Withdrawal From Studies

Merging legacy City and St George's resources

As we bring together resources for Clerkenwell & Moorgate (legacy City) and Tooting (legacy St George’s) students, some content may be specific to one campus and not the other. For the most relevant information, try using specific keywords or exploring content related to your department. If you need help, our support teams are available to guide you.

Clerkenwell & Moorgate students can use Support@City

Tooting students can contact studentlifecentre@sgul.ac.uk.

For Tooting Campus Students

Interrupting your studies

Students may occasionally need to take an interruption of their studies for personal reasons, e.g. for serious or ongoing health issues or maternity/paternity/adoption leave.

Please approach your course team, ideally in writing, if you wish to apply for an interruption of studies. The interruption will need to be approved by your Course Director (or their nominee).

Staff only: link to IoS Form

Please note the following:

• A short absence which does not impact your progression through the course can be approved by your Course Director under the Attendance and Academic Engagement Policy.
• An interruption cannot be used to avoid an assessment or a student procedure (e.g. Disciplinary or Fitness to Study or Practise) and cannot be approved on academic grounds alone.
• You cannot interrupt for the current academic year after the end of teaching. An application for Mitigating Circumstances can be made if you feel your performance in assessment will be affected by your circumstances. You may then need to interrupt for the next academic year if your assessments have been deferred to later in the next academic year or because your personal circumstances mean that you cannot yet return to your studies.
• If you are on an Assessment Only year, i.e. you are not attending any teaching during the academic year and only taking assessments, you will be considered to be on an interruption of studies for the year. You will not need to apply for an interruption, but your course team may require you to complete some documentation.
• If you take an interruption of studies and then withdraw without returning, the withdrawal date will be set as the Interruption start date.

If you apply to interruption your studies, you will complete a form with a member of the course team:

• An interruption will usually be approved for up to a year, your return date will be agreed and will often be at the beginning of the term or semester in which you interrupt, in the following year. If you need to interrupt for a further period after this, it will need to be approved by your Course Director. A long interruption may have implications for the currency of your learning.
• You will not pay tuition fees for the period of an interruption. You must discuss implications for your funding with the Student Finance and Policy Officer studentfinance@sgul.ac.uk, and you must inform Student Finance England when you interrupt your studies, you will generally not be eligible for maintenance while on an interruption, you may be eligible in certain circumstances, see advice here.
• If you are on a Student Visa we will need to inform the Home Office when you take an interruption and you are strongly advised to contact the International Advising Team, student.immigration@sgul.ac.uk to discuss the implications for your visa.
• The university may need to consult Occupational Health and there may be conditions imposed on your return to study.
• An interruption of study (except where due to maternity reasons, intercalation, PhD years and Student Union Sabbatical posts) will count towards your maximum period of study and you may need to apply for an extension, Procedure for Consideration for an Extension to a Maximum Period of Study.
• When you return to your studies you may resume your studies on a new Scheme of Assessment, new Course Regulations and new Curriculum which has been introduced in the meantime. Please discuss this with your course team and please note that some study may need to be repeated or replaced and additional fees may be incurred in line with the Tuition Fee Policy.

While on an interruption your studies are completely paused:

• You will remain registered at the university but not enrolled.
• You are not expected to attend any teaching, research, assessments or any other university activities. You must not attend placement.
• You will retain access to your SGUL email, and you should continue to monitor this. Please ensure that you maintain up to date contact details with the university and remain in contact with us.
• You will also retain access to your IT account, Canvas, your Personal Tutor, the Counselling Service and other support services and access to buildings and the Library.
• Please contact your Course Administration Team if you have any difficulties with your email or IT account.
• If you are a resident in the University Halls of Residence you will need to leave.
• You are not eligible for a TfL student Oyster card, council tax exemption or any of City St George’s financial support.
• Your Course Administration Team can help with any queries you have.

Resuming your studies

Please discuss the details of your return to studies, including teaching, placement and assessments with your course team, ideally two to three months prior to your expected return.

If you require a student visa you must discuss this with the International Advising Team at least 3 months prior to your return date.

You will need to re-enrol to resume your studies and you will need to have cleared all outstanding tuition fees, please contact Finance acco-rec@sgul.ac.uk, if you have outstanding fees. Please note that you may continue to receive fees reminders while you are interrupted.

You may wish to discuss an interruption of studies with your Personal Tutor or a member of the course team before making an application.

As noted above please discuss financial implications with the Student Finance and Policy Officer studentfinance@sgul.ac.uk, and visa implications with the International Advising Team student.immigration@sgul.ac.uk.

If appropriate you may wish to seek the support of the Disability Service.

Resuming your studies following an interruption or suspension

When you resume your studies following a period of suspension or interruption you will return at an appropriate time determined by the course team, this will often be in the following academic year.

If you took an interruption of studies, depending on your circumstances, details of your return to study may have been documented on your Interruption of Studies form.

Prior to your return from Interruption, you will receive an email (please remember to check your SGUL email account regularly) reminding you about your expected date of return and covering arrangements for any requirements for your return e.g. an Occupational Health assessment.

If you are returning from a suspension you may need to take a further period of interruption in order to return to the course at an appropriate time. You may need to fulfil other requirements such as an Occupational Health assessment.

In either case, please speak to your course team to ensure that you are clear about the arrangements for your teaching, placement, assessments and examinations on resuming your course.

If you are resuming your studies in the following academic year you will need to re-enrol. Your enrolment record will be updated and your access to services will be restored. Please contact your Course Administration Team if you have any difficulties with your access to services on resumption of studies.

Financial implications of a suspension or interruption of studies

If you are suspended or interrupt your studies you will not be charged tuition fees for the period of the suspension/interruption.

