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Resitting, interrupting or leaving your course - a guide for

home and EU undergraduates
To use this guide you either click on the section headings on the right-hand side or go forward
through the whole guide by clicking on the section headings at the bottom of each page.
IMPORTANT information if you are an EU national

The information in this guide applies to you if you began your course in the 2020/21 academic year
or earlier.
However, if you are a non UK EU, EEA or Swiss national (with the exception of Irish nationals)
and you move to the UK from 1 January 2021 onwards with Student Immigration Permission you
should also read the Re-sitting, Interrupting or Leaving your course guide for international students
for information about the immigration implications if you re-take a period of study, interrupt or
withdraw from your course.
Non UK EU/EEA/Swiss nationals who are or have been resident in the UK prior to 31 December
2020 should also read our guidance about How to stay in the UK after 31 December 2020.
If you would like to print the whole guide please click on ‘printer friendly version’ at the bottom of
this page. If you want to print a section of this guide, go to the section and click on the ‘printer
friendly version’ at the bottom of that page.
Thinking about your options

Many students have doubts about whether they can continue with their studies. You might feel that
you have rushed your decision about coming to university, or feel that you would be more suited to a
different course. University life and studying at degree level can be very different to your
expectations. Sometimes personal or financial circumstances mean that you cannot give your studies
the attention that you would like to.
Whatever your reason for considering leaving, or taking some time out, staff at Queen Mary can
support and advise you. It is important not to rush into a decision until you have really thought about
it. Talking to someone who is used to advising students about these matters might help you to
consider options you did not know about. There may also be financial implications you might need
to consider before you decide on the best option for you. See the later sections of this advice guide
for important advice to help you make your decision.
Think about your decision

Are you really struggling with the course, or are you just lacking confidence about your
ability?
Is your course really the problem? Maybe other problems are getting in the way?
Do you feel pressured to study a subject that you don’t really enjoy?
Do you need to know more about other courses or career options before you can make an
informed decision?
Is this the right time for you to be at university at all?
Are you finding it difficult to manage your academic work, writing essays or preparing for
exams
If these questions sound familiar, it can be useful to get help and support before you make your
decision:
A Welfare Adviser or Counsellor in the Advice and Counselling Service can help you to
think through your options and offer you support with practical, financial or personal
issues
Your personal adviser or tutor in your academic school can advise you what academic
options are available to you. There is a Student Support Officer in most academic schools
who is usually your first point of contact for this type of issue.
The Disability and Dyslexia Service can offer you advice on the support available to you if
you have long term ill health, a disability, a mental health condition, or a specific learning
disability.
Contact the Queen Mary Careers and Enterprise Centre to find out about other courses or
options.
Find out about study skills and learning support at Queen Mary through Learning
Development
Think about the practical implications of your decision:
How easy will it be to find work if you leave?
What will happen to your Student Finance?
How will you support yourself financially?
What Student Finance will you be eligible for on a new course?
How do you complete Queen Mary’s administrative formalities if you leave your course?
Before you make a decision, it is vital that you get accurate information about these practical
matters. This is especially important if you are receiving government funds towards the cost of your
education: you need to try and protect your entitlement to Student Finance for any future
undergraduate course if you can. A Welfare Adviser in the Advice and Counselling Service can
advise you about these practical matters.
EU/EEA/Swiss Nationals
If you are an EU/EEA/Swiss national you should read our EU/EEA guidance about how to stay in
the UK after 31 December 2020 as its important to be aware of your options. If you are eligible for
Settled or Pre-Setteld status and you intend to spend time out of the UK during your period of
interruption or once you withdraw from your course, the guidance also contains information about
what happens if you spend time out of the UK.
We are waiting for the UK Government to announce the rules and provide guidance on fees and
funding for the 2021/22 academic year following the end of the Brexit transition period. We will
update our EU/EEA information as soon as further information becomes available.
What are government funds?

Taking extra time to complete your course or moving to a different course can affect your
entitlement to government funds, such as Student Finance. This advice guide helps you to
understand the funding implications of making changes to your course or to the time that you take to
complete it.
In this advice guide we use the term ‘government funds’ to mean:
A Tuition Fee Loan, Maintenance Loan, Maintenance Grant (pre-2016 starters only) and any other
grants that you get through Student Finance England (SFE). If you are funded by the NHS, there are
separate rules: please read our advice guide Funding for Medical and Dental students and
then contact the Advice and Counselling Service if you need further advice.
If you receive Student Finance from Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, contact the Advice and
Counselling Service for advice from a Welfare Adviser about how your future funding might be
affected.
What if I don’t receive any government funds?

Even if you have decided not to use any government funds like Student Finance for your current
course, nearly all universities receive funds from the government, so you are still benefiting from
government funding. This means that your funding for undergraduate study in the future may still be
affected if you leave your current course part way through.
Interrupting your studies (taking time out)

If you are experiencing health, personal issues or financial issues which are impacting on your
ability to study, get advice as soon as you can about your options. Your academic school, the Advice
and Counselling Service, the Disability and Dyslexia Service and the Learning Development
team can all offer you support depending on your circumstances. This may result in you being able
to continue with your studies at Queen Mary so you would not need to interrupt.
However, if you do decide that you need to take a break from your studies, at Queen Mary we call
this ‘interrupting’ your studies.
How do I apply for an interruption of study?

You must get permission from your academic school, so speak to your personal tutor or academic
adviser about why you feel that you need to interrupt, whether this will be allowed, and if so, when
would be the best time for you to return. There is a Student Support Officer in most academic
schools who is usually your first point of contact for this type of issue.
You will need to complete an Interruption of Study form.
The form requires you to state your date of interruption (your last date of attendance) – see the
section below How will my Student Finance be affected by interrupting? for information about the
implications of this date for your Student Finance, and the Tuition Fees and Refunds section of this
guide to see how this would affect your fee liability.
When is the deadline?

There are strict deadlines for interrupting which apply to standard programmes, but arrangements for
certain programmes are different - please check with your academic school. If you are a medical or
dental student, the official deadlines for interrupting differ according to which course you are
studying and which academic year you are in. Check with the Student Office at Whitechapel .
The deadline for submission of the interruption form for most programmes is the day before the start
of the assessment periods. In the 2020/21 academic year the standard interruption deadlines for
courses that start in September are:
6 January 2021 if you do not wish to sit the Semester A exams

5 May 2021 if you do not wish to sit the Semester B exams
If you miss the deadline but feel that you are unfit to sit exams or submit coursework due to medical
or personal circumstances, you need to consider making a claim under the university’s Extenuating
Circumstances policy. Full guidance on this policy and how to submit a claim is explained in the
Advice and Counselling Service advice guide ‘Extenuating Circumstances’.
Alternatively you could sit the Semester A exams in January and then interrupt before the start of
Semester B, in which case for the 2020/21 academic year you should interrupt by Friday 22 January
2021. Interrupting before the start of semester B reduces your fee liability as explained in the Tuition
Fees section of this guide. However this also affects and reduces entitlement to the Student Finance
England Maintenance Loan and/or grants. See the section below How will my Student Finance be
affected by interrupting?
If you do not interrupt you remain liable to pay your tuition fee and if these are not paid in line with
the fee payments dates, you will enter the deregistration process. If your fees are paid but you do
not attend your course and later formally interrupt your study, you will need to discuss the
interruption date with your School. It may be possible to backdate this to your last date of
attendance and your fee liability may be retrospectively amended. However if your interruption date
is backdated and you have received Student Finance England Maintenance Loans or supplementary
grants for a period when you have not been in attendance, these will become overpayments. Student
Finance England will ask you to repay the overpayment. See the section below 'How will my
Student funding be affected'.
Interrupting during the summer vacation - If you complete the whole academic year but decide
during the summer vacation that you need to take time out and return to your studies at a later date
(for example due to health, personal or financial reasons), you would need to obtain permission from
your Academic School and submit an Interruption of Study form. You can do this anytime during
the summer vacation – the normal interruption deadline does not apply in this situation.
How long can I interrupt for?

This will depend on the reason why you are interrupting, for example if it is due to health reasons,
then it depends on how long you need to recover before you will be well enough to resume studies.
You can only resume at the start of a semester, not part way through.
You may interrupt for a maximum of two years in total; interruptions for a period longer than this
will be granted only in highly exceptional circumstances and with the express permission of the
Queen Mary Academic Registrar.
If you interrupt for more than 2 years, Student Finance England may treat you as a new student
when you resume your course and your eligibility for funding would be considered under the
eligibility rules in place at the time. If you began you course before September 2016, this may result
in the loss of the Maintenance Grant.
On the interruption of study form you need to write your planned date of return. When you are
allowed to resume depends partly on what point in the year you interrupt. For example, if you sit the
Semester A exams in January and then interrupt, you will have completed the assessments for
Semester A and can only resume at the start of semester B the following year. Whereas if you
interrupt before the Semester A exams, you should have the option to either resume your studies in
September and re-take Semester A or resume in January to sit your January exams.
You must discuss and decide your interruption and date of return with your academic school and
submit an Interruption of Studies form.
What do I do with the form?

