PhD Student Vacation Policy: How Many Days, With a Lab Template

A PhD student vacation policy states how much time off students may take, how to ask for it, and what happens around sickness and parental leave. There is no single number. It comes from the student's funder, their university and their contract, and the PI cannot set it below those. UKRI recommends 30 days a year at minimum for its studentships; NIH training awards give the same vacations and holidays as comparable positions at the institution.

This guide sets out what two large funders actually say, so you know the floor, and then gives a lab template to sit on top of it. Everything below covers US NIH research training awards and UK UKRI studentships only. Other countries, other funders and individual university contracts differ, and the student's own terms always win over this guide.

Why the PI's rule has to sit on top of someone else's

A PhD student is usually not an employee of the PI. They hold a stipend from a training grant, fellowship or studentship, or they are paid by the department or by the PI's research grant. Each source carries its own terms. If a PI says "two weeks a year" to a student whose studentship terms recommend thirty days, the PI is wrong, and the student can say so. If a PI says nothing, students guess, and the guesses are usually too cautious: they skip a week at home and then burn out.

So the order is: the funder's terms, then the university's rules and the student's contract, then the lab's policy, which can add detail (how to ask, how much notice) but should not take anything away.

What NIH says for research training awards

For graduate students and postdocs supported as trainees or fellows under Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA), NIH's notice NOT-OD-18-154 sets out these rules. They do not cover students paid from a regular research grant, where the institution's policy applies.

Vacations and holidays. Trainees and fellows may take the same vacations and holidays available to people in comparable training positions at the institution, and keep their stipend. At academic institutions the period between semesters or quarters is an active part of training, not a vacation or a holiday.
Sick leave. Stipends can continue for up to 15 calendar days of sick leave a year. Sick leave can be used for medical conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth. In exceptional circumstances the period can be extended on a written request to the NIH awarding component.
Parental leave. Stipends can continue for up to 60 calendar days (8 work weeks) of parental leave a year for the birth or adoption of a child. Either or both parents are eligible, the institution or supervisor must be told in advance, and the sponsor or training grant PD/PI must approve.
Longer absences. Extended time away requires NIH's approval of an unpaid leave of absence, requested by the institution's authorized organizational representative with the trainee and PI signing. Award funds cannot be spent during it.
Part-time training. Possible for medical, disability or family reasons, at 50 percent effort or more, with signatures from the trainee, the institution and the PI or sponsor.

Note what NIH does not say: it gives no number of vacation days. It points to the institution's own comparable positions.

What UKRI says for studentships

The UKRI Standard Terms and Conditions of Training Grant (the April 2024 version we read) say:

Annual leave (TGC 8.3). The research organisation should have a clear policy on paid annual leave and tell the student at the start. Reasonable paid holidays, from a minimum of 30 days to a maximum of eight weeks a year including public holidays, are recommended and should be allowed for by supervisors, pro rata for part-time students. Annual leave comes out of the existing studentship time and the studentship is not extended to cover it.
Sick leave (TGC 8.2). Payment must continue for absences covered by a medical certificate for up to thirteen weeks in a rolling 12-month period. If an illness lasts longer, the studentship is suspended for the period beyond thirteen weeks.
Parental leave (TGC 8.1). UKRI-funded students are entitled to 52 weeks of maternity-equivalent leave, with the first 26 weeks at full stipend, the next 13 at a level matching statutory maternity pay and the final 13 unpaid. Students who would qualify for statutory paternity leave get up to two weeks of paid ordinary paternity leave on full stipend. An unpaid parental leave scheme allows up to 50 weeks, with the studentship extended. There is no qualifying period.
Other leave (TGC 8.3.1). Organisations are expected to have a policy for short-term emergencies and compassionate leave. As a minimum, bereaved parents get two weeks of paid leave on the death of a child under 18. For other emergencies the paid days depend on circumstances and would not usually exceed five.

Two things to watch. UKRI's terms are revised over time, so check the current version on UKRI's site. And a particular scheme, doctoral training partnership or university can add to or override these terms. Read your own award's terms, not a summary of them, including this one.

