Suspension, Termination and Resumption of Studies

Sukurta: 04 April 2019

Suspension of Studies

If a student (unclassified student) is unable to continue their studies due to justified reasons, the head of the core academic unit (faculty) may permit a suspension of studies for up to one year.

Students temporarily unable to continue their studies due to illness, pregnancy, or child care, and who provide appropriate documentation, shall be granted an academic leave. This leave may be granted for up to two years for illness, and for a period defined by law, but no longer than three years, for pregnancy and child care. The head of the core academic unit (faculty) grants this leave, starting from the date of the application submission.

Additionally, a student may be granted an academic leave of absence for personal reasons, but this is allowed only once during the study period and for no more than one year. At the end of this period, the student may apply for a suspension of studies.

Study Termination

Students may terminate their studies under the following conditions:

At the student's request;
Upon expel from the University;
When changing their study programme;
In other specified cases.

For students admitted from 2009 onwards in state-funded degree and non-degree programmes, terminating studies at their request may require reimbursement of a portion of the programme fee to the state budget. This process, mediated by the University, is administered by the State Studies Foundation.

Exemptions from repayment apply to students who:

Voluntarily terminate their studies during the first semester of their bachelor's or integrated studies.
Complete a semester on time, without academic debts, and notify the University in writing of their decision to terminate their studies before the beginning of the new semester.
Submit a termination request during academic leave due to illness, pregnancy, childbirth, or parental leave, and in other cases.

Students may be expelled from the University due to:

Poor academic performance;
Academic dishonesty during studies;
Failure to meet financial obligations;
Other specified reasons.

Refund of Study Voucher

State budget funds allocated for tuition fees in state-funded study places, or a part thereof, must be refunded to the state budget if students voluntarily terminate their studies. Exceptions apply if bachelor's or integrated studies are terminated during the first semester of the first year. From 2015 onwards, second-cycle (master's degree) students who terminate their studies in the first semester of the first year must refund the tuition fee for that semester. Those admitted to higher education institutions before this regulation will follow the previous rules. Refunds are also required if students are expelled under university regulations.

Students are exempt from repayment if they:

Complete a semester on time, have no academic debts, and notify the University in writing of their decision to terminate studies before the new study semester starts, or fulfill the study programme requirements, including submitting their final thesis without defending it;
Are recognized as disabled according to legal regulations and provide a certificate confirming this;
Lose their study voucher during rotation, have no academic debts, and notify the University in writing of their decision to terminate studies within 10 working days of the announcement of study results;
Complete a semester on time after an extended session, have no academic debts, and notify the University in writing of their decision to terminate studies within 10 working days after the extended examination period ends;
Participate in partial (exchange) studies abroad under international agreements, have no academic debts, and notify the University in writing of their decision to terminate studies within 10 working days after the foreign semester ends;
Take academic leave recommended by a doctor or medical advisory commission due to illness, pregnancy, childbirth, or parental leave and notify the University in writing of their decision to terminate studies before the leave period ends.
Pass away.

Students are not required to refund their study voucher if they:

Have no academic debts and notify their faculty in writing of their decision to be removed from the student list before the semester starts (1 September – for Autumn semester, 4 February – for Spring semester);
Are on academic leave due to illness, pregnancy, childbirth, or parental leave and notify their faculty in writing of their decision to be removed from the student list before the leave period ends;
Are final-year students who have submitted their final thesis to their faculty by the designated date.

Students must refund 50 per cent of the annual tuition fee for the ongoing academic year, not exceeding the standard tuition fee approved by the Minister of Education, Science and Sports of the Republic of Lithuania, but no more than:

30 BSB (basic social benefit) units – for first-cycle (bachelor's) study programmes.
50 BSB units – for second-cycle (master's) study programmes or professional pedagogy studies programmes aimed at obtaining a teaching qualification.
70 BSB units – for third-cycle study programmes or professional programmes in the relevant field.

Important information on terminating studies: The study agreement signed before starting studies is a legal document. To terminate the study agreement with Vilnius University, students must follow Paragraphs 44–50 of Part V of the General Part of the Study Agreement, which requires giving 10 calendar days' written notice to the University. The agreement does not automatically terminate if the student stops attending classes or taking exams. The University can demand the fulfillment of financial and other obligations specified in the agreement. Therefore, it is important to submit a signed request for agreement termination to the the faculty when voluntarily terminating studies.

Resumption or continuation of studies

Suspended studies can be resumed. Studies can be resumed if the person has fulfilled the first semester study plan of the University's first cycle, second cycle or integrated study programme, and has no financial obligations to the University. Studies may be resumed, if the credit difference between a student’s previous and intended study programme does not exceed 15 ECTS credits.

The course unit (module) difference resulting from a minor change in the study programme can be eliminated within one year from the resumption of studies. Such differences are not considered to be debts / academic debts. If the person has more than 15 ECTS credits differences in course units (modules), the person shall eliminate the differences before the resumption of studies.

A person who studied in another higher education institution and terminated his studies may resume these studies in Vilnius University. In this case, the person must have completed the first semester without any academic debts and must submit a written application to the faculty (unit) where he wants to resume his studies. The learning outcomes of the person who wishes to continue studying in the University shall be credited after assessing their compliance with the requirements of the preferred study programme. The semester of the studies from which the student is allowed to continue to study shall depend on the ratio between the portion of the study programme completed by the student during his previous studies, and the course units (modules) of the study programme to which the student is admitted to continue the studies.