Leave of absence - Things to consider
Quicklinks:
Why are you thinking of taking time out
Financial Implications
Academic Implications
Length of leave and completion of degree
For International Students
Access to University facilities
Applying for other educational courses
Dependents
Why are you thinking of taking time out?
Establishing the reasons behind you wanting to take time out is important to assisting you. It is likely that there are other options available to allow you to continue with your studies. You may wish to check out the information on Absence Reporting, Part-time Study, Changing modules/degree, Problems affecting study, S-coding, and Leaving or Withdrawing. However, the University will not put barriers in your way if you have a legitimate case for wanting time out. Common reasons for requesting a Leave of Absence include (but are not limited to):
- Personal issues These could include caring for a family member, taking a ‘gap-year’, or just wanting to review options.
- Bereavement
- Financial hardship This may include unexpected loss of income, family financial hardship, lack of funding, debt, or any other financial issue.
- Illness This can include mental health issues, and any other illness affecting your ability to study. It is important to see a medical professional while you are unwell because you may need to provide medical documentation at a later date. You must take a leave if you are absent for more than 3 consecutive weeks. For shorter periods of absence, please see Absence Reporting.
- Academic Reasons These could include wanting to change your main subject, or deciding to investigate transferring to other Universities.
Working out why you want to take time out will determine which adviser in Student Services it is most appropriate for you to see.
Financial Implications
Taking a leave can have a significant impact on your present and future finances. There are factors which you may not have considered and it is important that you have the relevant information before making your decision.
Tuition fees
There are two things to consider regarding tuition fees: whether you are liable for them, and if you are able to request repeat funding.
For information on Tuition Fees liability please see:
Undergraduates
http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/students/rules/Withdrawing/undergraduate/
Evening degree students
http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/students/rules/Withdrawing/eveningdegree/
Taught Postgraduates
http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/pgstudents/rules/withdrawing/taught/
Research Postgraduates
http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/pgstudents/rules/withdrawing/research/
If you are funded by a public funding body
Requesting repeat funding: If an undergraduate student is on Leave of Absence on medical grounds then, in most cases, their funding body will be willing to “replace” the semester’s lost fees upon return to study. This does not normally apply when the leave is on personal grounds, except for exceptional circumstances, i.e. caring responsibilities, bereavement.
Postgraduate students will need to contact their funding body to discuss if repeat funding is applicable.
If you are unsure whether you are entitled to repeat funding, or if your repeat funding relies on securing medical or other documentation, you must consult the Money Adviser at Student Services.
Student funding (SAAS, SFE, SFNI, SFW)
Some students receive funding in addition to tuition fee payments from SAAS, SFE, SFNI or SFW.
If your Leave of Absence is due to medical reasons, you may be eligible to receive your student loan after your leave has begun. However, if you receive non-repayable funds, this will cease from the date of your leave and you may have to repay any addition funds you receive whilst on leave.
If your Leave of Absence is due to any other circumstances, your additional funding will cease.
Other student funding
Student can be funded by a variety of funding bodies and other sources. You will need to contact those funding bodies to check how taking a Leave of Absence will affect your funding.
Accommodation (University and Private)
For students currently living in University owned accommodation, the Terms and Conditions of Let require you to vacate your accommodation during a leave of absence. Your liability for the accommodation will continue until have been notified that you have cleared your room and handed in your keys to the appropriate person in the residence. If you have paid your accommodation fees in full, you will be entitled to a refund for the remainder of your contract after handing in your keys.
You will not be allowed to reapply for University owned accommodation whilst on Leave of Absence, until you have a letter of re-engagement. However, you should contact Student Accommodation Services in advance to explain your situation and your intention to return.
Students currently living in private accommodation will need to consult their contract regarding their liability for payment of accommodation fees and breaking the lease. For further information, contact Eleanor Feltham, Student Advocate for Private Accommodation at the Students’ Association.
Taking a Leave of Absence will remove the exemption from council tax afforded to students living in private accommodation. However if you are the only person living in the accommodation, you will be entitled to a 25% reduction. Please contact your local council office for further information.
