the School’s guidance on risk assessment, insurance and travel approval processes.
Approval for temporary absence does not change thesis submission deadlines. Students are expected to continue making appropriate academic progress unless they have been formally approved for interruption of studies or another route that changes their enrolment status.
Different types of absence should generally not be combined – either back-to-back, or in sequence with short gaps between. If you would like to combine different types of absence you should contact the PhD Academy and/or book a meeting to discuss your request with the team. If you are a visa-holder, you should first consult the Student Advice and Engagement Team on the impact of your proposed absence on your visa status.
For research students, LSE term dates and vacation arrangements do not operate in the same way as they do for taught students. Research students remain registered and are required to remain actively engaged with their studies throughout the calendar year, including the period between Spring Term and Autumn Term.
Winter Break and Spring Break are recognised/pre-authorised vacation periods. Research students may be away from London, the UK, and/or study during these periods without seeking temporary absence approval.
The summer period – i.e. the period between the end of the Spring term and the start of the following academic year – is different. This is not an automatic vacation period for research students.
Research students may request one period of summer vacation of up to 28 continuous calendar days in each academic year. This must be approved by the lead supervisor and Doctoral Programme Director, and the approved dates must be notified to the PhD Academy before the summer vacation is considered approved.
When deciding which approval route applies, the main question is not only whether you are ‘travelling’. You may need approval even if you remain in London or the UK.
For fieldwork, data collection, archival work, or other structured research activity away from your normal LSE study arrangements you should normally use the fieldwork or study elsewhere process. This applies even where the activity takes place in London and even where you have not travelled overseas.
Similarly, if you will be based away from London, or based at another institution (anywhere), residing outside London, residing outside the UK, or are temporarily unable to study, you should use the approval route which matches those circumstances.
Temporary absence should not be used as a substitute for other approval routes, such as fieldwork, Study Elsewhere, residing outside London or the UK, or interruption of studies.
Where lead supervisor or Doctoral Programme Director support or approval is required, this must be provided in writing by email. The email should confirm the student’s name, the type of absence or activity being approved, and the specific start and end dates approved.
For approval routes where the PhD Academy must be notified, the approval is not complete until the relevant written approvals have been forwarded to phdacademy@lse.ac.uk.
Use the table below to identify the correct route. Further information on each of these mechanisms can be found below.
identify the correct route
| Situation | Temporary absence | Approval route | Maximum Period permitted | Application Mechanism | Approvals Required |
|---|
| I have a short-term emergency and want to temporarily stop studying and/or leave London/the UK. |
Yes |
Emergency authorised absence |
60 calendar days |
Email |
Support from lead supervisor.
Support from Doctoral Programme Director.
Approval from the Chair of the Research Degrees Sub-Committee
|
| I want to take vacation during the Winter or Spring Break periods |
Yes |
N/A: Approval not required for recognised vacation periods |
Winter and Spring breaks are set out here |
N/A: Approval not required |
N/A: Approval not required |
| I want to take vacation during the summer period |
Yes |
Summer vacation |
28 continuous calendar days |
Email |
Support from lead supervisor.
Approval from Doctoral Programme Director.
Notification to the PhD Academy.
|
| I want to be away from London or the School for a short period for academic purposes (e.g.conference, summer school). |
Yes |
Short absence |
28 continuous calendar days |
Email |
Up to 14 calendar days
Approval from the lead supervisor approval only.
15-28 calendar days
Support from lead supervisor.
Approval from Doctoral Programme Director.
Notification to the PhD Academy.
|
|
I want to be away from London or the School for a personal break outside of pre-approved vacation periods.
NB: See below for guidance on expectations on short personal breaks outside of vacation periods.
|
Yes |
Short absence |
28 continuous calendar days |
Email |
Up to 14 calendar days
Approval from the lead supervisor approval only.
15-28 calendar days
Support from lead supervisor.
Approval from Doctoral Programme Director.