You need to submit the interruption of study form to your academic school by the deadline (see
above). Your school will then need to sign the form to say that your interruption of study and
proposed return date have been approved. Ask your school for a copy of the completed form. Your
school will then scan the form and send it electronically to Queen Mary Registry. Once the Registry
have processed your interruption, they will either send you a letter or an email confirmation. You
can also check on Mysis that the interruption has been processed.
What if I miss the deadline for interrupting?

If you miss the interruption deadline but feel that you are unfit to sit exams or to submit coursework
due to medical or personal reasons, you need to make an extenuating circumstances claim to your
academic school. This will involve getting documentation to give to your school as evidence to
support your claim. For information about the process of submitting a claim for extenuating
circumstances, and about what documents are acceptable as evidence, please read the Advice and
Counselling Service advice guide ‘Extenuating Circumstances’
If you have only narrowly missed the interruption deadline and you have evidence of compelling
reasons why you couldn’t meet it, for example if you were in hospital, you can talk to your academic
school about whether they can exceptionally process a late interruption.
How will my Student Finance be affected after I interrupt?

Normally you stop being eligible to receive Student Finance from whatever date of interruption you
state on your interruption form. This date should be your last day in regular attendance, but if you
stopped attending Queen Mary sometime before you decided you wanted to interrupt, your academic
school may agree to backdate your interruption of study. If your interruption is backdated, this will
normally mean that you have been overpaid Student Finance – see the section, Will I have to repay
my Student Finance grants and loans? later on in this advice guide.
Some students can continue to receive Student Finance after their interruption date, in the following
circumstances:
1. The interruption form asks you to tick a box to indicate the primary reason for your
interruption. You should only tick one of the five boxes (Medical / Health; Personal;
Financial; Academic Difficulties; Other). If the reason for your interruption of study is
health-related, make sure you tick the ‘Medical / Health’ box on your interruption
form, so that Queen Mary reports this as the reason when they inform Student
Finance England (SFE). If you tick this box, your Student Finance entitlement should
automatically be extended to 60 days beyond your date of interruption. This means that if
you normally receive grants and / or loans from SFE, you will remain entitled to your
Student Finance entitlement for the 60 days after your date of interruption.
2. You can request that SFE exercises its discretion to continue to pay you Student Finance
beyond the first 60 days of your interruption of studies if you are interrupting due to ill-
health, or from the date of your interruption if you are interrupting for other reasons. See
the later section of this advice guide How will I support myself financially?, which has
information about applying for discretionary Student Finance. Contact a Welfare Adviser
in the Advice and Counselling Service for advice before applying for this discretionary
funding, as the rules are complicated.
Your tuition fee liability is also affected by the date of interruption – see the later section of this
guide Tuition fees and refunds for more advice about this.
Will my Student Finance be affected when I return from an interruption?

Some elements of student funding could be affected. If you need to re-take any period of study (for
example if you interrupted in the middle of semester A, you will need to come back at the start of
semester A, which means re-taking a period of study), then you need to check that you will be
eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan (and Maintenance Grant although this grant is only available to pre-
2016 starters ) for the re-take period. If you normally receive the Maintenance Loan this should
remain available providing you will be attending your course. See the section of this advice
guide Re-taking a period of study in attendance for information about this.
If you began your course before September 2016 and interrupt for more than 2 years, Student
Finance England may treat you as a new student when you resume your course. You may loose your
entitlement to receive the Maintenance Grant (available to pre 2016 starters only) and your
eligibility for funding would be considered under the eligibility rules in place at the time.
I am an EU/EEA/Swiss national, how will interrupting affect me?

The same rules apply as explained above. However, in addition although interrupting studies and
returning to the same course does not normally affect eligibility for student funding we are still
waiting for the UK Government to announce the new funding rules and provide guidance for the
2021/22 academic year following the end of the Brexit transition period. We expect some changes to
be made and will update our EU/EEA funding guidance once information becomes available.
Your fee status for your course at Queen Mary will be unchanged if you interrupt your studies in the
2020/21 academic year and return to your current course.
You should also read our EU/EEA information about Brexit to check if you can apply for Settled or
Pre-Settled Status. You may intend to leave the UK during your period of interruption or you are
already outside of the UK and if you already hold or you obtain Settled or Pre-Settled Status it's
important to consider how your absence from the UK could affect your long term options and right
to live in the UK in the future. Our guidance has further information about this. If you are not
eligible for Settled or pre-Settled Status or do not hold another UK immigration status that allows
you to reside in the UK, you will require Student Immigration Permission to resume your course.
Do I need to do anything before I return from an interruption?

You should check with your academic school well in advance of your resumption of study date to
ask whether they will need you to provide any information before they can allow you to resume. For
example, if you interrupted for health reasons, the school might need you to provide medical
evidence that you are now well enough to study.
If you interrupted due to ongoing ill health, a disability, specific learning difficulty, or mental health
condition, contact the Queen Mary Disability and Dyslexia Service several weeks before you are
due to resume. They can advise you about any extra support you may be eligible for, and if you have
contacted them early enough, this can then be put in place in time for your resumption.
You will need to apply for Student Finance - it is advisable to do this several months before you
resume. If you are resuming studies in January, contact a Welfare Adviser about when to apply.
Re-sitting out of attendance

If you have not passed enough modules to progress into the next academic year of your course, you
will normally be required to re-sit failed modules at the next available opportunity, which is usually
in August. If you pass these re-sits, you will be able to progress into the next academic year in
September.
What if I am not able to do the August re-sits?

If you feel that the reason you failed some modules was due to issues which will not be resolved
before the August re-sits, for example ongoing ill-health, you could apply under the Extenuating
Circumstances policy for permission to be absent from the August exams, and to defer your re-sits
until January and May of the next academic year.
This means you would be ‘out of attendance’ for a year. You are not normally required to participate
in your studies while you are re-sitting out of attendance.
Very rarely, if a student has health or other personal issues which means that they cannot undertake
re-sits the following academic year, QMUL may give permission for a second consecutive year of
re-sitting out of attendance.
How will I manage my academic work while re-sitting out of attendance?

If you are worried about how to remain engaged with your studies while you are out of attendance,
check with your academic school whether you can contact your Personal Adviser, Tutor or Student
Support Officer for help planning your revision and for feedback about what caused you to fail last
time. You could also check whether the QMUL learning development team could help you plan your
revision. See the later section of this advice guide, Practicalities during a period of interruption or
re-sitting out of attendance for more information on what QMUL facilities you can use if you are
out of attendance.
What if I want to re-take modules in attendance?

This is only approved in extremely limited circumstances. If you feel that you should be given an
opportunity to attend your classes again (re-taking in attendance), you should contact your academic
school immediately to discuss this. If your school does not approve this you will need to make a
formal academic appeal to challenge this decision. However, most appeals on this basis are not
successful, as students are expected to have arranged an interruption of studies if they are not fit
enough to engage with their studies or sit exams. For more information about academic appeals see
the information on the Registry website.
If you would like advice about whether you have grounds to appeal, contact Annie
Mitchell, Academic Adviser at the Students’ Union.
How do I fund a period of re-sitting out of attendance?

For advice about the financial options available to you, see the later section of this advice
guide, How will I support myself financially?
I am an EU/EEA/Swiss national and intend to leave the UK while I re-sit out of

attendance
You should read our EU/EEA guidance about staying in the UK after 31 December 2020 to check if
you can apply for Settled or Pre-Settled Status and what happens if you spend time out of the UK.
It's important to consider how any absence from the UK can affect your long term options to live in
the UK indefinitely.
If you do not meet the requirements for Pre-Settled or Settled Status you will require Student
Immigration Permission to return to the UK to continue your course.
Practicalities if you are no longer in attendance

Funding
For information about how your Student Finance will be affected if you are no longer in attendance,
see the later section of this advice guide How will I support myself financially?
For information about how your Queen Mary bursary will be affected, see the later sections of this
advice guide Will I have to repay bursary money to Queen Mary?
Accommodation
I live in Queen Mary Residences
If you live in Queen Mary Residences and need to interrupt, re-sit out of attendance, withdraw from
your studies at Queen Mary, or are deregistered or transfer to a different university, you will not
normally be able to stay in your accommodation and will need to move out.
As soon as Queen Mary has approved your change of circumstances, you will need to provide a
copy of the relevant documentation to Queen Mary Housing Services. You will then be asked to
complete a ‘Notice of Intention to Vacate’ form giving 28 days’ written notice to leave your Queen
Mary accommodation.
You will remain liable for residential fees for the full 28 days unless Housing Services are able to re-
let your accommodation sooner. Once the 28 day period has expired and you have returned your
keys, your rent liability will cease.
See the Moving out early section of the Residents’ Handbook [PDF 3,056KB] for more information.
I live in privately rented accommodation
If you are renting accommodation from a private landlord, and you wish to move out because of a
change to your academic studies, you need to carefully check the terms of your contract. If you have
signed a contract for a set period of time such as nine months or a year, you cannot normally give
notice to end your tenancy until the fixed term has ended, unless the contract contains a ‘break
clause’ allowing you to give notice part way through. Contact Queen Mary Housing Services with a
copy of your tenancy agreement or contract for advice about your options.
If you cannot move out of your accommodation and need to pay rent, see the later section of this
guide How will I support myself financially? for advice about your options during an interruption of
study or if you are re-sitting out of attendance.
Council Tax
You retain your full-time student status during an interruption of study or re-sit out of attendance,
and so you would normally remain exempt from having to pay Council Tax. An exception to this
can be students who are re-sitting their final year out of attendance. The rules are explained in
our Council Tax advice guide.
If you withdraw from or are deregistered from your course, you are no longer a full-time student and
so you cannot claim Council Tax exemption on that basis.
18+ Student Oystercard

