Leave

The University offers a highly competitive annual leave allowance, in addition to four public holidays. There are also various other leave and absence options for staff.

The holiday year runs from 1 January to 31 December.

                                                                        Annual entitlement
GradeHoursEquivalent Days
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Information on annual leave entitlement for staff on other grades is included in the terms and conditions of employment.

If you work part-time, are joining during the year or are leaving us throughout the year, your annual leave entitlement will be calculated on a pro rata basis.

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Annual Leave Calculator 2026 (101.13 KB / XLSX)
Document
Annual Leave Calculator 2027 (103.7 KB / XLSX)

Public Holidays

In addition to annual leave, staff are entitled to the following four public holidays when the University is closed.

  • 25 December
  • 26 December
  • 1 January
  • 2 January

Or, the alternative nominated public holiday dates should one of these days fall onto a weekend.

Christmas Closure Period

The University has a Christmas closure period between Christmas and New Year during which only some services operate. Employees, who are not required to work during this closure period, are required to normally use four days (some years only three days will be required) of their annual leave entitlement to cover this period (pro-rata for part-time staff). The specific dates and number of closure days will be agreed centrally within the University each year and communicated as far in advance as possible.

Please check with your manager regarding local arrangements during the Christmas closure period.

2026-27

Public holiday dates

  • Friday 25 December 2026
  • Monday 28 December 2026
  • Friday 1 January 2027
  • Monday 4 January 2027

Annual leave dates

  • Thursday 24 December 2026
  • Tuesday 29 December 2026
  • Wednesday 30 December 2026
  • Thursday 31 December 2026

2027-28

Public holiday dates

  • Monday 27 December 2027
  • Tuesday 28 December 2027
  • Monday 3 January 2028
  • Tuesday 4 January 2028  

Annual leave dates

  • Friday 24th December 2027
  • Wednesday 29th December 2027
  • Thursday 30th December 2027
  • Friday 31st December 2027

Other Leave

To access information on other leave/absence options, including relevant policies and guidance, click on the button below.

Some leave/absence types may be paid/unpaid or a combination thereof; and some may also be subject to eligibility/qualifying periods, therefore the full policy should be referred to for specific details.

Entitlements are pro rata for part time staff.