Vacation Policy

Caltech is committed to providing students with the opportunity to take time off from research and study. This is not only a matter of policy but is an important factor in reducing stress and maintaining a healthy work/life balance.

The Institute policy provides for 10 days of paid vacation each academic year in addition to Institute holidays. There are approximately 11 Institute holidays and one personal holiday each calendar year: New Year's Day; Martin Luther King Day; President's Day; Memorial Day; Juneteenth; Independence Day; Labor Day; Thanksgiving; and special release days over Winter Break (see below for more information). In total, graduate students receive at least 21 vacation days per calendar year. Paid time off does not accrue from year to year, and vacation days must be taken as whole days.  Paid time off accrues during the academic year (October to September) and resets on October 1 each year. Students are expected to follow Division policies regarding approved time off within the Institute Time Away Tracking app.

In addition to the regularly scheduled Holidays, graduate students are also eligible to take time off during the Special Release days during the winter break.  Students may take those days off, with pay, without having to use vacation days.  Students who are asked to work during this time are entitled to take an equal number of days off in the winter term, to be arranged in consultation with their research advisers.

Some students may need to work on Institute holidays or during holiday breaks in order to staff ongoing activities, projects and operations. Graduate students are expected to coordinate their vacation plans with their research advisers sufficiently far ahead of time to avoid conflicts at the last minute. Students who defer their vacation plans or work on Institute holidays will be able to use their vacation days at another time within the same academic year. Questions should be directed to the Graduate Studies Office.