Intercalation, also known as intermission or interruption, in the context of

university administration Academic administration is a branch of university or college employees responsible for the maintenance and supervision of the institution and separate from the Faculty (academic staff), faculty or Academic staff, academics, although some personn ...

, is a period when a

student A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution, or more generally, a person who takes a special interest in a subject. In the United Kingdom and most The Commonwealth, commonwealth countries, a "student" attends ...

is allowed to officially take time away from studying for an

academic degree An academic degree is a qualification awarded to a student upon successful completion of a course of study in higher education, usually at a college or university. These institutions often offer degrees at various levels, usually divided into und ...

. When a

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

or similar institution allows a student to intercalate, it is usually for one of the following reasons: * on medical or compassionate grounds, so that the student can take a break from his or her studies and return later.Guidance from the University of Hull on compassionate or medical intercalation
* to allow the student to gain work experience in a field related to his or her field of study.Guidance from the University of Warwick on an intercalated year in industry
* for medical, dental and veterinary students in the UK, to allow the student to pursue a separate but related research degree (normally for one year) and then return to the main medical, dental or veterinary degree.

References

Academic administration {{University-stub