Pregnancy and retaining the right to study

A student may not be treated less favourably than other students based on pregnancy, maternity or paternity leave or family obligations when decisions are made on the right to study or the duration of the studies.

A student must be allowed to retain her place of study despite absences caused by pregnancy and childbirth, and she should not be forced to re-apply for the same place of study in order to be able to continue her studies. The educational institution must offer a student taking parental leave the opportunity to postpone their studies and to continue their studies at a later date.

The actions of the educational institution will not, however, be deemed to constitute discrimination prohibited by the Equality Act if it can no longer offer the person returning from parental leave a place of study because the educational institution no longer offers the education which the person originally gained a place of study for.