Notification to the PhD Academy.
|
| I want to undertake fieldwork, data collection, or archival work away from the School (including in London, elsewhere the UK or outside the UK). |
No |
Fieldwork |
N/A |
Completed fieldwork form submitted by email to PhD Academy |
Support from lead supervisor.
Support from Doctoral Programme Director.
Approval from the Chair of the Research Degrees Sub-Committee.
|
| You want to be enrolled (i.e. registered at another institution) while still registered at LSE (for any number of days.) |
No |
Study Elsewhere |
To the extent approved |
Change of Circumstances application |
Support from lead supervisor.
Support from Doctoral Programme Director.
Approval from the Chair of the Research Degrees Sub-Committee.
|
| You want to be based at another academic institution, but not enrolled, while remaining registered at LSE for more than 28 calendar days for any reason other than fieldwork |
No |
Study Elsewhere |
To the extent approved |
Change of Circumstances application |
Support from lead supervisor.
Support from Doctoral Programme Director.
Approval from the Chair of the Research Degrees Sub-Committee.
|
| You want to live outside London but remain within the UK |
No |
Residing outside |
To the extent approved |
Competed ‘Residing Outside’ form emailed to PhD Academy |
Support from lead supervisor.
Support from Doctoral Programme Director.
Approval from the Chair of the Research Degrees Sub-Committee.
|
| You want to live outside the UK while studying |
No |
Residing outside |
To the extent approved |
Competed ‘Residing Outside’ form emailed to PhD Academy |
Support from lead supervisor.
Support from Doctoral Programme Director.
Approval from the Chair of the Research Degrees Sub-Committee.
|
| You need to stop studying |
No |
Interruption of studies |
To the extent approved |
Change of Circumstances application |
Support from lead supervisor.
Support from Doctoral Programme Director.
Approval from the Chair of the Research Degrees Sub-Committee.
|
If you are unsure which route you should use, you are welcome to contact the PhD Academy, or book a meeting with a member of PhD Academy.
Short absence is the route for temporary absence from London or the School while remaining enrolled and actively engaged with study.
Short absence may be appropriate where you need to be away for a limited period for academic, professional, or personal reasons.
Examples include:
-
attending or presenting at a conference;
-
attending a seminar or workshop;
-
participating in a methods school or doctoral training event;
-
making a short academic visit to another institution for 14 calendar days or less;
-
attending a research collaboration meeting;
-
attending a short professional or academic training activity; and
-
taking an occasional short personal break.
Short absence is not the correct route for fieldwork, data collection, archival work, Study Elsewhere, residing outside London or the UK, or interruption of studies.
If you are facing an emergency situation, see the section on emergency authorised absence below.
A short absence of 15–28 calendar days requires approval from your lead supervisor and Doctoral Programme Director.
For 15-28 calendar days absences, the department must also notify the PhD Academy of the approved absence dates before the approval is considered complete.
This route may be appropriate for a longer conference trip, specialist workshop, short academic visit, or approved summer vacation.
If the absence involves School business travel, you must always follow the School’s guidance on risk assessment, insurance and travel approval processes.
Short absences of 15-28 calendars should not be used to authorise short personal breaks/vacation.
No. Short absence cannot exceed 28 continuous calendar days.
If you need to be away from London or the School for longer than 28 calendar days, you should consider whether another approval route is more appropriate. This may include fieldwork, Study Elsewhere, permission to reside outside London or the UK, emergency authorised absence, or interruption of studies. For links to these processes, please see the table at the top of this page.
Back-to-back short absences may be approved only where the total continuous period does not exceed 28 calendar days. If the cumulative duration of the absence is 14 days or less, this can be approved by the else supervisor alone. If this lasts for between 15 and 28 days, this must be approved by the lead supervisor and programme director.
Departments are expected to consult the PhD Academy before approving linked or repeated short absences in a short period. This is particularly important for visa-holders, who should consult the Student Advice and Engagement Team before seeking approval.
In general, if you need to be away from London for more than 28 calendar days in a short period, you should consider another approval route. If you are considering requesting repeated short absences, please contact the PhD Academy, or book a meeting with a member of PhD Academy to discuss your circumstances.