If you have an18+ Student Oystercard, Queen Mary will notify Transport for London (TFL) that you
are no longer in attendance. When TFL receives this notification, they will cancel your student
discount, but you can continue to use your Oystercard as a standard Oyster card.
If you resume your studies, you will need to pay for a new 18+ Student Oystercard.
NUS Totum Card

If you already have an NUS Totum card, this should not be cancelled as neither Queen Mary nor the
Student Union would normally notify NUS that you are no longer attending.
If you are interrupting or re-sitting out of attendance, and you do not already have an NUS Extra
card, it should still be possible to apply for one using your Queen Mary ID card.
National Railcard/Coachcard
If you already have a national railcard or national coach card it should not be cancelled if you are no
longer in attendance. However, if you have already interrupted your studies or are already out of
attendance and wish to apply for a new card, the Student Enquiry Centre will not normally stamp the
application form as it asks for confirmation of attendance.
Which Queen Mary services can I use while I am interrupting

or re-sitting out of attendance?
The Queen Mary regulations state that if you are not enrolled or registered (and this normally
includes people who have interrupted their studies, or who are re-sitting out of attendance) you may
not use Queen Mary facilities. The exception to this is if your academic school agrees to make a
request for you to have use of a facility which they feel you specifically need. If you feel that there
are strong reasons why your studies are being adversely affected because you don’t have access to a
certain Queen Mary facility during your interruption or re-sit out of attendance, contact your
academic school to discuss this. There is more information on the Queen Mary Registry webpages.
Academic school or institute

Check with your academic school what contact you can expect to have with academic staff during a
period of interruption or re-sitting out of attendance. Some schools have specific support in place to
help students to remain engaged with their studies and to remedy any academic issues that have
affected progression. Check what is available with your academic school. Also ask your school if
they will need you to provide anything before they will allow you to resume studies, for example if
you interrupted due to ill health, your academic school might need you to provide medical evidence
that you are well enough to resume.
You could also contact the Queen Mary learning development team if you need help planning your
revision.
Library
You will automatically be given access to the library with limited borrowing rights.
IT Services
Your access to IT Services will normally remain the same while you are interrupting or re-sitting out
of attendance. However, if you do not use your email account for a long time, you may be sent an
email asking if you want to keep the account open. If you do not respond to this email, and you are
not enrolled, your email account will be disabled.
Careers and Enterprise Service

You can use the Careers and Enterprise Service while you are interrupting or re-sitting out of
attendance.
Disability and Dyslexia Service

Even if you have not previously been supported by the Disability and Dyslexia Service, you can still
contact them for support while you are interrupting or re-sitting out of attendance.
Advice and Counselling Service

You can use the Advice and Counselling Service (including by phone or email if this is easier), even
if you have not previously done so, while you are interrupting or re-sitting out of attendance.
How will I support myself financially?

Budget planning
Before you think about how you will fund yourself, you need to work out how much your costs will
be, to see how much money you need. You can use the budget spreadsheets on our website to do
this.
The financial options available depend on whether you are:

Interrupting studies
Withdrawing from a course
De-registered from a course
If you will be returning to your course and will re-taking a period with attendance please see the
other section of this guide 'Retaking a period of study in attendance'. You must check you have
sufficient funding available to cover your Maintenance costs and to pay your Tuition Fee for this
repeat period.
Interrupting
Student Finance
The amount of Student Finance (Loan/s and grant/s) you are entitled to receive is based on your
expected course attendance during an academic year. If you interrupt during an academic year, your
entitlement will be re-calculated. If you have been paid too much Student Finance you will
normally be asked to repay the overpayment.
If you interrupt during a Semester, this will result in an overpayment of Maintenance Loan and an
overpayment of Student Finance England grants that you have been paid.
If your interruption begins on the last day of a Semester, you should have no Maintenance Loan
overpayment. You should also have no overpayment of Maintenance Loan if you interrupt at the
end of a vacation period because your interruption will be backdated to the end of the last Semester
(your last recorded date of attendance). However if you receive any grants these will also be
recalculated and you may have a grant overpayment.
NOTE: If you interrupt close to a payment date, for example just before the start of a new Semester,
Student Finance England (SFE) might not get notified by Queen Mary in time to stop your next
payment of Student Finance. This payment will become an overpayment.

Overpayments usually have to be repaid immediately although this can be negotiated with Student
Finance England. Alternatively they can also be recovered by deducting the amount from
your funding entitlement for the following academic year. If repaying the overpayment will leave
you in Financial Hardship you can make a Discretionary Hardship application to Student Finance
England for them to consider your circumstances. For more information about overpayments read
the section of the guide 'Will I have to repay my Student Finance grants or loans' and also see the
next section Applying for Discretionary Student Finance.
If you interrupt during an academic year and ticked ‘health’ as the reason on your Queen Mary,
University of London interruption form, your Student Finance entitlement will be recalculated by
SFE although they should automatically allow your Student Finance entitlement to continue for a
further 60 days from the date of your interruption. After this 60 day period you will no longer
normally be entitled to SFE funding until you resume your study.
If you didn’t tick ‘health’, your Student Finance entitlement will end from the date of interruption.
If you will have essential expenses during your interruption (such as rent, food, etc) and you will not
be eligible for income from any other source (see options below), you can apply to Student Finance
England and ask them to use their discretion to continue funding you for the remainder of that
academic year. See the next section Applying for discretionary Student Finance.
If you interrupt for a full academic year, we understand that Student Finance England will not
provide any Student Finance throughout the whole academic year. Contact a Welfare Adviser to
discuss your options.
You can also read Student Finance England's information about getting student finance while you
suspend your studies.
Working
Most students would be expected to work to support themselves during this period out of
attendance, unless circumstances prevent this (for example, ill-health). The Advice and Counselling
Service and Queen Mary Careers and Enterprise Centre have written an advice guide to help you
find work.
Welfare Benefits
Most full-time students cannot claim welfare benefits throughout their studies including during any
period of interruption. However the benefit rules do permit certain students to claim, for example
there are exceptions for some students with dependent children and/or some students with a
disability or ill health. If you are a full-time student who can normally claim benefits while
studying, you can continue claiming during your interruption. We have more information about who
can claim while studying in our Additional Funding guide.
If you have interrupted for medical reasons, and you feel unable to work because of this, you might
be eligible to claim welfare benefits on the basis of your ill-health. Our advice guide Extra Money
for Disability and Ill Health explains about these benefits and the eligibility criteria. Please note, it is
not straightforward to claim Universal Credit if you are a full time student and have not already been
assessed for your work capability.
If you are well enough to work and/or have no children, you cannot usually claim benefits like
Universal Credit because you are still treated as a full-time student even though you are not
currently in full-time attendance. However, if you interrupted because you are ill, or to care for
someone else and are not eligible for any student funding, you may be entitled to claim certain
benefits for a limited period once you recover from your illness or once your caring responsibilities
end. This is allowed for a maximum of one year or up until you return to full-time study, whichever
comes first. It may also be possible to claim Carer's Allowance during a period of interruption if
you care full-time for someone and are not required to complete course work, sit exams or engage
with your course during this time.
Contact a Welfare Adviser if you need advice about claiming benefits.
Applying for discretionary Student Finance

If you interrupt for a full academic year, we understand that you cannot apply for
any discretionary funding from Student Finance England. This applies for the whole academic year.
Contact a Welfare Adviser to discuss your options.
If you interrupt during an academic year and you have extenuating reasons why you cannot work
during an interruption of study and are not entitled to any other income, Student Finance England
has discretion to continue to pay your Student Finance even though you are interrupting your
studies. We understand that they can only consider this for the remainder of the academic year in
which you interrupt. An example of this might be someone who interrupts for health reasons and
who will be applying for welfare benefits, but until these are awarded or if payments are delayed,
they have no income to pay for their essential costs of living. However, SFE can make discretionary
payments in circumstances other than ill health. For example, if you have dependents to support then
it may be worth applying for discretionary funding.
How do I apply for discretionary Student Finance?

