If you are considering temporarily withdrawing from the University, you will need to read the guidance provided on the leave of absence webpage.
Tuition fee liability
The tuition fee liability webpage provides information about the University’s Fee Liability Policy for students who withdraw or take leave of absence. Please consult this page for information about the fee you will be charged.
If you are paying your tuition fees via a loan from the Student Loan Company (SLC), your withdrawal date will be reported to the SLC and your Tuition Fee Loan will be adjusted accordingly to reflect the correct liability and any interest accrued.
SLC funding
Regardless of how long you have been registered on your course, you will usually be considered to have used a full year of funding entitlement by Student Finance by the SLC. You are, however, entitled to an extra year of funding from the SLC.
If you have also used up your ‘gift year’ of funding from the SLC, you may still be able to get full statutory funding if you can demonstrate that the reasons for transferring your course, changing university or repeating a year are due to compelling personal circumstances such as illness, bereavement or family problems.
Medical grounds
If you are taking a leave of absence due to illness or pregnancy, the SLC can extend your student finance to include an additional 60 days of funding. If the University has confirmed your leave of absence on medical grounds then the SLC will be informed of this decision and the funding can be put in place automatically. If you encounter any problems with this then you can provide the SLC with medical evidence, for example a letter from your doctor, to request the additional funding with the SLC directly.
The SLC may be able to extend funding for more than 60 days if you would be in financial hardship without the additional support. You will need to provide evidence of financial hardship to the SLC.
Chamberlain
If you are in receipt of the Chamberlain Award, any future payments for the academic year will be suspended until you re-register. Upon re-registering, you will be paid the balance of any instalments due from the Academic Year when the Leave of Absence was taken.
You can read more about this in the terms and conditions for the Chamberlain Award.
Scholarships and other awards
As student loans and grants, scholarships and bursaries are not normally payable during suspension of studies, it is important that you contact the person, department or institution responsible for administering any other awards that you may be in receipt of.
For information about maternity and paternity leave, please read the following web-page.