Withdrawals

Before applying for temporary withdrawal, we strongly advise you to first discuss it with your personal tutor and our MySurrey Hive team, as there may be ways that the University can support you through your course. You can contact the MySurrey Hive via Surrey Support. Please select "My Course" as your enquiry topic. You can also talk to the MySurrey team regarding any questions related to how temporary withdrawal will affect fees and funding, housing and visa applications.

During a temporary withdrawal, you will not pay tuition fees for that period and therefore will not be eligible for any tuition or to submit any work for assessment. You will have some access to University facilities but will not be allowed to stay in University accommodation. Access to University email continues during periods of temporary withdrawal in order to ensure contact is maintained.

Taking a temporary withdrawal may affect your visa status and right to stay in the UK.

Please note that if your temporary withdrawal period exceeds more than one year, (including any previous periods of temporary withdrawal), you will be required to submit supporting evidence. This will also be the case if you are requesting your temporary withdrawal to be backdated.

If you decide to apply for a period of temporary withdrawal please sign-in to Surrey Self-Service using your normal username and password.

1. From the ‘registration’ menu, select ‘apply for suspension or withdrawal’.
2. Click on ‘start new application’.
3. Select the course from which you wish to withdraw.
4. Add your programme details, the type of withdrawal and the reason for this withdrawal.
5. Upload any supporting documentation.
6. Click ‘save and continue’ to submit your application.
7. You will be asked if you would like support from student money and housing. Respond accordingly. If your answer is yes then your application will be on hold. You can change this at any time once you have received the support you require.
8. You may withdraw your application by clicking on ‘withdraw application’ at the bottom of the ‘student/programme details’ screen.

View the how to apply for temporary withdrawal guide (docx)

We would strongly advise you to first discuss permanently withdrawing from your studies with your personal tutor and the MySurrey Hive team. You can contact the MySurrey Hive team via Surrey Support. Please select 'My course' as your enquiry topic. 

You can also talk to the MySurrey team regarding any questions related to how permanent withdrawal will affect fees and funding, housing and visa applications.

Retrospective applications for permanent withdrawal will only be considered in exceptional circumstances. It is your responsibility to notify the University of a permanent withdrawal at the point at which you intend to withdraw via Surrey Self-Service. Those involving Tier 4/Study Route Visa requirements, and those with student loan implications, are highly unlikely to have a retrospective application accepted.

If there were circumstances which explain why you were unable to participate in your degree programme before the date you officially notified the University you wanted to permanently withdraw, you will be directed to submit supporting evidence.

If, having discussed it with the relevant staff, you do decide to permanently withdraw from your programme please sign-in to Surrey Self-Service where you will be able to access the application form via the 'registration' tab.

View the how to apply for permanent withdrawal guide (docx)

The date of withdrawal can have a significant effect on the amount of money you may need to pay for tuition fees and on the amount of any fee refund. Depending on temporary or permanent withdrawal date, you may remain liable for a percentage of fees for all or part of the remaining academic year. 

If you have obtained a loan or grant, you are likely to be re-assessed for loan/grant eligibility when taking temporary withdrawal, or when permanently withdrawing from your course.

If you are an undergraduate student in receipt of Student Finance England (SFE) funding who temporarily withdrawals for medical or health reasons, you can continue to receive funding for 60 days.

If a temporary or permanent withdrawal starts part way through a semester, this could result in your receiving an overpayment of maintenance grant or loan. It is possible that Student Finance will request this to be paid back immediately.

No further payments will be made during periods of temporary withdrawal to a Postgraduate Taught student receiving funding from Student Finance.

The University of Surrey is obliged to notify the Home Office when a student on a Tier 4/Study Route visa temporarily or permanently withdraws. This will normally result in your visa being cut short. You will be expected to leave the UK within 60 days of your temporary or permanent withdrawal date.

If you want to return to your studies after a temporary withdrawal, you will need to apply for a new visa with a new Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) before resuming your course.

