Application for session extension and dean’s leave in Tricity: Step-by-step guide

Extending an exam session is a procedure that allows you to take exams or get credits after the retake session has officially ended. This is an ideal solution when, for example, you landed in the hospital during a winter session or when your employer in the Port of Gdańsk sent you for unexpected training.

When can you apply for an extension?

Most regulations in the Tri-City provide for such a possibility in the case of:

1. A long-term illness confirmed by a medical certificate.
2. Important random events (e.g. death of a loved one, accidents).
3. Participation in nationwide sports competitions (common among AWFiS students).
4. Mistakes on the part of the university (e.g. overlapping exam dates, which should not happen in USOS, but the reality can be different).

How to write an application? (Key Elements)

When looking for a dean’s application template, pay attention to the structure. Your application must be specific.

• Headline: Your details, album number, field of study and year of study. On the right: the city (e.g. Gdańsk) and the date.
• Addressee: Sz. P. [Tytuł, Imię i Nazwisko Dziekana], Dean of the Faculty of [Nazwa Wydziału].
• Actual content: “I kindly request that the exam session in the semester [letnim/zimowym] be extended until [data].”
• Justification: This is where the fate of the application is decided. If your cause is an illness, write: “My request is motivated by a sudden deterioration in health within the period of… to…, which prevented me from taking exams in subjects…”.

Dean’s leave – how to get a “dean’s leave” in the Tri-City?

Sometimes a week or two of extra time is not enough. If you need a full semester or a year off, you’re interested in dean’s leave. How to get such consent? In Gdańsk and Gdynia, two types of leave are most often granted: health and for the so-called “important reasons”.

Types of Dean’s Leave

1. Medical leave: Awarded on the basis of a medical committee decision. At the University of Gdańsk or Gdańsk Tech, a certificate from an occupational medicine doctor or a specialist clinic (e.g. the University Clinical Center in Gdańsk) is often required.
2. Random leave / for important reasons: Here, the reasons can be different – from financial problems, through a business trip abroad, to the birth of a child (maternity/paternity leave is almost always considered positively).
3. Annual leave: It is becoming more and more popular in the Tri-City. If you have received a prestigious internship in a company at Olivia Business Centre, which interferes with your studies, you can apply for leave motivated by professional development.

Effects of dean’s leave

Before you apply, you need to know that the “dean” has its consequences:

• Student ID: At most universities, you retain the status of a student, and therefore discounts on SKM, PKP trains and public transport in Gdańsk (ZTM) and Gdynia (ZKM). However, it is worth checking with your dean’s office – some universities require you to “stamp” your ID card for the duration of your vacation.
• Scholarships: During the leave, you usually do not receive a rector’s or social scholarship.
• Dormitory space: This is often associated with the need to leave the Student Dormitory (e.g. in Wrzeszcz in Gdańsk) to make room for active students.

Application to the Dean template – universal scheme

Below I present a structure that is widely accepted at the University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk University of Technology and other Tri-City universities.

Gdańsk, 15.05.2026

Jan Kowalski
Album No.: 123456
Field of study: Computer Science, Year II
Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Computer Science at Gdańsk University of Technology

Sz. P.
Jan Nowak, PhD, DSc, Eng., Prof. Gdańsk Tech
Vice-Dean for Student Affairs

Application

I kindly ask you to grant a dean’s (semester) leave for the summer semester of the academic year 2026/2027

I motivate my request by a difficult family situation and the need to take up a full-time paid job, which prevents me from reliably participating in teaching classes. Attached is a statement of income / employment contract.

Sincerely,
(handwritten signature)

Practical tips for students from Gdansk, Gdynia and Sopot

Applying is a process where the devil is in the details. Here’s what you need to know as a local student:

• Dean’s offices (the so-called “Mordors”): Opening hours can be specific. At UG, offices are often closed to students on Wednesdays. Check it out before you go from Gdynia to Bażyńskiego.
• Documentation is the basis for: Never write generalities like “I have problems”. Attach photocopies of medical documents, certificates from an employer from Gdańsk or Gdynia, documents from offices. The more facts, the lower the chance of rejecting the application.
• Dates in the regulations: How to get dean’s leave? First of all – on time. Typically, you should apply for a dean’s job before the start of the semester or in the first weeks of the semester. Applying halfway through a retake session for a leave of absence for the past semester is almost always doomed to failure.
• Consent to exams on leave: In some cases, you may be able to take certain exams in your application, even though you are on vacation. Deans at Gdańsk Tech often play into the hands of ambitious students in this matter.

E-applications in the USOS and Moja PG systems: Digitization of applications in the Tri-City

In 2026/2027, most Tri-City universities are moving away from traditional, paper documents in favor of electronic circulation. Understanding how the technical system interprets your digital dean application (template) is the foundation for success.

Procedure in Moja PG (Gdańsk University of Technology)

At the Gdańsk University of Technology, this process is almost completely automated. In the “Student” module, you will find the “Applications” tab.

• Important Note: By selecting the reason for requesting dean’s leave, the system automatically generates a list of required attachments. If you are applying for medical leave, you must upload a scan of your medical certificate. Remember, however, that the Moja PG system does not exempt you from the obligation to provide the original medical document to the Student Service Office (BOS) within 7 days of submitting the e-application.