In assessing an application for discretionary Student Finance, SFE should consider each case on its
own merits. SFE should consider the reasons why you have interrupted, how long you are
interrupting for, what financial hardship you may experience if you don’t receive any Student
Finance, and whether this might mean that you are not able to resume your studies in the future.
To help you apply for discretionary Student Finance England has produced a Financial Hardship
Confirmation Form. It asks for information about your income, expenses and debts. There is also a
blank page on the form for you to explain to SFE why you have had to interrupt, and why you are
now unable to work or to access any alternative income.
You will also need to send supporting documents with your form such as bank statements for the
most recent three months, as well as evidence of your financial obligations such as a tenancy
agreement showing your rent amount, copies of any bills that are due, etc.
You can call SFE on 0300 100 607 and ask them to send you a Financial Hardship Confirmation
Form, or you may be able to download it from your student finance online account. A Welfare
Adviser can help you complete the form, or check it before you send it off.
You will also need evidence of your ill health to show that you cannot work, for example a fit note
from your GP. If you cannot get a GP fit note, contact a Welfare Adviser to discuss your options.
Contact a Welfare Adviser in the Advice and Counselling Service who can advise you about making
a discretionary funding application.
Student Finance
You are not normally eligible to receive Student Finance England Loans and/or grants while you are
re-sitting out of attendance. Contact a Welfare Adviser to discuss your options.
Working
You would normally be expected to work to support yourself during this period out of attendance.
The Advice and Counselling Service and Queen Mary Careers and Enterprise Centre have written
an advice guide to help you find work.
Welfare Benefits
Most full-time students cannot claim welfare benefits like Universal Credit throughout their studies
including when re-sitting out of attendance. However the benefit rules do permit certain students to
claim, for example there are exceptions for some students with dependent children and/or some
students with a disability or ill health. If you are a full-time student who can normally claim benefits
while studying, you can continue claiming while you are re-sitting out of attendance. We have more
information about who can claim while studying in our Additional Funding guide.
If you have a disability or are ill our advice guide Extra Money for Disability and Ill Health explains
about these benefits and the eligibility criteria.
The Financial Assistance Fund

If you are re-sitting out of attendance and you need to give up work a few weeks before your exams
so that you can revise, you may be able to get a grant to help towards your loss of earnings from the
Financial Assistance Fund (UFAF). Application details are here.
In exceptional circumstances you might also be able to apply to the University Financial Assistance
Fund for a limited amount of financial assistance if you have no income while you are waiting for
other funds to arrive.
Contact a Welfare Adviser in the Advice and Counselling Service who can advise you about
applying to the hardship fund.
Withdrawing
Once you withdraw, you will no longer be entitled to receive Student Finance, as you will no longer
be a student. Depending on the date you withdraw, you may have a Student Finance overpayment of
Maintenance Loan and grants (if you receive these) - see the later section of this advice guide Will I
have to repay my Student Finance grants or loans?
In addition, any Student Finance you have received to date will reduce the Student Finance England
funding available to you for a new course. For information about this and the options available read
the section of this guide 'Leaving your studies completely (withdrawing)'.

As you will no longer be a student and will not be entitled to receive any further student funding,
you will either need to find employment or consider applying for welfare benefits such Universal
Credit. Universal Credit has replaced Jobseeker's Allowance, Income Support, Tax Credits, Housing
Benefit for most new claimants. You may also have to apply for Council Tax Reduction if you are
liable for Council tax. You will need to meet the eligibility requirements under the standard benefit
rules.
Any Student Finance you have received so far might continue to affect and reduce the amount of
benefits that you receive for a certain period after you have withdrawn from your course. Contact a
Welfare Adviser in the Advice and Counselling Service if you need advice about this.
Deregistration
Once you are deregistered, you will no longer be entitled to receive Student Finance, as you will no
longer be a student. If you normally receive Student Finance, and you are deregistered mid semester,
you are likley to have an overpayment - see the later section of this advice guide Will I have to repay
my Student Finance grants or loans?
After being de-registered, you would usually be expected to support yourself financially, for
example through working. As you will no longer be a student in full-time education, you may be
eligible to claim certain welfare benefits such as Universal Credit. This has replaced Job Seeker’s
Allowance, Income Support, Housing Benefit and Tax Credits for most new claimants. You will
need to meet the general eligibility rules to claim. Any Student Finance you have received might
continue to affect and reduce the amount of benefit that you receive for a certain period after you
have been deregistered. Contact a Welfare Adviser in the Advice and Counselling Service for
advice.
If you are later re-instated to Queen Mary (either following payment of any outstanding tuition fees
or following a successful academic appeal) you immediately resume your full-time student status.
This means that you will become ineligible to claim or continue to claim welfare benefits or
Universal Credit, unless you fall into one of the groups of students who can claim these despite
being a full-time student, such as a lone parent, or a student with a disability or ongoing ill health.
This is even the case if you are reinstated and then immediately put on an interruption of study until
the next academic year (as usually happens following a successful academic appeal following
August exams) - while on an interruption you still count as a full time student. Contact a Welfare
Adviser in the Advice and Counselling Service if you need advice about this.
Re-taking a period of study in attendance

Why might I need to re-take a period of study?
If you have interrupted, or if you are unable to sit exams and you submit an extenuating
circumstances claim to sit them at a later date, you might need to re-take a period of study if you
were not engaging with your course before you formally stopped studying. If you want to re-take a
period in attendance, you need to request this from your academic school. If your school don’t agree
to your request, contact Annie Mitchell in the Student’s Union for advice about whether you can
appeal this decision.
If you are granted a re-take in attendance, you must make sure that you have enough funding for this
(see below), as you will usually have to pay tuition fees and living costs for the extra period of time.
Medical and Dental students are usually required to re-take the whole academic year in attendance if
they have interrupted their studies or need to re-sit exams.
How will re-taking in attendance affect my funding?

If you are resuming from an interruption of study part way through an academic year, contact a
Welfare Adviser for advice about when to apply for Student Finance.
Certain elements of your Student Finance are affected by re-taking a period of study in attendance,
and others are not. Under the standard entitlement shown below, you are eligible for a Student
Finance Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Grant or Special Support Grant (pre-2016 starters only)
for each year of your course, plus one extra year should you need it. SFE often refer to this extra
year as a Gift Year:
Standard Entitlement to Student Finance
OD + 1
OD (ordinary duration of the course)+1 year ('plus
one' year)
If you are a medical or dental student, the Ordinary Duration of your course only means the SFE
funded years, not the NHS funded years. There is more information in our advice guide Funding for
Medical and Dental Students, in the section Funding for re-taking periods of study.
If you are not funded by SFE because you normally live in Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland,
contact a Welfare Adviser in the Advice and Counselling Service for advice about your entitlement.
If you need to repeat a year of study in attendance, or you are resuming from an interruption, in most
cases you can use your ‘plus one’ year. However, if you need to repeat more than one year of study,
you will already have used up your ‘plus one' year so you will only be eligible for a Student Finance
Maintenance Loan plus any supplementary grants e.g. for childcare or dependents, for any retake
periods. As you will not be eligible for a Tuition fee Loan for your repeat period you will have to
pay your own tuition fees. However, there are exceptions to this rule – see the next section of this
advice guide, Re-taking a period of study because of compelling personal reasons.
If you are normally eligible for a Student Finance Maintenance Loan and/or supplementary grants,
you can apply for these for as many re-take periods of study as you need.
Previous study on an earlier degree course

If you have previously studied on a higher education course elsewhere, your entitlement to a ‘plus
one’ year will be affected by the previous study rules:
Entitlement to Student Finance where there is previous study
OD + 1- PC
OD(ordinary duration of the current course)+ 1(extra ‘plus one’ year) – PC (years of
previous Higher Education study before current course)
Example 1
Previous course: 2015/16 – enrolled Year 1 (3 year Business Studies degree) at Bath University but
withdrew during the first year in December 2015*[*]
Current course: 2019/20 – enrolled Year 1 at QMUL (3 year History degree)
Entitlement to Student Finance for current course = 3 + 1 – 1 = 3
(The standard length of the current course is 3 years, plus the ‘plus one’ year = 4 years, minus the
one year of previous study at Bath leaves 3 years of full Student Finance for Queen Mary, which is
enough for the standard number of years of the course).
Example 2
Previous course: 2014-2016 – completed year 1 (3 year Physics degree) at Exeter University but
then withdrew in the second year in April 2016
Current course: 2019/20 – enrolled Year 1 QMUL (3 year Biology degree)
Entitlement to Student Finance for current course = 3 + 1 – 2 = 2
(The standard length of the current course is 3 years, plus the ‘plus one’ year = 4 years, minus the
two years of previous study at Exeter leaves 2 years of full Student Finance at Queen Mary. This
means that in the first year this student would only be eligible for a Maintenance Loan plus any
Supplementary Grants and would not be eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan (although see the next
section of this advice guide for exceptions to this rule). If this student does not fall into the
exceptions they will have to pay the tuition fee for the first year themselves. However in years 2 and
3 they would also be eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan. The years of full Student Finance are always
payable in the later years of the course).
EU/EEA/Swiss Nationals
You should read our EU/EEA/Swiss guidance about how to stay in the UK after 31 December 2020.
If you normally live in Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland, contact a Welfare Adviser in the Advice
and Counselling Service as your entitlement may be different.
Re-taking a period of study because of compelling personal

reasons
If there are compelling personal reasons that contributed to you having to re-take a period of study,
Student Finance England (SFE) can choose to discretionally award you Student Finance for your re-
take period if you would otherwise be ineligible. This is a useful option if you have already used up
your 'plus one' (Gift) year of SFE funding. We explain more about the 'plus one' year on our Re-
taking a period of study in attendance page. SFE often refer to year of discretionary funding as a
CPR year (Compelling Personal Reasons year).
Compelling personal reasons can include ill-health or serious personal difficulties, such as a
bereavement. However there is no prescribed list of situations that can be considered and each case
is considered individually. as See ‘How do I apply for discretionary funding’ below, to see what
information SFE will need from you. A Welfare Adviser can let you know if your situation is likely
to be considered as compelling by SFE.
In what circumstances can I apply for discretionary funding?