Government benefits (DWP)
Students on a Leave of Absence are still considered to be ‘a student’ in terms of the Department of Work and Pensions. If your Leave of Absence is due to medical reasons or caring responsibilities you may be eligible to apply for job-seekers allowance where your responsibilities or health allow you to actively seek work. You can apply for this benefit via your local job centre. You may also be entitled to additional benefits, and you can get more information on these from your local job-centre.
In all other cases, students are not entitled to job-seekers allowance or any other benefits (unless they were entitled to these prior to their Leave of Absence).
For benefits advice, please contact the Citizen’s Advice Bureau.
Employment whilst on Leave of Absence
There are no barriers to students on Leave of Absence taking up paid employment if they are fit and able to do so.
Financial Assistance from the University
Student on Leave of Absence are not usually entitled to any financial assistance from the University (e.g. discretionary fund).
Academic Implications
There may be other academic policies which can negate the need for a Leave of Absence, and these should always be explored. Taking a leave effectively ‘stops the clock’ on your study.
For undergraduates and taught postgraduate students the minimum period of leave is one semester. This can mean you become ‘out of sync’ with the academic year. You may need to take additional semesters to fit back into the correct semester. For example, students who take a Leave of Absence for Semester 2, often do not return until Semester 2 of the following academic year. It’s best to speak to your School or Prodean (Advising) about this in order to work out what fits for you.
Taught postgraduates are only expected to be in study for 1 year. Therefore taking time out can affect the degree structure. To take Leave of Absence, taught postgraduates must discuss this with and gain permission from their Course Coordinator.
For research postgraduates, the minimum period of leave is 1 month. They should discuss their situation with their supervisors and require permission from their supervisor to take a leave.
Postgraduate students may be required to submit medical documentation in order for a Leave of Absence to be granted.
It will not be possible to take a Leave of Absence based on poor performance without good reason. If you are unsure whether you have good reason, you may wish to consult the Academic Adviser at Student Services.
Length of leave period and time to complete degree
The minimum length of leave is indicated in Academic Implications. Students would normally apply for no more than 1 full academic year of leave. After their leave they would be asked whether they are returning or whether they wish to apply for a further period of leave. Students are not normally granted more than 2 consecutive years of leave.
Taking a leave will almost always result in you taking longer to complete your studies.
For International Students
If you require a VISA to study (non EEA/EU National) and you are considering taking a Leave of Absence you must seek advice from one of the International Advisers in Student Services, about the implications this will have on your immigration status. If you take a Leave of Absence, you will no longer be fulfilling the conditions of your student visa and the UK Borders Agency will expect you to leave the UK and only return when you intend to restart your studies. Failure to comply to these rules could result in enforcement action being taken against you and may mean that you will serve a period of suspension from the UK. As a Sponsor for Tier 4 Students the University is legally required to inform the UKBA that you have suspended your studies; as a result of this your visa will be curtailed and you will be required to make an application in your home courtry for a new visa before you return to the UK. You should not attempt to re-enter the UK on your existing visa.
To apply for a new visa you will require a Certificate of Acceptance to Study (CAS); you should contact the International Student Advisers who will process a CAS for you once your academic record has been updated to reflect your new end date; they can be contacted by email at advint@st-andrews.ac.uk.
For advice on how to apply for a new visa please see the International Student pages.
Access to University facilities
Some University services are restricted to those students on leave.
• You cannot live in University owned accommodation whilst on leave.
• The Sports Centre and the Students' Association will review access for students on leave on an individual basis if required.
• Your University email will be unaffected; although you will not have access to computer facilities (with the exception of the library).
• You can contact Student Services ether in person, email or telephone.
• Your library account will be suspended during your leave of absence, and you will be asked to return any outstanding items on loan. Students on a leave of absence can opt to pay a £20 deposit in order to borrow up to 15 items. Once your leave of absence is over and your library account is reactivated, your deposit will be refunded after you have returned any items and/or paid any late return fees.
Applying for other educational courses
Care must be taken if wanting to take time out to study elsewhere. If you do not have the correct permissions, it may be considered a fraudulent act. It is better to try and do this in line with current study abroad/exchange programmes, even if you do not want this extra study to be included in your degree. Speak to the Academic Adviser in Student Services about your plans.
Dependents
Your Leave of Absence is likely to affect any dependents or family. There may be financial implications, or in the case of International students, complications with Visas. You may want to discuss your plans with your dependents and also an adviser at Student Services.