Leave of Absence

During your period of registration, you may experience a range of significant challenges that may compromise your ability to continue to fully engage with your programme of study. In certain situations, the most viable course of action may be to take an authorised temporary break from study, known as leave of absence.

It is important that you apply for your leave of absence at the time that your personal circumstances affect your ability to study.

Before you apply for a leave of absence, use this checklist to ensure you have everything you need:

1. Have you discussed your plans with your supervisor / personal tutor / employer / Wellbeing?

If you are considering taking a break from your study, you will need to discuss this matter with your tutor/supervisor or wellbeing officer in your School. If you are on a degree apprenticeship programme, you must discuss this with your programme lead and employer first.

2. Do you understand the implications of a leave of absence?

Your Student Record

Read through the Code of Practice on Leave of Absence Procedures to understand what a leave of absence is and how it affects you. The Code of Practice on Leave of Absence procedures can be found by visiting our Codes of Practice, Policies and Guidance webpage, choosing your start year and navigating to the Health and Wellbeing, Leave of Absence & Extension to Study Periods section.

Tuition Fees and Funding

Please visit our Leave of Absence FAQs  page for information on how your leave of absence may affect your tuition fees, funding, student finance and scholarships.

Accommodation

Please visit our Leave of Absence FAQs page for information on how your leave of absence will affect your accommodation.

3. Do you understand the Visa implications of taking a leave of absence?

If you are an International student please review the Visa Implications for International Students section of this page to understand how your immigration sponsorship may be affected.

4. Do you have the right supporting evidence?

All students must provide an outline of the reasons for their leave of absence. Additional evidence will be mandatory for:

• Medical and maternity related leaves of absence
• Degree apprenticeship students
• Students under 18 years of age.

Full details of what evidence is required can be found on our Leave of Absence FAQs page.

5. Have you read the Implications for Postgraduate Research Students section? (For PGR students only)

Postgraduate researchers should read through the Implications for postgraduate researchers section of this page.

If you are an international student your right to remain in the UK may be affected by a leave of absence from studying. As a Home Office Student Route Sponsor, we are legally required to report any changes in a visa student’s registration status to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).

Please be aware that should you apply for a leave of absence that is over 60 days, the University will be required to withdraw immigration sponsorship, and you will not be allowed to return to the University on your current Student route visa. 

If your absence is under 60 days the University may be able to support your leave of absence without withdrawing immigration sponsorship. Please note that this will be assessed on a case by case basis and communicated to you once a decision has been reached.

If you have any questions about withdrawal of immigration sponsorship and what this means for you, we strongly advise that you contact the International Student Team (IST) to discuss your leave of absence, prior to submitting your request.

Registration dates

Leave of Absence taken before the end of the minimum period of registration means that your minimum and maximum registration dates may change to reflect the period of time that you have taken a leave of absence.

If you take a leave of absence during your thesis awaited period, your maximum registration period (the deadline for submission of your thesis) will be amended to take account of the period of leave of absence. Regulation 6.2.4 in the Codes of Practice, Policies and Guidance sets out minimum and maximum periods of study for each qualification.

Funding

Please ensure that you have contacted your funding body to check that they know your situation and you are aware of your implications for funding. If you are funded by a UK Research Council, you may wish to contact the University Graduate School or School Administrator to discuss the impact of leave of absence on your funding.

Before applying, use our Before You Apply Checklist to ensure you have completed all necessary steps. Ensure you have discussed your leave of absence with your School Wellbeing officer personal tutor / supervisor / employer (for degree apprenticeship students only).

1) Log on and start your application: Log on to Self-Service using your University of Birmingham username and password. Select the Leave of Absence portal and click ‘create new request’. If you have problems logging on please contact IT Services.

2) Check your details: Check that your details are correct. If your personal email address or mobile phone number is wrong, update your contact details in My Details before continuing.

3) Select your course: Select your current programme of study from the drop-down menu.

4) Enter your Leave of Absence dates:

• The date in which your leave of absence starts should be the last date of engagement. Engagement includes working towards your assessments/thesis, attending lectures/tutorials/supervision meetings/personal tutor meetings (regarding your studies), downloading materials from Canvas, and conducting research. For advice on your leave of absence dates, please contact your School, supervisor or personal tutor.  
• If your leave of absence started more than 6 weeks ago you will be prompted to provide the reasoning as to why you were unable to complete the form at the time your circumstances began.

5) Choose your Leave of Absence reason: Select your leave of absence reason from the drop-down menu. For advice on which leave of absence reason is right for you, please see our FAQs.

6) Confirm who you’ve contacted: Let us know whether you have contacted Wellbeing regarding your leave of absence. For postgraduate researchers only: please let us know whether you’ve contacted your supervisor.

7) Provide details of your reasons: Provide a statement outlining the reasons for your leave of absence. Please include details on how your circumstances have impacted your studies and how a leave of absence will be beneficial to you. 

8) Upload your evidence:

• Evidence is mandatory for all medical and maternity related applications.
• Students who are under 18 years of age or on a degree apprenticeship programme will need to provide additional documentation.
• Please refrain from uploading any photos or videos of injuries, physically illness, bereavement, or anything else that may cause distress to the person viewing this. If you are unsure if your evidence is suitable, please approach the relevant contact in your School (Wellbeing Officer, Course Lead, Personal Tutor)
• Please note, applications requiring mandatory additional evidence cannot be progressed without this.
• More details on what evidence is required for a leave of absence can be found at our FAQs page.
  

9) Submit your application: Tick the declaration box to confirm you understand the implications of taking a leave of absence. Ensure you understand the full implications of your leave of absence as outlined on this webpage before clicking ‘Submit Application’.

You will receive an email confirming your application has been submitted.

You can check the status of your leave of absence request by logging into Self-Service, selecting the Leave of Absence portal and clicking on ‘Your Existing Requests’. Not sure what your application status means? See our FAQs for more information. 

We aim to process the majority of applications within 15 working days. Please note that if your application is complex it may take longer to process, however we will keep the system updated with progress.

If your leave of absence takes effect in the next academic year we will save your application to be processed closer to your leave of absence start date.

You will receive an email once your application has been completed which will inform you of any next steps you should take.

Please visit our Return from Leave of Absence page for more information.

Please visit our Leave of Absence FAQs for more help with your Leave of Absence application.