As explained in the previous section, any previous study would normally be taken into account when
calculating your entitlement to Student Finance for your new course at Queen Mary.
Discretionary funding is a useful option to consider if you are funded by Student Finance England
and you calculate that because of your previous study you are only eligible for a Maintenance Loan
and supplementary grants for the first year of your new course at Queen Mary or you have already
had to re-take a year and now need to do so again. If SFE grant a year of discretionary funding it
means that in addition to your Maintenance Loan and supplementary grants you become entitled to a
Tuition Fee Loan for the year and, if you started your course before September 2016, a Maintenance
Grant too.
You may be able to apply for discretionary funding for the re-take year/s in any of the following
circumstances:
You might have to re-take a period of study if you fail to pass enough exams to progress to
the next academic year of your course, or if you interrupt your studies and need to re-take a
period of study when you return. If this is because of compelling personal reasons you can
request that SFE exercises its discretion to award you an additional year of Tuition Fee
Loan and income assessed Maintenance Grant (pre-2016 starters only) for your re-take
year. There is no deadline for doing this, so you can apply for this for an academic year
which has already passed, if you need to; or
If you failed to complete your most recent previous higher education course due to
compelling personal reasons, you can request that Student Finance England (SFE) uses its
discretion to award you a Tuition Fee Loan and income assessed Maintenance Grant (pre-
2016 starters only) in the first year of your new course at QMUL, if you would not
otherwise be eligible for these because your previous study. This includes where you failed
to complete your most recent previous course but were still given some type of exit
qualification.
If you are not funded by SFE, check with a Welfare Adviser in the Advice and Counselling
Service whether you might be able to apply to your funding body for additional discretionary
funding.
If you need to re-take more than one year of study and there were no compelling personal reasons
that contributed to either repeat year, you are unlikely to be awarded any additional funding on top
of the standard entitlement (Maintenance Loan and Supplementary Grants only) for your additional
re-take years. Check your options with a Welfare Adviser in the Advice and Counselling Service.
How do I apply for discretionary funding?

If you wish to apply for discretionary funding, you will usually need the evidence listed below to
apply, although this is just a guide - a Welfare Adviser will let you know exactly what documents
you will need, as this will vary according to your individual situation. Please note, if you have no
evidence, please still contact a Welfare Adviser who can discuss your options. You do not need to
have these documents before you contact a Welfare Adviser in the Advice and Counselling Service,
but this list might help you to start thinking about preparing your application:
Your own letter to your funding authority, to explain:
What circumstances affected your ability to study effectively
When your difficulties started and how long they affected you
How these circumstances affected your ability to study effectively
How your situation has changed, or will have changed, so that these circumstances are
unlikely to adversely affect you when you resume or re-take your studies
Your Welfare Adviser can advise you about this letter, but it can be helpful if you have prepared a
draft to show them.
A letter from a professional person or agency to confirm the difficulties that you had
and the effect they might have had on your ability to study effectively
This letter might be from a doctor, other health professional or a counsellor. The letter should
explain the difficulties that you had, and clearly detail the effects of these difficulties on your ability
to study. It is also important that the letter explains when your difficulties occurred, and that this is
the relevant period for your compelling personal reasons claim. For example, if you are re-taking the
2019/20 academic year in the 2020/21 academic year and you are claiming that this is because you
became ill during the 2019/20 academic year and this affected your studies, the medical evidence
will need to confirm that your ill health occurred during the 2019/20 academic year, at what point
during that year and how this affected your study.
If you have been getting medication, treatment or therapeutic help for your difficulties, it is helpful
for this to be explained in the letter, and how this is helping you, so it is clear that you are taking
steps to address the difficulties you have had. If the person writing the letter feels they are able to, it
is useful for them to confirm that you are likely to be able to study more effectively because of this
help.
If you have not received help or support from a professional, a letter from a friend or family member
who knows about your difficulties may be enough, although some kind of formal documentation
will often be required. Your Welfare Adviser in the Advice and Counselling Service can help you
decide who might be the best person to write this letter for you.
A letter from your Welfare Adviser in the Advice and Counselling Service
This letter is important because it will outline the aspects of your case that meet the guidance and
regulations used by funding authorities to assess applications for additional periods of study.
Switching to a part-time mode of study on a full-time course

due to compelling personal reasons
Very rarely Queen Mary may consider suspending its academic regulations to grant a student who
has compelling personal reasons extra time to complete their studies outside of the usual
mechanisms of interrupting or re-sitting out of attendance. For example, where a student is not able
to engage with full-time study due to their health or other personal issues, an academic school may
allow them to switch to a part-time mode of study for the remaining academic years of their course.
This would allow a student to progress through their course and finish their degree at a pace they can
more easily manage. This option is only offered to an extremely small number of students where the
usual procedures such as interrupting, resitting out of attendance or retaking in attendance are
deemed unsuitable – see the earlier sections of this advice guide for more information about these.
Note: if you have been given permission by your academic school to switch to a part-time mode of
study on a full-time course, you are still classed as enrolled on and undertaking a full-time course; it
is only your mode of study which changes to part-time. If you need to apply for Student Finance to
continue your studies in the next academic year, you would still complete the full-time student
application. However, as you will be taking longer to complete your studies than the standard length
of a full-time course, your Student Finance entitlement may be affected and you may need to apply
for discretionary funding from Student Finance England. Contact a Welfare Adviser from
the Advice and Counselling Service before you make your Student Finance application: the adviser
can explain your options and whether you need to make an application for discretionary funding,
and if so, how to do this.
If you are finding it difficult to engage with your studies, consider discussing your issues with your
personal tutor, or academic adviser or student support officer in your academic school as soon as you
can. They can explain what your academic options are and what support can be put in place to assist
you. If your difficulties are due to a disability or ill-health, including a mental health condition, you
can also contact the Queen Mary Disability and Dyslexia Service. You might also find it helpful to
get advice from the academic advice manager in the Students Union, Annie Mitchell, about your
options.
Transferring to a new course

To change to a new degree course, either at Queen Mary or elsewhere, you might need to apply
again through UCAS.
However, depending on the time of year, and your circumstances, the new course might agree to
accept a direct application from you which means you would not normally need to apply through
UCAS.
New students transferring to Queen Mary should contact the Admissions Office for advice about
joining a programme of study. Also read the information about transfers and advanced entry .
Current students who want to transfer to another University or transfer to a new course at Queen
Mary should contact the Student Enquiry Centre
The Queen Mary Student Transfer Policy is available on the Admissions Policies and Procedures
page.
If you are considering transferring to another University you could also contact the the Admissions
Office at that university for advice about their procedures and what they require you to do.
You need to complete the relevant forms to transfer courses within Queen Mary or to leave your
current programme of study and transfer to a new University:
To transfer to another course at Queen Mary - complete a Change of Programme of Study form
To transfer to a course at a different university – complete the relevant section of the
Withdrawal of Study form also available on the Queen Mary Academic Registry webpages.
The guidance notes accompanying the forms explain how to fill them out and where to submit them.
What do I need to consider?

As well as the academic implications, transferring courses within Queen Mary or to another
University can affect your Student Funding and your accommodation.
See below for information about how this can affect Student Finance England funding. Different
rules may apply if you receive funding from Student Finance Wales, Northern Ireland or the Scottish
Students Awards Agency. Contact a Welfare Adviser if you are unsure how your funding will be
affected.
If you live in University owned accommodation and intend to transfer to another University contact
the Queen Mary Residential Services for advice about ending your contract and moving out. Queen
Mary Housing Services also offer private sector housing advice. If you rent privately and have
signed a tenancy agreement you need check if you can end your Tenancy early.
For further information about these and other factors read the section of this guide called
'Practicalities if you are no longer in attendance'.
How will transferring affect my funding?