Procedure in USOSweb (University of Gdańsk, MUG)

At the University of Gdańsk, the USOS system allows applications to be submitted in the form of “e-applications”.

• Once you have submitted a request for an extension of the exam session, the status changes from “submitted” to “under consideration”. If the status does not change within 3 working days, it is a signal to contact the clerk at the dean’s office at Bażyński or in Sopot – your application may have been stuck due to technical reasons.

Medical documentation: Where to get a reliable certificate in Gdańsk?

For the Deans of Tri-City universities, not every certificate is equally important. If your goal is a dean’s leave, how to get it seamlessly depends on the issuer of the document.

1. University Clinical Center (UCK) in Gdańsk: Documents issued by specialists from the UCK are of the utmost importance for the committees at MUG and UG.
2. Scanmed Medical Center (next to the Gdańsk University of Technology dormitories): Due to the close cooperation with the Gdańsk University of Technology, doctors at this point know perfectly well how to formulate a certificate so that it meets the regulatory requirements of the technical university.
3. Provincial Rheumatology Team in Sopot: A frequent point for students of economic and management faculties, applying for medical leave due to rehabilitation.

Key tip: The medical certificate does not have to include a diagnosis (you are protected by medical confidentiality), but there must be a clear record: “Your health condition prevents you from continuing your studies/taking exams on the date from… to…“. Without this phrase, the extension of the exam session is often rejected.

Curriculum differences – the trap of returning from dean’s leave

Before you get a dean’s leave, you need to check if your study program in Gdansk is changing in the coming year.

• What does this mean? If you take a year off from the UG Faculty of Oceanography, you can return to a new grid of hours. The dean’s office may then order you to complete the so-called curriculum differences (additional subjects) that have appeared in the new program.
• Costs: For each additional subject resulting from curriculum differences, the student usually has to pay (according to the price list for ECTS credits of a given university). It is worth mentioning this in the application, asking for “leave of absence while maintaining the current study program”, although the consent to this depends on the autonomy of the faculty.

Financial aspects for part-time (part-time) students

For part-time students in the Tri-City, extending the exam session or taking a vacation is a matter of not only time, but also a lot of money.

• Tuition Reimbursement: If you are requesting dean’s leave during the semester, check your agreement with the university. At most non-public universities in Tri-City (e.g. WSB Merito or WSZ), you are entitled to a proportional reimbursement of tuition fees only if you submit your application by a specific day of the month.
• Semester repeat fee: Remember that dean’s leave is free, but if you do not receive an extension of the session and fail the courses, the cost of returning to university (conditional enrollment) in Gdańsk can range from PLN 1500 to even PLN 4000 per semester.

Support of the Student Ombudsman and student organizations

In disputable situations, when the Dean refuses to extend the exam session despite clear premises, the student in the Tri-City has a strong defensive background.

• UG Students’ Parliament / Gdańsk University Students’ Self-Government: They have legal advice offices. If your application to the dean (template) was rejected, go there with a copy of the document. Often the mistake lies in the lack of reference to a specific paragraph of the Regulations of Studies (e.g. § 24 of the Regulations of Gdańsk Tech concerning fortuitous events).
• KPA (Code of Administrative Procedure): Remember that the Dean’s decision is an administrative decision. It must contain factual and legal justification. If you get a refusal without explanation, it is legally flawed and easy to challenge in an appeal to the Rector.

Frequently asked questions about dean’s leave

Is there a fee to extend the exam session?

The processing of the application itself and setting new dates is free of charge. Remember, however, that if you do not pass the exam despite the extension, you will have to pay for repeating the subject (the so-called condition), which at Tri-City universities costs from PLN 100 to even PLN 300 per ECTS credit.

Am I entitled to discounts on SKM on dean’s leave?

Yes, as long as you have a valid student ID (ELS). The ticketing system in the Tri-City is based on the validity of the hologram. If your dean’s office wins your ID card despite your vacation, you can legally use the reliefs.

What if the Dean rejects my application?

You have the right to appeal against each decision of the Dean to the Rector (usually you have 14 days to do so). In this case, it is worth consulting the Students’ Parliament of the University of Gdańsk Tech or Gdańsk Tech – they have their own lawyers who will help you formulate stronger arguments.

Can I get dean’s leave in my first year?

It is difficult, but possible (mainly medical leave). Most regulations in the Tri-City assume that leave for important reasons can be applied for only after completing the first year of studies.

How long does it take to make a decision in Gdańsk?

According to the Code of Administrative Procedure, the university has one month, but in practice in Tri-City dean’s offices you will receive a decision within 7-14 working days. The information usually appears first in the system (USOS/My PG).

Summary: Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help

Studying in the Tri-City is a marathon, not a sprint. Extending an exam session or taking a dean’s leave are normal procedures that thousands of students use every year. The most important thing is honesty in justification, timeliness and attention to documentation.

If you feel like you’re losing ground, don’t wait until the last minute. Use the above application to the dean’s template, collect the necessary certificates and go to your student service office. Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot offer amazing development prospects, and a temporary break from studying may be just what you need to return to the university with new energy and a clear goal.

Need help formulating a specific point? Contact your Starost of the Year or student organization – they know best what the Dean pays the most attention to!