Upon written request, student can take a leave of absence from their regular studies should there be any important reasons. The application for a leave of absence should be submitted during the re-registration period, but before the start of the lecture period at the latest. Should important reasons surface at a later date, the application needs to be submitted within two weeks of occurence of the aforementioned reasons. As a general rule, leave of absence should not take longer than two semester.

Applying for a leave of absence for past semesters or after the end of the lecture period is not possible.

The Studierendenwerk, Studierendenschaft and administrative fees need to be paid during a leave of absence as well.

Upon written request PDF, students can take a leave of absence due to the following reasons:

• if courses cannot be attended due to illness and the aforementioned illness thus prevents a student from completing the necessary academic achievements (doctor's note needs to be attached to the application for leave of absence)
• practical work (voluntary internship) that serves one's studies. In order to assess whether this work serves one's studies or not, a letter of recognition from the KIT-Department (usually the internship office or the examination board) is necessary. KIT-Departments approve voluntary internships only after completion of any mandatory internships. Duration of the internship needs to be at least half of the semester. Excluded are any such internships which are part of the study and examination regulations of the study program (mandatory internships) as the duration of such internships is included in the regular program length. Approval of leave of absence for any such mandatory internships contradicts the structure of the study program.
• studying at a foreign university (stamp and signature from the International Students Office needed on the deregistration form AND admission letter or certificate of enrollment of the foreign university as attachment)
• federal voluntary service (Bundesfreiwilligendienst), voluntary year of social service (freiwilliges soziales Jahr) or voluntary ecological year (freiwilliges oekologisches Jahr) (official letter of acceptance needs to be attached to the application)
• if you are on maternity / parent leave: based on §14 of the KIT admission and enrollment regulations, students are able to take maternity leave according to the "Mutterschutzgesetz (MuSchG)" and parental leave according to "Bundeselterngeld- und Elternzeitgesetz (BEEG)"; upon request, students need to be granted a leave of absence. They are allowed to attend courses, take part in examinations and the use of any university institution.
• if you are caring for a close relative according to §7 par. 3 of the "Pflegezeitgesetz"; this person needs to be care-dependant according to §§14 and 15 of the "Elftes Buch Sozialgesetzbuch"
• if you plan to or have started a technology and /or science-oriented start-up which serves one's studies, are developing innovative products and / or services (setting up a business), e.g. based on the funding requirements of the EXIST programs of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (Bundesministeriums fuer Wirtschaft und Energie). Prior to application, an evaluation process needs to be passed at the Institute of Entrepreneurship (informationen and additional application material).
• additional important miscellaneous reasons (informal explanation and relevant attestation need to be attached to the application for a leave of absence)

Students on leave are allowed to attend examinations at KIT, except for bachelor's thesis, master's thesis and other graduation theses as well as examinations that are carried out within the study setting during the semester (studienbegleitend) and that require the repeated use of KIT resources due to their nature and duration. Students are not allowed to attend courses at KIT or use university institutions, except those listed in §28 LHG; they are also not allowed to complete courses at KIT during their leave of absence. Accoring to par. 1, cl. 2 and par. 2 of the Mutterschutzgesetz (MuSchG), an exception is made for students on maternity leave and for students on parental leave according to Bundeselterngeld- und Elternzeitgesetzes (BEEG). An exception is also made for students caring for a close relative according to §7 Abs. 3 des Pflegezeitgesetzes if that person is care-dependant according to §§14 and 15 of the "Elfte Buch Sozialgesetzbuch".

A leave of absence for the first semester in degree programs and in supplementary study programs or in cases pertaining to §§18 and 19 of the KIT admission and enrollment regulations is only possible according to §14 par. 2 no. 1 to 4 of the KIT admission and enrollment regulations or if the withholding of approval places undue hardship on the student.

Please note that a leave of absence can result in consequences in other areas, e.g. BAfoeG, child benefit or permit of residence. Please contact the relevant administrative bodies (such as "Amt fuer Ausbildungsfoerderung", "Sozialamt", "Kindergeldstelle", "Auslaenderbehoerde") before requesting a leave of absence.