All students are required to be continuously registered while in graduate school, except when granted a leave of absence (Ph.D. candidates on dissertation are generally not permitted leaves of absence except for medical or military reasons or when the Family Leave Policy applies).
Students will be granted a leave of absence for military duty, medical reasons, family leave, or personal leave; any of these may require documentation. Military, medical, and family leave "stops the clock" on time to degree completion. Personal leave for other reasons may be granted with the approval of the Graduate Group Chair in consultation with the Graduate Dean of the student's school, but does not, absent exceptional circumstances, "stop the clock" on time to degree completion. Please see the official leave of absence policy here: https://catalog.upenn.edu/pennbook/phdstudentleaveofabsence/. Leave of Absence frequently asked questions and checklist for students can be found here: https://provost.upenn.edu/for-students/graduate-and-professional-education/doctoral-students/#LOAPolicy.
Students wishing to take a family leave should fill out this form. Please see here for full policy: https://catalog.upenn.edu/pennbook/family-friendly-policies-phd-students/. Note that students must submit a form before any action can be taken.
For information regarding the Penn Student Insurance Plan (PSIP) while on leave, see: https://provost.upenn.edu/covering-psip-phd-students-medical-or-family-leave.