2,909: Graduate Assistant Parental Leave Program

Revised: November 2025

Program Guidelines

Scope and overview. As used in this document, “parental leave” means leave with or without pay for childbirth or placement of a child for adoption or foster care. The graduate assistant’s department or place of on-campus employment will provide up to six weeks of paid graduate assistant parental leave (during the standard graduate assistant appointment period), and up to an additional six weeks of unpaid graduate assistant parental leave or a flexible graduate assistant work assignment.
Paid and unpaid leave. Graduate assistants will be provided with guaranteed parental leave with pay for a period of up to six weeks during a graduate assistant contract period, retaining their full stipends and benefits during the leave.
1. At the graduate assistant’s discretion, the leave can be extended for a second period of leave of up to six weeks during which the graduate assistant does not retain their full stipend.
2. If both parents are graduate assistants at the University, the maximum of twelve weeks leave may be divided between them, as per their request, such that the total time of paid leave does not exceed six (6) weeks and the total time of unpaid leave does not exceed six (6) weeks. If the two parents are employed by different departments, each parent must apply for their graduate assistant parental leave in their department of employment.
Collegiality. Departments, faculty, and graduate assistants should work collegially to agree upon the details of the leave, recognizing that these may differ from case-to-case depending on the timing of the birth/adoption, individual student circumstances/preferences, and type of graduate assistant work assignment. Supervisors are expected to engage in a conversation with graduate assistants requesting allowable parental leave to accommodate requests for alternative workload assignments, and/or flexible workload assignments, for up to six weeks following parental leave. We encourage departments to support maximum graduate assistant utilization of the Graduate Assistant Parental Leave Program.
Parental leave request. The Graduate Assistant Parental Leave Request must be submitted eight weeks prior to the anticipated leave, or two weeks before the start of the semester, whichever is earlier. The process is outlined on the Human Resources website and the Graduate School website. The Graduate Assistant Parental Leave Request details the plan for graduate assistant parental leave and departmental acceptance. The plan must be signed by the graduate assistant, the graduate assistant’s supervisor, and the department chair. If required, the request must also include the Medical Certification Form to HR. The medical certification is to be provided to the treating medical provider.
Negotiation of parental leave plan. A graduate assistant whose request for reasonable parental leave is not approved should consult first with their graduate assistant supervisor or department chair, next their college/school dean, and last, if necessary, with the Graduate School. The Dean of the Graduate School will serve as the final arbiter to establish a workable leave plan.
Coverage. If the approved graduate assistant parental leave occurs at the end of the semester or at the end of a contract period, financial support will not be continued beyond the end of the contract. Graduate assistant parental leave may be taken during the semester in which the child is born or adopted, or during the semester immediately following. Any graduate assistant parental leave must be continuous such that paid and unpaid graduate assistant parental leave is uninterrupted.
Reimbursement of departments/Costing Allocation. When a graduate assistant goes on paid leave for up to six (6) weeks under this graduate student parental leave policy, the graduate assistant stipend/regular pay shall remain in place. The department shall work with HR to either be reimbursed for up to six weeks of the graduate assistant’s stipends at the rate of the student’s graduate assistant stipend, or to change the costing allocation for the duration of the leave with pay.

Eligibility

Generally, graduate assistants must be appointed for at least one semester before the beginning of parental leave.
1. This policy assumes that a graduate assistant is being hired for at least 10 months of the academic year (August 1 through May 31), consistent with Title 4 Chapter 5 Section 2(5) of the Nevada System of Higher Education Handbook. If a graduate assistant has only received a contract for the Fall semester, departments are required to hire the graduate assistant for the Spring semester as well. The exception is when it is clearly communicated to the graduate assistant prior to the Fall appointment that the Fall appointment would be for only a single semester, and the graduate assistant cannot have a reasonable expectation to be reappointed for Spring.
2. If requesting summer leave, a graduate assistant must have been hired for the previous Spring term and have a summer graduate assistant contract in place.
3. Graduate assistants who resign or whose appointment was terminated because they did not meet work standards (see UAM 2,905) are not eligible for graduate assistant parental leave under this policy during the semester immediately following their termination. Under UAM 2,905 all requests for termination are being reviewed by the Dean of the Graduate School.
Graduate assistants applying for the graduate assistant parental leave program must be in good academic standing and continue to be enrolled in classes during the leave period to meet the continuous enrollment policy.

Important Points to Consider

Graduate assistant parental leave does not constitute a break in continuous enrollment. All graduate assistants must maintain 6 graduate-level credits each semester in which they are a graduate assistant, including when on approved graduate assistant parental leave.
If a graduate assistant chooses unpaid leave via an approved leave of absence or medical leave, this graduate assistant parental leave policy does not apply.
If a graduate assistant is supported by a research assistantship funded by external sources, such as grant funding, the rules of the granting agency govern any leave for graduate assistants. If the granting agency defers to University policy regarding paid parental leave, the leave will be paid by the grant. If the granting agency requires suspension of payment during the parental leave period, the graduate assistant is eligible for substitute payment from this program.
The University does not tolerate any discrimination against pregnant employees or employees who are new parents. We follow all federal and state laws prohibiting such discrimination (see also UAM 1,900).