Students holding a Student/Tier 4 visa are strongly advised to consult Student Advice (Money, Housing, International) about the consequences of any temporary or permanent withdrawal. 

If you are unable to leave the UK for medical reasons, you should speak with International Student Advice who can advise accordingly.

If you temporarily or permanently withdrawn from studies you are not eligible to stay in University accommodation.

The Accommodation team receives automated notifications of withdrawals and will contact you to establish a departure date (usually within two weeks depending on circumstances) and will charge according to this departure date. You can also contact them as soon as you know your status is changing so they can advise you of the accommodation departure procedure.

If you wish to withdraw from your accommodation you should refer to the terms and conditions of your licence, and discuss the implications of early withdrawal with the Accommodation team before vacating your room.

You will need to apply for any future University accommodation by any published deadlines, so you are encouraged to monitor this during the academic year – visit our accommodation page for further information.

The Centre for Wellbeing is there if you would like to talk through a personal, emotional or psychological issue. Visit the Centre for Wellbeing page for more information.

Access to Surrey Learn is still possible for those on temporary withdrawal, however you should note that participation on a programme of study is not permitted, which includes assessments or re-assessments, or submitting coursework and/or dissertations. You are still able to access Library services or dissertations. IT accounts for students who have permanently withdrawn will be closed within 90 days.

You will not be able to compete in any BUCS fixtures or competitions under the Team Surrey name. If you pay the relevant Surrey Sports Park membership and University of Surrey Students' Union club membership, you may be able to join training sessions and compete in friendlies or non-BUCS competitions only. A suspension of studies will not hinder your participation in societies but may stop some forms of participation in volunteering opportunities led by the Students' Union (SU). 

You should refer to the SU for more information.

Your academic department/school, the Academic administration team and MySurrey Hive will work together to make your return to campus an enjoyable and reassuring experience. Students undertaking a period of withdrawal will retain a personal tutor during the period they are absent from the University. If you are unsure who your personal tutor is, please contact MySurrey Hive for more information. We advise that you meet with your personal tutor, normally in the first two weeks of your return.

As you adjust back into university life and your studies, it is worth taking the time to revisit the resources and support available via the Library.

The My Learning Development at Surrey module on SurreyLearn offers online resources to refresh and enhance your academic skills in areas such as maths, statistics, writing and referencing. Here, you will also find links to meet with the Academic Skills and Development team and/or Maths and Statistics Advice team, who can offer advice and guidance on developing your academic or numerical skills either by attending a drop-in session or booking an appointment.

If you suspend and return to your studies in the same academic year, we will let Student Finance England know, and they’ll reassess your student finance. If you return in a new academic year, you should reapply for student finance as normal. For further advice regarding your funding arrangements please visit our student finance webpage or book an appointment online to speak to one of our advisers. 

You will need to apply for any future University accommodation by any published deadlines, so you are encouraged to monitor this during the academic year – visit our accommodation page for further information. We expect students to find accommodation in the private sector for their final year, in line with the University’s accommodation policy.

Find out more about accommodation.

The University of Surrey is obliged to notify the Home Office when a student on a Tier 4/Study Route visa temporarily or permanently withdraws. If you want to return to your studies after a temporary withdrawal, you will need to apply for a new visa with a new Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) before resuming your course.

Students holding a Student/Tier 4 visa are strongly advised to consult Student Advice (Money, Housing, International) about the consequences of any temporary or permanent withdrawal. 

The Centre for Wellbeing is there if you would like to talk through a personal, emotional or psychological issue. Visit the Centre for Wellbeing page for more information.

If you are registered with the Disability and Neurodiversity service please do make contact with this team via email on disability@surrey.ac.uk or call them on 01483 68 9609 to discuss how they can best support you. If you are returning and wish to register for the service you can contact them by using Surrey Support. More information about the service and the D&N team can be found on our Disability and Neuroinclusion page on MySurrey website.