Ph.D. candidates may submit to the Doctoral Board a request to extend the program lenght. Ph.D. candidates can apply only if they are not able to sumbit their thesis on schedule, for evidence-based reasons.
During the extension period, which cannot exceed 12 months, the scholraship is not paid.

Suspension of Ph.D. Program can only be permitted if specific circumstances arise. Ph.D. candidates must report any circumstances that may delay their research activity to their supervisors, the Doctoral Board, and the Ph.D. Office.

A suspension of the Ph.D. Program may be permitted for maternity/paternity leave, military and civil service, serious certified illness and on other compelling grounds, such as preparatory courses for teaching. Applications for suspension of the doctoral training may require to be approved by the Doctoral Board, according to the reason of suspension.
A suspension for illness longer than 30 days requires that the Ph.D. Candidate submit a medical certificate which must include the estimated recovery time only.

During a leave, enrollment and scholarships are suspended and fees are not to be paid.
Ph.D. candidates can make up for their suspension by postponing the legal duration of their Ph.D. Program for a time equal to the suspension period. Relevant administrative deadlines will be postponed according to the suspension period.

Overall information about Maternity Leave

• In the event of birth of a child, Ph.D. candidates must take a 5-months compulsory maternity leave.

• Maternity leave can start either two months or one month before the expected date of birth and will end three or four months after childbirth.

• Should there exist or arise any pregnancy-related risk, maternity leave may begin at any time.

• Upon approval of the Ph.D. Program Doctoral Board, Ph.D. candidates are also entitled to take up to a 7 months additional maternity leave.

• Attendance is suspended during the maternity leave.

Scholarship and Maternity Leave

Ph.D. candidates with a scholarship can choose to either continue to be paid or to suspend and postpone the scholarship for the same length of their leave.
If candidates decide to be paid during their leave, payments will cease on the legal end date of the Ph.D. Program. Should the Ph.D. candidate not resume the attendance of the Ph.D. Program after the suspension, the scholarship instalments corresponding to the maternity leave period must be returned.
If the scholarship is suspended, the payments will be reactivated when the Ph.D. candidate resumes her attendance.
As for maternity allowance, Ph.D. candidates are invited to contact INPS (Istituto Nazionale di Previdenza Sociale, National Social Security).

Applying for Maternity leave

Ph.D. candidates should give the University notice of their pregnancy as soon as possible.
All forms are available on UniTO Intranet (on MyUnito: Servizi per il personale (on the left) -> Famiglia -> Maternità -> Maternità Dottorato) and should be submitted together with a medical certificate confirming the expected date of birth.

Notification and the doctor’s certificate should be sent to:

• “Servizio Prevenzione” (Health and Safety Office) of your discipline area

• Ph.D. Office (dottorati@unito.it)

• The Coordinator of the Ph.D. Program, the Head of the Hosting Department, and the Supervisor

Please, note that, to start maternity leave one month (instead of two) before the expected date of birth, PhD Candidates must have a favorable opinion from a National Health Service (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale) specialist physician and permission from the Physician in charge (Medico Competente).

PhD Candidates can apply for Paternity leave exclusively in the following cases:

• mother’s death or serious illness or abandoning;

• full custody of the child to the father.

In this case PhD Candidates can apply for the entire duration of the Maternity leave or for the remaining part that should have been benefited from the mother (according with Article 28 of the Legislative Decree 151/2001).
For further details and information on paternity leave please contact the Office directly (dottorati@unito.it)

Ph.D. candidates may withdraw from their Program at any time during the academic year. The withdrawal is irrevocable and entails the annulment of the Ph.D. academic curriculum. Re-enrollment, even in the same Ph.D. Program, is allowed upon successful selection after a new entrance exam.

The Ph.D. candidates must have paid all fees to withdraw from the Ph.D. Program.

How to withdraw from a Ph.D. Program

In order to complete the withdrawal, candidates must:

• fill the form and send it to the Ph.D. Office (dottorati@unito.it) together with a copy of their ID documents;
• wait for notification from the Ph.D. Office, login to MyUnito with student credentials and download the relevant invoice for the payment of a € 16,00 revenue stamp;
• pay via PagoPA;
• forward the payment receipt to dottorati@unito.it.

NB: Ph.D. candidates with scholarship must not return the amount received, except for the instalment received after their official withdrawal.