You can transfer your government Student Finance to your new course, as long as your new course
is designated for higher education Student Finance, and your new university (or new academic
department at Queen Mary) agrees to accept you as a transferred student. Once your university
accepts you as a transferred student, they will inform your funding authority and your funding
authority should transfer your Student Finance entitlement to your new course, and re-assess your
entitlement if necessary. Please crefully read the information below to check whether you will be
eligible for funding for each year of the new course or not.
Queen Mary will do an online notification of your change of circumstances to Student Finance
England (SFE). This should happen automatically, but if you want to check, contact the Student
Enquiry Centre, ground floor, Queens’ Building, Mile End Campus.
If you transfer to a University outside of London, your Maintenance Loan entitlement will be
assessed using the 'out of London' Maintenance Loan rate. This is lower than the London rate so can
make a difference to your budget. To compare, view the current year Maintenance loan rates on
gov.uk.
If you transfer between courses at different institutions within the same academic year (for example
you start a course in September and transfer to a different course in October), you will only pay one
tuition fee for the whole year. The tuition fee loan will be split between the two institutions, and the
proportion payable to each institution will depend on what point in the academic year you transfer.
The Student Finance regulations for students who transfer courses are the same as for
students who have previous study:
Entitlement to Student Finance where a student has transferred from or studied on a previous
course:
OD+1- PC
OD (ordinary duration of current course) +1 (extra ‘plus one’ year) – PC (previous Higher
Education study)
Example
Previous course: 2 years’ previous study at Bath University in 2016/17 and 2017/18. Note: Even if
you only attended for 1 day, this counts as one year of previous study
Current course: direct entrant into Year 2 in 2019/20 of 3 year undergraduate History degree at
Queen Mary
Entitlement to Student Finance for current course = 3 (ordinary duration of new course) +1 (extra
plus one year) – 2 (years of previous study) = 2 standard years remaining
(The standard length of the course is 3 years, plus the ‘plus one’ year, minus 2 years of previous
study at Bath, leaves 2 standard years of full Student Finance at Queen Mary).
So in years 2 and 3 of the new course they would be eligible for full Student Finance. The years of
full Student Finance are always payable in the later years of the course.
Did you course start before 2016?
If you are transferring from a course which you started before 2016, you should remain under the
pre-2016 funding arrangements, whereby you may be eligible for a Maintenance Grant, depending
on the household income and on the number of years you have already studied. This includes where
you have had a gap in your studies (because you were interrupting) as long it was for less than two
academic years. If your new course end date is the same as your original course, your Student
Finance entitlement should continue and not be affected by the transfer. However, if transferring to a
new course will mean that you will take longer to achieve your degree than you originally planned
(as you may be required to repeat a year you have already completed on your previous course), you
might not be entitled to a Student Finance Tuition Fee Loan or Maintenance Grant (pre-2016 starters
only) for every year of the new course you are transferring to.
Under the standard entitlement, you are eligible for a Student Finance Tuition Fee Loan and
Maintenance Grant or Special Support Grant (pre-2016 starters only) for each year of your new
course plus one year in reserve called a ‘plus one’ year. If you normally live in Wales, Northern
Ireland or Scotland, contact a Welfare Adviser in the Advice and Counselling Service for advice
about your entitlement.
I am an EU/EEA/Swiss National, how will transferring affect my funding and fee

status?
The same rules apply as above.
However in addition it's possible that transferring could affect your future entitlement to receive UK
government Student Finance for your new course and also your eligibility to pay the home rate of
tuition fee from September 2021 onwards because the eligibility rules are changing due to Brexit.
Please check our EU/EEA Fees and Funding guidance.
If you are an EU/EEA/Swiss national you should also read our EU/EEA information
Discretionary Funding
If you have had compelling personal reasons that have contributed to your decision to transfer
courses, Student Finance England has the discretion to fund years that you might not ordinarily be
eligible for funding on your new course under the standard rules. The number of additional years
SFE will consider will depend on your circumstances and previous study history. If you are
transferring to Queen Mary, a Welfare Adviser in the Advice and Counselling Service can help you
to make an application to SFE for discretionary funding based on your compelling personal reasons.
The evidence you need to provide if you need extra funding as a result of transferring your studies is
broadly similar to the evidence required if you need extra funding to re-take a period of study. See
the Re-taking a period of study due to compelling personal reasons section earlier in this advice
guide for more information. If you are transferring from Queen Mary to a new university, a Welfare
Adviser in the Advice and Counselling Service can explain to you what you need to do.
Tuition Fees
Please check the tuition fee charged for the course you are transferring to as it may be different to
the tuition fee for your current course. If the programme of study you would like to join is at Queen
Mary, please check with the Fees Office. If the programme of study you would like to join is at a
different university please check the tuition fee with their admissions office.
Leaving your studies completely - ('withdrawing')
You may be thinking about leaving your course completely. Make sure that you talk your decision
through with somebody first. This might be your personal tutor or a member of staff at the Advice
and Counselling Service.
If you decide that this is the best option for you, you need to complete a withdrawal of study form,
which your academic school will need to sign to say that your withdrawal has been approved.
You can get a Withdrawal of Study form and guidance notes from Queen Mary Registry
webpages or from the Student Enquiry Centre, ground floor, Queens’ Building, Mile End campus, or
from the Student Office at the Whitechapel campus. Once you have completed the form you need to
take it to your academic school to be approved. They will then pass it to the Registry so that your
student record is updated.
In 2020/21 the withdrawal deadlines are:
6 January 2021
5 May 2021
If you miss these dates you can still withdraw but your last date of attendance on the withdrawal
form cannot normally be backdated to before the exam period.
If you missed the withdrawal deadline but you feel that you are unfit to sit exams or to submit
coursework due to medical or personal reasons, you need to make an extenuating circumstances
claim to your academic school. This will involve getting documentation to give to your school as
evidence to support your claim. For information about the process of submitting a claim for
extenuating circumstances, and about what documents are acceptable as evidence, please read the
Advice and Counselling Service advice guide ‘Extenuating Circumstances’
If you don’t sit exams or submit coursework, and you don’t submit an extenuating circumstances
claim, you will normally be given a zero fail for those assessments.
How will it affect my Tuition Fees?

Please see the Tuition Fees and Refunds section of this guide for information.
How will it affect my current funding?

After you withdraw, you will no longer be entitled to receive Student Finance.
England (SFE) if you withdraw during the academic year. This normally happens within two weeks
of you submitting your withdrawal of study form to the Student Enquiry Centre.
To avoid accruing overpayments of Student Finance, you could contact SFE yourself to let them
know that you have left your course. SFE should then stop any future payments of Student Finance
while awaiting the official change of circumstance notification and confirmation of leaving date
from Queen Mary. You will normally be asked by SFE to repay any portion of your Student Finance
that you have already received, which was paid for a period after your date of withdrawal.
If you withdraw after the end of the academic year, i.e. during the summer vacation, Queen Mary
won’t report this to SFE. SFE will know you have withdrawn because Queen Mary won’t confirm
that you have enrolled at the start of the next academic year. Therefore if you withdraw after the end
of an academic year, you should not be asked to repay any Student Finance for that academic year.
How will my funding be affected if I return to Higher Education in future?
Student Finance
If you join a new course in the future that is designated for higher education Student Finance, you
may not be eligible for Student Finance for all the years of your new course due to having studied
part of a previous course at Queen Mary. Note that you can get a Maintenance Loan and any
supplementary grants you may be eligible for in each year of the new course: it is just the Tuition
Fee Loan that is affected by your previous study. The Maintenance Grant is no longer available for
students who start a new course on or after September 2016, having withdrawn from a previous
course. But if you are transferring from a course you started before 2016, to a new course, without
any break in study, it should be possible to remain on the funding system for students who started
before 2016 - check this with a Welfare Adviser.
The Student Finance regulations for students who have previous study are shown in the box below.
Entitlement to Student Finance where a student has previous study
OD+1- PC
OD (ordinary duration of current course) +1 (extra ‘plus one’ year) – PC (previous Higher
Education study)
Example 1
Previous course: completed year 1 in 2017/18 and withdrew in year 2 in 2018/19 [see footnote] of 3
year undergraduate History degree at Queen Mary
New Course: 3 year undergraduate Medieval History degree at Bath University starting 2019/20.
Entitlement to Student Finance for new course = 3 + 1 – 2 = 2
(This means that in the first year this student would only be eligible for a Maintenance Loan plus
any Supplementary Grants. They would not be entitled to a Tuition Fee Loan in their first year and
would have to self-fund their tuition fees. In years 2 and 3 they would become eligible for a Tuition
Fee Loan as well as the Maintenance Loan i.e. full Student Finance. The years of full Student
Finance are always payable in the later years of the course).
If you complete your studies at Queen Mary and are awarded an honours degree, you cannot get any
Student Finance for a new designated undergraduate higher education course at another institution
unless your new course leads to a qualification in medicine, dentistry, law, veterinary science, or
architecture (and even then your entitlement is limited to the Maintenance Loan and Supplementary
Grants only). To clarify your eligibility for Student Finance for a new course, contact the new
institution you will be studying at for advice.
If you have compelling personal reasons for withdrawing from your course, or you had to re-take
periods of study out of attendance during the course you are withdrawing from, you can apply to
Student Finance England to be considered for discretionary funding for your new course. If
approved, SFE can agree to award you additional years of Tuition Fee Loan for your new course.
Please contact a Welfare Adviser in the Advice and Counselling Service for advice. See also the
previous section of this advice guide Re-taking a period of study due to Compelling Personal
Reasons.
I am an EU/EEA/Swiss National, how will withdrawing affect my student funding

and tuition fee status for a new course?
In addition to the above information, it's also possible that withdrawing from your course could
affect your future eligibility to pay the home rate of tuition fee for a new course and also your
eligibility to receive student funding for a new course. We are still waiting for the UK Government
to announce the new rules and provide guidance for the 2021/22 academic year following the end of
the Brexit transition period. It is expected that there will be some provision for those with settled or
pre-settled status. Keep checking our EU/EEA funding information for updates.
You should also read our EU/EEA guidance about how to stay in the UK after 31 December 2020.
Footnote:
even if you only attend one day of the course, this counts as a whole year of previous study
Tuition fees and refunds