If you are in receipt of funding from Student Finance England (SFE) you must inform SFE as soon as you are suspended/interrupted.

SFE will likely stop your maintenance loan from the date of suspension. If you delay informing them of your interruption/suspension they may require you to reimburse any over payment of maintenance immediately.

SFE will generally provide one additional year of funding above the length of your course. If you interrupt or suspend your studies and need to return to the same course year in the next academic year it is likely that you will use this additional year of funding, even if you are enrolled for only part of the year. Further advice is available:

• Student finance if you suspend or leave your course
• Going back to uni or repeating a year
• Please contact studentfinance@sgul.ac.uk for advice

Similarly, if you receive funding from another body you should inform them.

Whilst interrupted you are not eligible for council tax exemption, a student oyster card or City St George’s Financial assistance.

Please note that you will not be able to resume your studies if you have unpaid tuition fees for the previous academic year. Please contact acco-rec@sgul.ac.uk if you have fees to pay and please be aware that we will continue to send fee reminders, where appropriate, while you are on a suspension or interruption.

Guidance for students on a suspension of studies

Occasionally the University may need to impose a suspension of studies on a student where this is in the best interests of the student, the University community or the general public e.g., if the student is subject to a police investigation, a Disciplinary Procedure or a Fitness to Study or Practise procedure.

A suspension is not a disciplinary measure and does not imply the student is guilty of any offence.

A student under a suspension continues to be registered at St George’s and remains bound by the University Terms and Conditions, but is not enrolled and may not attend the university.

If you are suspended

You will receive a letter from the Student Conduct and Compliance Team informing you that you are suspended and providing information which is particular to you.

You should discuss the suspension with your course team. It is likely that you will not be able to resume your studies until the next academic year.

The following applies to all those on suspension:

• Your studies are paused and you must not attend any teaching (including online teaching), clinical placement, research, social or other activities at St George's or a partner institution or placement site.
• Your enrolment status on the student record system will be updated to indicate that you are suspended.
• Your Student ID card will be deactivated for access to buildings (by Estates).
• You will not be able to take any assessments (including coursework and examinations etc) and will not receive results, any award or be notified of Board of Examiner decisions.
• You must not access the VLE (Canvas), UNITU, the Library or other university systems.
• You will usually retain access to your IT account and email address. The Student Conduct and Compliance Team will advise if this is not the case.
• You will be required to leave University accommodation if you are resident in Halls and may be barred from visiting Halls.
• A suspension will count towards your maximum period of study and you may need to apply for an extension. Read our Procedure for Consideration for an Extension to a Maximum Period of Study.
• Your photo may be circulated by Security to ensure that you are not admitted to campus or Halls.
• If you are on a Student Visa, we will inform the Home Office of your suspension, please see here for further information: Visa and immigration support. You are advised to contact the International Advising Team.
• University support is available to you, please see below, but please remember you should make a prior appointment with the appropriate department before attending the site.

While we do not take these measures lightly, and they do not imply guilt, they are taken to protect you and other students.

Please note that you cannot be on an interruption of studies at the same time as a suspension. A suspension will take precedence over an interruption.

Assessment only Students

Following a Board of Examiners or Discretionary Panel you may be permitted to return to the university to sit assessments only with no attendance at teaching.

In this circumstance

• You will be recorded on the student record system with enrolment status of assessment only.
• You will not be charged tuition fees.
• International students on Student Visas will have their visa curtailed. Please contact the International Advising Team for guidance student.immigration@sgul.ac.uk.

As an Assessment Only student you will have access to the following:

• Your City St George's email, IT account and appropriate access to MS Teams.
• The appropriate Canvas areas, including the relevant home area and the module sites for the year in which you started the module (i.e. not the current year).
• Meetings in the academic year with your personal tutor upon your request.
• A meeting with your course director, year or module lead, prior to beginning the academic year. This meeting will highlight any important curriculum and assessment changes from the previous year which are relevant and the appropriate assessment briefings.
• All cohort-level emails; these will include important dates and deadlines. Emails will be for all students in the cohort and therefore not all emails will be relevant to you.
• The University and the Library including for book loans.
• The Careers service.
• The Academic Success Centre (Canvas log in required) including appointments for study advice, which are encouraged.
• Your course may arrange ad hoc online or in-person revision sessions or invite you to formative assessments.
• The Counselling Service and other support services.

As an Assessments only student, you will not be entitled to:

• Attend teaching or onsite live teaching sessions, other than revision sessions organised by your course.
• To receive maintenance loans (from SFE or NHS).
• Apply for financial aid from City St George’s during the year not in attendance or receive the Opportunity Fund Grant.
• Act as a peer tutor during the time that you are away from full-time study.

Assessment only students are not enrolled as full-time students and therefore are not entitled to:

• A Council Tax letter indicating that you are full-time students entitled to a discount
• A Standard Letter from the Student Life Centre indicating that you are a full-time student
• A TfL 18+ Student Oyster Card

You must:

• Sign up to the university’s regulations within 21 days of the course start date. Failure to do this may result in withdrawal from the programme.
• Note important dates in the academic year e.g., exam briefings and listen to these in full via Canvas.
• Familiarize yourself with new content and assessment and be prepared for assessment.
• Contact the administrative team in good time, particularly if you are unsure of key elements e.g., assessment dates or are experiencing difficulties in accessing Canvas.
• Keep up to date with your City St George’s email.
• Your course team may require you to complete additional documentation.

Assessment only students undertaking placement

In some circumstances the Course Team may encourage or arrange for students on an ‘Assessment only’ year to attend placement. In this situation you will be invited to re-enrol for the period of the placement and fees may be due, depending on the duration of the placement.  You will be entitled to claim SFE maintenance for the period of the placement where you are eligible.