Time out

Taking time out of your course is sometimes called taking a leave of absence, suspending or intercalating. There are many reasons for doing this: it may be due to personal or medical reasons which mean you cannot continue, or perhaps you need time to step back and consider whether your course is right for you.

From September 2012, there will be major changes to the level of tuition fees and the student funding package. If you are thinking about taking time out from your studies, you need to get advice regarding your tuition fees and student finance. Student finance regulations can be complicated and if you are unaware of certain deadlines and regulations, the financial consequences can be serious.

The student finance information outlined below is for full-time home undergraduate students covered under the Education (Student Support) Regulations and receiving support from Student Finance England. Arrangements may vary slightly for those applying to other authorities and those students should seek advice.

Is it better to take time out or withdraw?

It can be better sometimes to take an agreed period of time away from your course rather than withdraw completely. This may be particularly important for students who started their course before 1 September 2012 due to the major changes to fees and funding during the 2012 / 13 academic year. If you agree to suspend your studies and stay on the same mode of study, your student finance and fee liability should remain under the pre-2012 rules. However, if you withdraw from your course completely and re-apply to return in 2012 / 13 or later, then you will be subject to the new post-2012 tuition fee rates and new student finance arrangements.

Please note, if you started your course before 1 September 2012 and transfer onto a course beginning in September 2012 or later and change your mode of study, for example moving from a full-time to a part-time course, you will be subject to the new post-2012 tuition fee rates and new student finance arrangements.

How do I arrange to take time out of my course?

Arranging to take time out of your course and return at a later date can be quite straightforward. You will need to speak to someone within your academic school so you can agree the date you will leave and the date you anticipate returning. Both you and the University will then need to contact your national Student Finance Service to confirm this information so that your student finance can be kept open ready for your return. If you started your course before 1 September 2012 and the date you intend to return is likely to be during the 2012 / 13 academic year or later, we would urge you to make sure that the leave of absence is well documented and get confirmation in writing from Student Finance England that your student finance application will be kept open and that pre-2012 student finance package will be available on your return.

1. When you leave

Both the amount of fees you will be liable to pay and the grant / loan funding available for fees and living costs will be determined by the precise date on which you suspend your studies.

The official date of suspension will be determined by the academic school and this will be communicated directly to the relevant student finance service through the normal channels. The precise date is usually based on when you confirm in writing your intention to suspend but you should be aware of the deadlines set out below.

Tuition fees

The amount of tuition fees you will have to pay will be determined by the University's fee payment conditions and will depend on your official last date of attendance. Find out about your fee liability if you leave during the 2012 / 13 academic year.

Tuition fee loan

If a student suspends on or after the start of term one but before the start of the second term, they will be entitled to 25% of the maximum tuition fee loan.

If a student suspends on or after the start of the term two but before the start of the third term, they will be entitled to 50% of the maximum tuition fee loan.

If a student suspends on or after the start of term three, they will be entitled to 100% of the tuition fee loan. If a student suspends after 21 days from the start of term one, any tuition fee payable will be calculated on a pro-rata weekly basis.

If a student suspends and the pro-rata tuition fee charged is higher than the student’s tuition fee loan entitlement, the student will be liable to pay the difference directly to the University.

If a student has already paid more than the amount of tuition fee they are liable for, the fee loan will be reduced to match the fee liability (see above).

Grants and loans for living costs

Grants and Loans for living costs are payable in termly instalments and the total paid is to cover from the first day of term until the first day of the next term. This is known as the payment period.

The Maintenance Grant, Special Support Grant, Adult Dependants Grant and Parents Learning Allowance are paid in respect of 365 days. Where a student suspends their course part-way through a payment period, a reassessment of these grants should normally be based on the number of days that the student was undertaking, or can be treated as undertaking on the course from the first day of the academic year to the date of suspension. This is likely to result in an overpayment of grant, repayment of which is likely to be requested immediately or taken directly from any future grant entitlement. Help is available during any negotiations with Student Finance England from the Student Financial Support Service at NTU if needed.

The Maintenance Loan is paid in respect of each term (a payment period). When a student suspends their course their entitlement to a loan will be reassessed, this will be calculated on the basis of 33% in the first term, 66% in the second term and 100% in the third term. If a student suspends part way through a payment period then the student's entitlement to the loan amount paid in that period will normally be retained. Once you have left University you only start repaying your loan when your income is above a certain threshold.

If you started your course before 1 September 2012, you pay back any loans plus interest once you complete your course and start earning more than £15,795 per year. The amount you can earn before you have to start repaying your loan will go up each year in line with inflation. You will have to start making repayments in the April after you have left your course.

Full-time and part-time students who start their course after 1 September 2012 begin paying back their student loan once they earn more than £21,000 year. Repayments for courses starting after 1 September 2012 won't begin until April 2016.

2. During your absence

You will not normally be able to receive student finance payments during a leave of absence. Your eligibility for student finance will normally stop on your last date of attendance (see above) and payments will normally resume when you return (see below). However, you may continue to receive funding for a limited period if your absence is due to sickness and we would urge you to contact the Student Financial Support Service for further advice. Our advisers will also be able to advise you whether you fall into one of the categories of students who are eligible to receive benefit payments during your absence.

3. When you return

Your liability for tuition fees and eligibility for student finance payments will depend on when you choose to return and whether you have to repeat any part of your course.

Tuition fees

You should contact your academic school to confirm what fees you will have to pay on your return. If you return at the start of the academic year and will be enrolled for the whole year, you will normally incur the whole year's fee. If you will be returning part way through the year, you may pay a reduced fee.

If your absence is brief and you are able to return and pick up your studies later in the same academic year, you are only entitled to a tuition fee loan for the terms you are in attendance at University. Please note - your fee liability may be higher than your tuition fee loan entitlement (see ‘Tuition fee loan’ in section one above for further information about your Tuition Fee loan entitlement).

Student finance (tuition fee loans and grants / loans for living costs)

You and the University will need to notify Student Finance England of the date of your return, so they can calculate exactly what payments you are due to receive.

If you have exactly one year away and re-join the course at the same point at which you left, then your student finance should simply be reinstated.

If you decide to go back and re-start the year, there is likely to be a period of repeat study and whether you are eligible for student finance during this extra period of time will depend on the previous study rules. Our repeating part of your course page will give you more information about this.

If your absence is brief and you are able to return and pick up your studies later in the same academic year, again you should simply pick up your student finance payments from the date of your return.

Further advice

If you are faced with having to take time out of your course and want to discuss the financial implications, or if you have any difficulty liaising with Student Finance England regarding your absence, please contact the Student Financial Support Service in the first instance and we will arrange for you to speak with one of our advisers.