Side by side

	NIH NRSA (US)	UKRI studentship (UK)
Vacation	Same as comparable positions at the institution, stipend continues	Recommended 30 days to 8 weeks a year including public holidays
Sick	Up to 15 calendar days a year	Pay continues for up to 13 weeks in a rolling 12 months
Parental	Up to 60 calendar days a year, per birth or adoption	52 weeks maternity-equivalent, 2 weeks paid paternity, up to 50 weeks unpaid parental leave
Extension	Through NIH approval	Annual leave does not extend the studentship, parental leave does

A lab template

Put this in the lab's expectations document and ask your research office to check the numbers against your funders and the student contracts. The bracketed parts are for you to fill in.

LEAVE AND TIME OFF: [Lab name], effective [date]

1. What applies
   Your time off is set first by your funder and your university.
   For funded students that is [funder terms / contract]. This page
   covers how we handle it in the lab and never reduces those terms.

2. Annual leave
   You may take up to [number] days a year, including public holidays,
   as set by [university / funder]. We ask that you:
   - tell [supervisor] at least [two] weeks ahead for any absence over
     three days, and as early as you can for shorter ones;
   - add the dates to the lab calendar;
   - agree who covers shared duties (equipment, animals, cultures,
     samples) for the dates;
   - avoid [named fixed deadlines: grant, annual review] where possible,
     and tell us early if that is not possible.
   Taking your leave is expected. Nobody is judged for using it.

3. Sickness
   Tell [supervisor] on the first morning if you can. You do not need to
   explain the illness. For longer absences, follow [university process]
   and we will help with the paperwork. We do not expect you to work
   while you are on sick leave.

4. Parental, family and compassionate leave
   These follow [funder terms and university policy]. Talk to
   [supervisor] as early as you are comfortable, so we can plan
   coverage and any extension. We will not ask you to give up leave you
   are entitled to.

5. Conferences, fieldwork and visits
   Approved conference travel is work, not annual leave. If you add
   personal days to a trip, only those days count as leave.

6. Between terms
   [Describe expectations between semesters. For NRSA trainees the
   period between semesters is active training, not vacation.]

7. Our side
   The PI will respond to leave requests within [three] working days and
   will not schedule group deadlines that require work during agreed
   leave.

Two choices in the template are deliberate. It states that taking leave is expected, because in many labs the unspoken rule is the opposite and students will not ask. And it separates conference travel from vacation, since the confusion costs students days they were entitled to.

Keeping track without becoming the leave police

The PI's job is to know who is away, not to approve each day. A shared lab calendar with leave on it is enough for most groups, and it prevents the common collision where three people are away in the same week a deadline lands. LetRelay has away and travel requests, a team calendar and a duty roster; the leave workflow is a Pro feature, and on the Free plan a shared calendar does the same job manually. Whatever you use, a record of leave taken also protects students: when a funder or the university asks whether the terms were honoured, you can show it. Our guide to attendance and leave management for small teams covers the workflow, and the new PI checklist puts the policy in context.

FAQ

Do PhD students get paid vacation?

Often yes, but it depends on funding and contract. UKRI recommends a minimum of 30 days a year including public holidays for its studentships. NIH training awards give the same vacations and holidays as comparable positions at the institution. A student paid from a research grant or by a department follows the institution's employment or studentship rules.

How many vacation days should a PhD student get?

At least what the funder and the university say. UKRI's range is 30 days to a maximum of eight weeks a year including public holidays, and it applies to its own studentships. NIH gives no number and points to the institution. A lab policy can be more generous but not less.

Can a PI refuse a student's vacation request?

A PI can ask for notice and coordinate timing around fixed deadlines and shared duties. A PI cannot refuse leave the student is entitled to under the funder's terms or the university's rules. If you think a request is a problem, talk to the student and to the graduate office first.

Does annual leave extend a UKRI studentship?

No. Under UKRI's terms annual leave comes out of the existing time frame for the studentship, and the studentship is not extended for it. Parental leave is different: the studentship end date should be updated to reflect it.

What is the sick leave rule for NIH trainees?

Stipends can continue for up to 15 calendar days of sick leave per year, and it can cover medical conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth. Longer absences need NIH approval for an unpaid leave of absence, and an extension is possible in exceptional circumstances on a written request.

What about conference travel?

Treat approved conference travel as work, not leave, and say so in the policy. If a student extends the trip for personal days, only those days count as leave.

Where should the policy live?

In the lab's written expectations document, with the numbers filled in from your funders and university, checked by your research office. Students should see it on their first day, and again when anything changes. The onboarding checklist includes it.