Applications for short absences are managed by email.
-
For 0-14 calendar day absences: Please contact your lead supervisor to seek approval.
-
For 15-28 calendar day absences: Please contact your lead supervisor and Doctoral Programme Director to seek approval. Once you have received approval, please ensure that these approvals are forwarded to the PhD Academy.
Research students remain registered throughout the calendar year, including the summer period. The Winter and Spring Break periods are pre-authorised, recognised vacation periods. Students may also take vacation during the summer period, subject to the limits below.
Research students may be away from London and the School without prior authorisation during the recognised vacation periods: Winter Break, and Spring Break.
Winter break
- Start date: The day after the final day of Autumn term
- End date: The day before the first day of Winter term
Spring break
- Start date: The day after the final day of Winter term
- End date: The day before the first day of Spring term
Specific information on term dates can be found here.
Students do not need to notify the School or seek authorisation to take time away from London, the UK or study during the Winter and Spring breaks.
Yes, students are entitled to request one summer vacation period lasting up to 28 consecutive calendar days during the summer period in each academic year. The summer period is defined as follows.
- Start date: The day after the final day of Winter term
- End date: The day before the first day of Autumn term
All summer vacation must be approved by both your lead supervisor and your Doctoral Programme Director. The approved dates must then be notified to the PhD Academy. Summer vacation is only considered approved once the PhD Academy has been notified.
If you are a visa-holder, you should consult the Student Advice and Engagement Team with questions about the impact of absence on your visa status.
No. The School’s regulations do not permit this.
Emergency authorised absence is for short-term emergency situations where you cannot continue normal study and/or cannot remain resident in London.
This route is intended to bridge the gap between ordinary short absence and interruption of studies.
Some circumstances are too substantial or too long-term to be managed through an emergency authorised absence. Interruption of studies is likely to be more appropriate where:
- your circumstances are ongoing rather than temporary;
- you cannot maintain active study for an extended period;
- you are likely to need to be absent for more than 60 calendar days; or
- you are unlikely to return to normal study at the end of the requested period.
If you think you may need an emergency authorised absence or interruption of studies, discuss this with your lead supervisor and Doctoral Programme Director as soon as possible. If you are a visa holder, discuss this with the Student Advice and Engagement team as soon as possible as well.
You are also welcome to contact the PhD Academy, or book a meeting with a member of PhD Academy team.
Emergency authorised absence is intended for unforeseen emergency situations which require an immediate and temporary departure from normal study and/or residence in London.
It is not intended to support planned absences, extended personal circumstances, ongoing health conditions, long-term caring responsibilities, or situations where interruption of studies would be more appropriate.
It may be considered by the Chair of the Research Degrees Sub-Committee where temporary and exceptional circumstances prevent normal study and/or residence in London.
Emergency authorised absence is intended for unexpected events which could not reasonably have been planned for and which require an immediate and temporary departure from normal study. The circumstances must be temporary and time-limited.
Examples may include:
- sudden serious illness or injury;
- bereavement;
- an unexpected caring emergency;
- an unexpected housing crisis;
- urgent legal or immigration issues requiring immediate action;
- major travel disruption preventing return to London;
- other comparable emergency situations.
To confirm, the fact that a circumstance is difficult, stressful or important does not automatically mean that emergency authorised absence is appropriate.
This is not an exhaustive list.
Emergency authorised absence can last up to 60 calendar days. The authorised period must have a clear start date and end date.
When submitting your request, you should not simply request 60 days because this is the maximum permitted period. In fact, as 60 days is the maximum permitted period, beyond which you would be required to interrupt, immediately requesting 60 days may mean that your request is less likely to be granted. Accordingly, it is vital that you only request the time that you genuinely think you will need.
Emergency authorised absences cannot be stacked. Separate requests cannot be used to create a longer continuous period of absence.
You should make a best-guess estimate of the time that you will need.
Yes, but we cannot guarantee that this will be approved.