Interrupting, retaking in attendance, transferring or withdrawing from your course may affect your
tuition fee liability. How much tuition fee you are liable for depends on when you interrupt, transfer
or withdraw and when you resume your studies
The information below is taken from Queen Mary Tuition Fee Regulations and applies to students
paying the Home rate of tuition fee.
Withdrawal/Interruption/Transfer date Tuition Fee liability
Student who withdraws, interrupts or transfers before the first day of the 25% of the annual
beginning of semester B tuition fee
Student who withdraws, interrupts or transfers before the May exam 50% of the annual
period tuition fee
Student who withdraws, interrupts or transfers after the start of the May 100% of the annual
exam period tuition fee
Resumption date Tuition Fee liability
Student who resumes on the first day of semester A 100% of the annual tuition fee
Student who resumes on the first day of Semester B 75% of the annual tuition fee
Student who resumes during the May exam period 50% of the annual tuition fee
If you owe tuition fees to Queen Mary at the point of interruption or withdrawal, you become liable
to pay these straight away.
If you interrupt your studies and have paid more tuition fees than you are liable for, these will not
normally be refunded. Instead they will be retained by Queen Mary until you resume studies.
If you interrupt or withdraw from your studies and you are getting a Tuition Fee Loan from SFE and
your interruption or withdrawal date means that you are liable for less than the full annual tuition
fee, it is advisable to contact the Queen Mary Fees Office (fees@qmul.ac.uk) at the end of the
academic year to check that they have received the correct amount of Tuition Fee Loan from SFE.
Sometimes SFE mistakenly pays the full Tuition Fee Loan, even though you have a reduced liability,
so it is important to check this and to contact SFE if they have overpaid and ask them to take back
the overpayment from Queen Mary.
If you resume your studies in Semester B, remember to apply for the correct amount of Student
Finance Tuition Fee Loan from SFE. Check with the Queen Mary Fees Office what amount of
tuition fee you will be liable for and state this amount in your Student Finance application.
There is more information about tuition fees on the Advice and Counselling Service
undergraduate Tuition Fee Payment webpages
You should also make sure you have sufficient funding in place to pay your tuition fees when you
resume your study.
If you will be required to re-take a year or re-take a part year of study with attendance and
you normally rely on the Student Finance England Tuition Fee Loan to pay your fees you
should make sure you are entitled to receive this for your repeat period of study. If this is your first
degree level course and this is the first time you have had to retake a year of study with attendance,
you should still be remain eligible to receive the Tuition Fee Loan for your repeat period of study.
However you may not automatically be entitled to a Tuition Fee Loan if this is the second time you
have repeated a year/part year of your course or you have previous study on an earlier degree
course. For information please read the section of this guide 'Re-taking a period of study in
attendance'.
Exam re-sit fees

There is no charge for re-sit exams. You will be automatically registered for re-sits if you are
required to sit them. If you don’t feel able to do your re-sits, for example because of ill-health, you
need to submit a claim for Extenuating Circumstances; if you don’t do this, and you don’t sit your
exams, or you just opt out of the re-sit via MYSIS, you will have a failed attempt.
Deregistration for non-payment of tuition fees

What is deregistration?
Deregistration means you are no longer a student of Queen Mary and, as a result, you will not be
eligible to continue your programme of study. You will not be able to use any Queen Mary facilities,
attend classes, sit examinations or attend graduation.
When does deregistration happen?

If you do not pay the amount of tuition fees that you have agreed to pay to Queen Mary by
31st January, you will normally be deregistered from Queen Mary.
If you are getting a Tuition Fee Loan, this means that you need to have confirmation of this from
your funding body by 31 January, and to have shown this to the Queen Mary Fees Office.
If you are paying your own tuition fees, this means that you must be up to date with payments of
your tuition fee instalments, in accordance with your payment plan, by 31 January. There will be
further instalments to pay after that date, but you must have paid the amount owed on your payment
plan by 31 January.
If you have not either paid your tuition fees that you have agreed to pay, or provided evidence of a
Tuition Fee Loan, by 31 January, Queen Mary will send normally you a letter in early February. The
letter will explain that you are being given a further deadline to clear the outstanding tuition fee
payment within 10 working days. If you fail to pay by the further deadline stated in the letter, you
will normally be deregistered.
Students may also be deregistered for other reasons during the academic year, for example for non-
attendance on their programme of study, but deregistration would be the final option, after an
academic school had exhausted all the options to help a student re-engage with their studies.
Deregistration also occurs if you fail your exams and re-sits, and if you have no entitlement to
further attempts.
How can I get reinstated on to my programme of study?

If you have been deregistered for non-payment of tuition fees, you may be able to get reinstated on
your programme. To do this, you have to pay your outstanding tuition fees and an administrative
charge of £250 by 31st July of the same year you have been deregistered in. This will preserve your
right to re-join your course and resume your studies at a later date, but no earlier than 12 months
following your date of deregistration. This means the earliest date to rejoin will normally be the
following February.
As you will have paid all your outstanding fees by 31st July, you will have no further tuition fee to
pay when you return to complete the academic year in which you were deregistered.
If you cannot pay your outstanding fee by 31st July, you cannot normally be reinstated at Queen
Mary.
Can I appeal or make a complaint about being deregistered?

Yes, you may appeal the decision to deregister you. The letter you receive informing you that you
have been deregistered should explain that you have a right of appeal against your deregistration. If
you decide you want to appeal, you must do so within 10 working days of the date stated on the
letter. As deregistration relates to progression on your programme of study, you would need to
submit an appeal rather than a complaint. If your appeal is successful, you would normally be
allowed to be reinstated on your course. However, if you are not looking to reverse the
deregistration decision, but wish to complain about other matters such as, for example, the way that
your deregistration has been processed, you could consider making a complaint. You must submit
your complaint within 3 months of the date stated on your deregistration letter.
To find out how to make an appeal or complaint, see the Student Appeals, Complaints and Conduct
Office webpages.
Before you submit your appeal or complaint, it may be useful for you to take independent advice
from the Academic Advice manager Annie Mitchell in the Students Union
How will it affect my funding?

If you are getting Student Finance, you won’t be eligible to continue receive this after you have been
deregistered as you will no longer be a student. As deregistration happens mid-way through
semester 2, you will have received your Student Finance for the whole of semester 2, so you will
have an overpayment. See the section of this guide Will I have to repay my Student Finance grants
or loans? (overpayments)
If after deregistration Student Finance do pay your tuition fee, they would pay 50% of the annual
amount because you only attended for part of the academic year. You would also have to pay a £250
reinstatement fee yourself by 31 July.
When you return to study 12 months after deregistration, you will owe the remaining 50% of the
tuition fee. Contact a Welfare Adviser for advice about when and how to apply for Student Finance
for a Tuition Fee Loan.
Will I have to repay my Student Finance grants or loans?

