Withdrawal Procedure for Postgraduate Research Students

Withdrawal Procedure for Postgraduate Research Students

Date of Implementation: January 2017

Process Management Document

What ‘Withdrawal’ means for students

Withdrawal from studymeans that a student has decided to permanentlydiscontinuetheir currentcourse of study at the University with nointention of resuming their studies.

A registered student may withdraw from their studies at any time during their course. A student remains registered, therefore, liable for fees and consideration for academic progress until they have informed the University that they wish to withdraw. The date the student formally notifies the University of their intention to withdraw* is, therefore, considered to be their last date of attendance (date of withdrawal) and will be used in all statutory reporting including Home Office (UKVI) and financial sponsors.

* Students must follow the University’swithdrawal procedure to formally notify the University of their intention to withdraw. In accordance with the procedure, Students who intend to withdraw must submit a ‘Withdrawal from Study’ form. The date the form is signed by a Director of Studies will be the date used as the student’s withdrawal date.

The date on which a student withdraws will have an effect on the amount of tuition fees they are liable to pay. Reference should be made to Appendix 2 ‘Tuition Fee Liability for Withdrawal and Interruption of Studies’ of the Tuition Fee Policy which sets out the non-completion charges which will be applied to students who do not complete the academic session. Failure to inform the University of a withdrawal from study or late notification could result in the release of inappropriate funds to students in the form of sponsorships or bursaries which they are subsequently required to repay.

If a student is an international student on a Tier 4 visa, their leave to remain in the UK will be affected if they withdraw. If an international student withdraws from their studies, the University will withdraw its immigration sponsorship and will inform UKVI that the student is no longer enrolled as a student.

The Withdrawal Procedure for Postgraduate Research Students

Stage 1

If a student is considering withdrawing from their studies at the University, they should seek academic advice and guidance from their Director of Studiesbefore submitting a ‘Withdrawal from Study’ form. Where applicable, theDirector of Studies can refer the student to relevant services (for example: Student Support and Wellbeing Team) for further support. The Director of Studies should also explore with the student the feasibility of other options such as interrupting their study or transferring to a different course.

Stage 2

If a student decides it is in their best interests to withdraw from their studies, the student can obtain guidance on the Withdrawal Procedure from the Research Student Registry (RSR) or The .

The student must fully complete relevant sections of a ‘Withdrawal from Study’form which can be downloaded from the University’s website at obtained from the Research Student Registry or The .

Stage 3

All students are advisedto seek guidance from the Research Student Registry on the financial implications of their withdrawal before submitting their ‘Withdrawal from Study’ form. The guidance received could influence their decision to proceed with withdrawal.

Tier 4 International Students must seek advice concerning the immigration implications of their withdrawal. The University is required to inform the UKVI in the case of a significant change in the circumstances of a Tier 4 international student. The will sign and date stamp the ‘Withdrawal from Study’ form to indicate that aTier 4 International student has sought information and guidance.

Where advice is sought, The and RSR will indicate that the student has sought information and guidance as detailed above and enter a synopsis on the Student Starfish record.

Students are also recommended to seek advice from the SU Advice Centre concerning benefit entitlement and Council tax exemptions where relevant.

All students should contact their Accommodation providerto seek advice concerning theimplications of their withdrawal for accommodation fees.

Stage 4

Students must take or electronically submit the completed ‘Withdrawal from Study’ form to the Director of Studies. If a student submits the form electronically, a meeting between the Director of Studies and the student could be conducted via Skype or telephone.

The Director of Studies will:

sign the ‘Withdrawal from Study’ form and confirm the student’s last date of attendance (this must be the date they sign the form and must not be retrospective);
confirm with the student, the reasons for their decision to withdraw and ensure this is accurately recorded on the ‘Withdrawal from Study’ form;
advise the student to submit the form immediately to RSR, any delays could result in an overpayment of funding which a funding body may seek to recover from the student;
(for Tier 4 International Students) check that the ‘Withdrawal from Study’ form has been stamped to indicate the student has obtained advice from The concerning any immigration implications.

Stage 5

The student must submit the completed ‘Withdrawal from Study’ form to RSR within three working days of the form being signed and completed by the Director of Studies. Failure to do so could result in the student receiving an overpayment of funding which a funding body may seek to recover from the student.

Internal processing of the ‘Withdrawal from Studies’ form

On receipt of the form, RSRmust undertake the following actions:-

.1check that the form has been fully completed by the student and the Director of Studies and that:

the form confirms the student’s date of withdrawal;
the form indicates the reasons for the withdrawal;
the form has been signed and dated by the Director of Studies;
where the student is a Tier 4 international student, the form has been stamped by the .

.2 Within 3 working days of receipt of the form complete the ‘Notification of Withdrawal’ section and forward the form (as a scanned document attached to an email) to the following services/members of staff:-

Student Registry Services (for Tuition Fee Team/Student Immigration and Compliance Team/Student Attendance Monitoring)

Student Support and Wellbeing Team if appropriate
Accommodation
College Executive Deans (CC their Personal Assistants)
Head of School
Research Council
Business Partner Unit/Sponsor
National Bursary Unit for NHS courses.
The Student’s Supervisory team

.3 Recordthe date the notification was sent to the services/staff listed above on the original ‘Withdrawal from Study’ form:

.4 Update the Student Record System as follows within three working days of receipt of the form from the student.

SKAHINS:
enter the date of withdrawal;
record the reason for the decision to withdraw;
SFAREGS:
Change the enrolment status to WD/CW;
Change ungraded module statuses to DD
Change the student’s registration status to IS (inactive);
record the date the Student Record System was updated on the ‘Withdrawal from Study’ Form;

.5 If the student is undertaking modules alongside their research degree, RSR should advise the relevant CAS Hub to ensure any grades achieved by the student are retained on Banner and where all assessments for a module have been completed, that these are considered at the forthcoming Assessment Board with a view to awarding credit or an exit award where eligible.

.6 Write to the student confirming their withdrawal has been processed and to confirm their date of withdrawal, reminding them to notify their sponsor where this applies using the appropriate template letter in Appendix (i).

Appendix (i)

Date

Student Name and ID

Sent out by email to student’s personal and UCLan email address

Dear (insert student name)

RE: Withdrawal from Study (insert student ID number)

Further to your recent meeting with (insert Director of Studies’ name), I am writing to confirm that your withdrawal from study has now been processed and you are no longer a UCLan student. The University will notify any relevant external funding bodies that your date of withdrawal is (insert date).The relevant services within UCLan will also be notified of your withdrawal so that your account can be updated in line with University policies and regulations.

Please ensure that you collect all your belongings and return any locker or room keys to the appropriate office.

If applicable, please ensure you notify your sponsor that you have withdrawn from the University.

Important note for International Students

The Student immigration and Compliance Team have been informed that you have withdrawn from the University and they will report this to the Home Office in accordance with their immigration requirements.

Yours sincerely

(Key contact)

Senior Administrative Officer (Research)

Research Student Registry

Harris Building, room 104

Tel: 01772 892708

Fax: 01772 902930

Email:

File name: S:\CAS_SM\Processes and Policies\Withdrawals\Final Draft Withdrawal Process Guide for Service staff Research students.docx

Author:Sandra Rotheram

Last Updated: October 181 | Page