Support is required from your lead supervisor and Doctoral Programme Director. Your request will be considered by the Chair of the Research Degrees Sub-Committee
The Chair of the Research Degrees Sub-Committee must be satisfied that:
- your circumstances are genuine and exceptional, temporary and time-limited;
- you will return to study and residence in London at the end of the approved period;
- the absence will not affect your ability to submit your thesis by your current deadline;
- interruption of studies is not a more appropriate response to your circumstances; and
- your circumstances are unlikely to lead to a later interruption or extension request.
If your application does not meet all of these criteria, it is highly likely to be declined.
As this route is designed for emergency situations, you can apply by emailing your lead supervisor, Doctoral Programme Director, and phdacademy@lse.ac.uk together.
Your email must specify:
- the start date of the requested authorised absence period;
- the end date of the requested authorised absence period;
- whether you need to be absent from study, from London, or both;
- if you have already left London/the UK, when you left;
- the reasons for your request;
- whether you believe you will be able to return to study at the end of the requested absence period; and,
- whether you believe the absence will affect your ability to make progress and submit your thesis by your current submission deadline.
You must provide specific answers on the requested dates and the type of absence required. You should answer the remaining points to the best of your ability.
You should provide evidence where it is reasonably available. Evidence may be requested before approval, or following approval. However, if you are facing emergency circumstances, the important thing for you to do is email your lead supervisor, Doctoral Programme Director and phdacademy@lse.ac.uk together with the information requested above, to enable the School to determine how best to support you.
Research students sometimes need to spend time away from London while continuing to engage actively with their studies.
This section explains when to use the fieldwork authorisation process, and when to use the Study Elsewhere process.
If you are a visa-holder, you should consult the Student Advice and Engagement Team before seeking approval.
You should normally use the dedicated fieldwork authorisation process if you will undertake fieldwork, data collection, archival work, or other structured research activity away from the School. This applies even where the period away is short.
These activities may require the following.
The fieldwork approval form can be found here.
You must use the Study Elsewhere process if you will do any of the following.
- Be enrolled as a student at another institution during your LSE registration, even if this is only for a single day.
- Spend more than 28 calendar days based at another academic institution for purposes other than fieldwork, and without enrolling at that institution.
- Undertake a placement activity required and/or authorised under the terms of your UKRI studentship.
Students remain registered at LSE during an approved period of Study Elsewhere. They are expected to continue making appropriate academic progress throughout the approved period.
Guidance on, and the application mechanism for, Study Elsewhere can be found here.
Yes, but only through the Study Elsewhere process.
Approval must be obtained through the Change of Circumstances process before the period of enrolment begins.
Support from your lead supervisor and Doctoral Programme Director is required. Applications must then be authorised by the Chair of the Research Degrees Sub-Committee.
You must not make firm plans to travel, undertake fieldwork or data collection, or enrol at another institution before receiving formal permission through the appropriate process.
The fieldwork approval form can be found here. Guidance on, and the application mechanism for, Study Elsewhere can be found here.
Research students are expected to remain based in London throughout the calendar year.
This section explains the limited circumstances in which alternative residence arrangements may be approved.
If residence away from London is approved, you remain registered, continue your studies, and are expected to maintain academic progress during the approved period.
Approval to reside outside London or the UK does not change your thesis submission deadline.
The Conditions of Registration and Enrolment require students to reside in London while enrolled.
In exceptional circumstances, the Chair of the Research Degrees Sub-Committee may suspend the requirement to be based in London, provided that the student remains within the UK.
To apply, complete the Residing Outside London form, which can be found here.
The Regulations for Research Degrees allow students to seek permission to reside outside the UK during the final stages of their registration. This will normally be during the final year before thesis submission.
Permission to reside outside the UK may be granted earlier than the final year only where the circumstances are genuinely exceptional.
Support from your lead supervisor and Doctoral Programme Director is required.
Applications must be approved by the Chair of the Research Degrees Sub-Committee.
To apply, complete the ‘Residing Outside’ form, which can be found here.