(overpayments)
Interrupting
You are not normally eligible to receive Student Finance after your date of interruption, unless
you are interrupting for health reasons (see below). Therefore overpayments might occur in a
number of ways:
If you interrupt part way through a semester period, you will have been overpaid Student
Finance because you will have been paid for the whole of the current payment period, but
will no longer be in attendance for part of it. If you interrupt on the last day of a Semester
or in the following vacation period, your interruption will be dated at the end of this
Semester (your last recorded date of attendance). As you will have attended the Semester
in full, there should not be any Maintenance Loan overpayment although there will an
overpayment of any grants awarded to you.
If your interruption is backdated due to exceptional circumstances, you will have been
overpaid because you will have already received payments for a period that you are now
recorded as not being in attendance for
If you interrupt close to a payment date, Student Finance England (SFE) might not get
notified by Queen Mary in time to stop your next payment of Student Finance, which will
be an overpayment
If your reason for interrupting is ill-health, as long as you stated this on your interruption form SFE
should automatically extend your period of Student Finance eligibility for another 60 days beyond
your date of interruption (this is your last date of attendance). However, you would no longer be
entitled to receive Student Finance for the period beyond the first 60 days following your date of
your interruption and any payments already received for that period would normally be treated as an
overpayment.
However, in certain circumstances SFE can exercise discretion to extend your eligibility for Student
Finance beyond your period of interruption (and beyond the automatic 60 days funding). If Student
Finance England (SFE) approve this, it would mean that continued Student Finance payments would
not be treated as an overpayment and would not be recoverable in future. Please read the
information below on 'How do I request discretionary funding from SFE' and then Contact a Welfare
Adviser for advice about this.
Loan and grant overpayments made during the academic year will be recovered by SFE from future
funding entitlements, by reducing your loan or grant entitlement either in the same academic year or
a future academic year. If you change course, any overpayment from your previous course can be
recovered by reducing your funding for the new course.
SFE will usually write to you to notify you of the overpayment and explain how they intend to
recover it. It might take SFE several weeks to write to you, so you may find it helpful to ask a
Welfare Adviser to estimate the overpayment amount in the meantime, so you can plan your
finances accordingly.
If you feel that a reduction in the next academic year's Maintenance Loan amount would
cause you financial hardship, you can ask SFE to consider not reducing your loan amount, and
instead to recover the overpayment at the end of the course, under the normal repayment
scheme. To request this you would need to complete a SFE Financial Hardship Confirmation form
detailing your income and expenses for the academic year ahead, and attaching bank statements and
additional documents highlighting your financial commitments and your circumstances, so that SFE
can see that you cannot manage financially if the Maintenance Loan is reduced. Please contact a
Welfare Adviser who can advise you about making this discretionary application to SFE, and about
when to do it.
You can also read Student Finance England's information about what happens to your student
funding if you interrupt or withdraw from your course.
How do I request discretionary funding from SFE?
If you wish to apply for discretionary funding for a period of interruption, you should get advice
from a Welfare Adviser in the Advice and Counselling Service. You will usually need several
documents to apply. You do not need to have these documents before you contact a Welfare Adviser,
but this list might help you prepare your application:
Your own letter to your funding authority should explain:
What circumstances affected your ability to study effectively
When your difficulties started and how long they affected you
How these circumstances affected your ability to study effectively and meant you had to
interrupt your studies
Why you are unable to support yourself financially during your interruption, for example,
explaining how your ill health meant you couldn’t work
What you need funding for during your interruption, for example rent, food, bills, travel to
medical appointments, prescription costs, etc.
Why you need to continue paying for essential costs during your interruption. This is
because SFE think that sometimes students may be able to move in with family during an
interruption, and then not need to pay for things like rent. However, this is of course not
possible for many students, who live independently. It is helpful to explain to SFE why you
need to remain in London in rented accommodation. Examples might be that your medical
treatment is in London and you need to stay here for that, or you might explain that you are
estranged from your family and so you don’t have a family home to move back to, or
perhaps you are a mature student who has lived independently for some time.
Your Welfare Adviser in the Advice and Counselling Service can advise you about this letter, but it
can be helpful if you have prepared a draft to show them.
Evidence of your financial hardship, to demonstrate that you need to continue to receive
Student Finance during your interruption, for example:
To help you apply for discretionary Student Finance SFE have produced a Financial
Hardship Confirmation Form which asks you to complete information about your income,
expenses and debts. There is also a blank page on the form for you to explain to SFE why
you have had to interrupt, and why you are now unable to work or to access any alternative
income.
You will also need to send supporting documents with your form such as bank statements
for the most recent three months, as well as evidence of your financial obligations such as
a tenancy agreement showing your rent amount, copies of any bills that are due, etc.
You should be able to download the Financial Hardship Confirmation Form from your
student finance online account but if you can’t, contact a Welfare Adviser for advice or
contact SFE and ask them to send you a copy. A Welfare Adviser can help you complete
the form, or check your form before you send it off.
A letter from a professional person or agency to confirm the difficulties that you had,
the effect they might have had on your ability to study effectively and, if applicable,
that you are not currently able to work due to your difficulties.
This letter might be from a doctor, other health professional or a counsellor. If you are getting
evidence from a doctor, you should ask for a ‘fit note’. This is an official document which confirms
your limited capability for work. It can cover a future period as well as a past period. You should ask
your GP to confirm your limited capability for work for as long a period as they feel able to.
If you have not received help or support from a professional, a letter from a friend or family member
who knows about your difficulties may be fine.
Your Welfare Adviser in the Advice and Counselling Service can help you decide who might be the
best person to write this letter for you.
A letter from your Welfare Adviser in the Advice and Counselling Service. This letter
is important because it will outline the aspects of your case that meet the guidance and
regulations used by funding authorities to assess applications for additional periods of
study.
If you have received a letter from SFE saying that they have overpaid you and asking you to repay
the overpayment, get advice from a Welfare Adviser as soon as possible to try and avoid the
overpayment being deducted from your ongoing entitlement to Student Finance.
The documents you will need to ask SFE not to treat the payment as an overpayment are broadly
similar to the ones listed above (How do I request discretionary funding from SFE?), but a Welfare
Adviser can explain exactly what you will need.
Withdrawing
After you withdraw, you will no longer be entitled to receive Student Finance.
England (SFE) if you withdraw during the academic year. This normally happens within two weeks
of you submitting your withdrawal of study form to the Student Enquiry Centre.
To avoid accruing overpayments of Student Finance, you could contact SFE yourself to let them
know that you have left your course. SFE should then stop any future payments of Student Finance
while awaiting the official change of circumstance notification and confirmation of leaving date
from Queen Mary. You may be asked by SFE to repay any portion of your Student Finance that you
have already received, which was paid for a period after your date of withdrawal. Contact a Welfare
Adviser for advice about this.
If you withdraw after the end of the academic year, i.e. during the summer vacation, Queen Mary
won’t report this to SFE. SFE will know you have withdrawn because Queen Mary won’t confirm
that you have enrolled at the start of the next academic year. Therefore if you withdraw after the end
of an academic year, you should not be asked to repay any Student Funding for that academic year.
Tuition Fee Loans and Maintenance Loans are added together to make up your overall student loan
account balance. You will need to make loan repayments once you are earning a minimum amount
of money a year, from the April after you withdraw. The minimum earnings amount varies
depending on when you started your course. For more information see the student loan repayment
pages.
Deregistration
If you receive Student Finance England Maintenace Loan and/or grants, you will only have to repay
the portion that covers the period from the date you have been deregistered. Contact a Welfare
Adviser in the Advice and Counselling Service if you need advice about your options.
If you are deregistered after the end of the academic year because you have failed your exams and
have no further attempts, Queen Mary won’t report this to SFE, and you shouldn’t incur any
overpayment of Student Finance.
Will I have to repay bursary money to Queen Mary?

Queen Mary Bursaries
If you are eligible for a Queen Mary Bursary and you interrupt or withdraw from your studies,
transfer to another university or are deregistered, your bursary will be affected in line with the
tuition fee regulations (see earlier section of this advice guide, Tuition Fees and Refunds). For
example, if your interruption date means you are liable to pay 50% of the tuition fee for the
academic year, you will receive 50% of the Queen Mary Bursary. If you interrupt before the bursary
payment date (February and May), you will receive any amount of bursary due to you on the bursary
payment date, even though you will not be attending at that time. You will not be asked to repay any
overpayment of Queen Mary Bursary if you interrupt, withdraw, transfer or are deregistered.
You can get a Queen Mary Bursary if you are re-taking a year of study in attendance.
You cannot get a Queen Mary Bursary if you are re-sitting out of attendance.
For more information contact the Bursaries office: bursaries@qmul.ac.uk / 020 7882 5079
Other Scholarships and Bursaries

If you are receiving any other scholarships or bursaries, contact your individual bursary
administrator for advice following an interruption, transfer or withdrawal of studies. You will need
to ask whether you need to repay anything, and also if the scholarship or bursary would be payable
if you need to re-take a period of study. Check your bursary award letter for their contact details.

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Print Advice and Counselling Service 11/04/2021, 11:31

Resitting, interrupting or leaving your course - a guide for

IMPORTANT information if you are an EU national

Thinking about your options

Think about your decision

Is this the right time for you to be at university at all?

Think about the practical implications of your decision:

How easy will it be to find work if you leave?

What will happen to your Student Finance?

How will you support yourself financially?

What Student Finance will you be eligible for on a new course?

What are government funds?

What if I don’t receive any government funds?

Interrupting your studies (taking time out)

How do I apply for an interruption of study?

When is the deadline?

6 January 2021 if you do not wish to sit the Semester A exams

How long can I interrupt for?

What do I do with the form?

What if I miss the deadline for interrupting?

How will my Student Finance be affected after I interrupt?

Will my Student Finance be affected when I return from an interruption?

I am an EU/EEA/Swiss national, how will interrupting affect me?

Do I need to do anything before I return from an interruption?

Re-sitting out of attendance

What if I am not able to do the August re-sits?

How will I manage my academic work while re-sitting out of attendance?

What if I want to re-take modules in attendance?

How do I fund a period of re-sitting out of attendance?

I am an EU/EEA/Swiss national and intend to leave the UK while I re-sit out of

Practicalities if you are no longer in attendance

I live in Queen Mary Residences

I live in privately rented accommodation

18+ Student Oystercard

NUS Totum Card

Which Queen Mary services can I use while I am interrupting

Academic school or institute

Careers and Enterprise Service

Disability and Dyslexia Service

Advice and Counselling Service

How will I support myself financially?

The financial options available depend on whether you are:

payment of Student Finance. This payment will become an overpayment.

Applying for discretionary Student Finance

How do I apply for discretionary Student Finance?

Re-sitting out of attendance

The Financial Assistance Fund

the section of this guide 'Leaving your studies completely (withdrawing)'.

Re-taking a period of study in attendance

How will re-taking in attendance affect my funding?

Standard Entitlement to Student Finance

Previous study on an earlier degree course

Entitlement to Student Finance where there is previous study

Re-taking a period of study because of compelling personal

In what circumstances can I apply for discretionary funding?

How do I apply for discretionary funding?

Your own letter to your funding authority, to explain:

What circumstances affected your ability to study effectively

How these circumstances affected your ability to study effectively

Switching to a part-time mode of study on a full-time course

Transferring to a new course

What do I need to consider?

How will transferring affect my funding?