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Home / Managing your study / Taking a study break, leave of absence, transferring, or withdrawing from your course
Taking a study break, leave of absence, transferring, or withdrawing from your course
Home / Managing your study / Taking a study break, leave of absence, transferring, or withdrawing from your course
Students considering study breaks, taking a leave of absence, transferring courses or withdrawing are strongly advised to contact their Student Success Coordinator, as soon as possible.
STUDY BREAKS
A study break is where you not take a module within a given study period. Study breaks last for a period of 8 weeks. Students are entitled to take a informal study break at any point in their programme. You are not required to submit a form for this, and will be automatically added to your record once the deadline for payment and registration has passed. We would encourage you to discuss your intention with your Student Success Coordinator so that they can ensure you are aware of any implications this might have and make sure you are aware of all the support that is available to you. For example, taking a Study Break will extend the length of your programme. How long this will be is dependent on when the module you will miss is next offered. Your Student Success Coordinator will be able to advise you on this.
Please note that you are able to take a maximum of two study breaks consecutively, students who do not engage for a third study period consecutively will be withdrawn from their programme of study if they do not respond to contact arising from this. Should you wish to rejoin your programme of study you would need to go through the admissions process again and readmission is not guaranteed.
If you take a study break or have Advanced Prior Learning (APL) and do not need to take the next available module (where this is a module that you have already passed) your record will be updated to show an academic enforced study break, Academic enforced study breaks do not count towards the maximum two study breaks you are permitted to take consecutively. Your Student Success Coordinator can review your programme trajectory with you and advise of the implications, including ensuring that you do not exceed your maximum enrolment duration. The maximum enrolment duration is outlined in your Programme Hnadbook.
Please note, you cannot take a Study Break once you have commenced study on a module, unless you choose to withdraw from the module prior to the refund deadline. Refund deadlines can be found below:
LEAVE OF ABSENCE
There could be a need for a student to take an authorised period of absence leave from their University studies. You can request a leave of absence prior to taking any study breaks or in addition to the study breaks. The maximum duration of a leave of absence (excluding study breaks) is one academic year. We would encourage you to discuss your intention with your Student Success Coordinator as they will be able to advise if your leave of absence request will result in you exceeding your maximum duration on the course. Further information on our Leave of Absence Policy, eligibility and forms can be found here
Return dates given on Leave of Absence forms should align with one of the intake start dates to allow you to rejoin your programme at the most appropriate point.
You may currently be studying a module at the point at which you request a Leave of Absence. You will be withdrawn from any modules which you are registered on during the period of your absence and will not be charged for these modules.
TRANSFERS
The University of Sunderland (UoS) is committed to supporting the successful progression of its students through their academic journey, helping them to realise their full academic, professional and personal potential. In doing so, we recognise that on occasions students may wish to change from their chosen programme of study to another distance learning programme or on campus at the University, which they feel is more suitably aligned to their career aspirations or is of greater academic interest. Please note that if you have already undertaken ‘specialist’ modules you maybe required to undertake additional modules at cost to demonstrate that you have the programme learning outcomes of the programme you are transferring onto. The maximum duration of enrolment will still apply You are encouraged to speak to your Student Success Coordinator prior to submitting a request to transfer. You will need the approval of the Programme Leader of the programme to which you want to transfer – this is not guaranteed, and you would need to satisfy the entry requirements of the new programme.
For more information please see our transfer policy, and a set of frequently asked questions.
PROGRAMME WITHDRAWALS
Students can withdraw from their programme of study and the University of Sunderland at anytime. We want you to ensure you are making the right decision and we have a range of support services available and would encourage you to explore these as well as transfer opportunities prior to making the decision to withdraw. Your Student Success Coordinator can discuss with you all your options and support you in making your decision.
The Policy governing student withdrawals can be found here. It is important that you read this carefully, and seek advice if unsure about any aspect of the Policy. You should particularly note that the date of withdrawal will be taken as the date of your withdrawal request being submitted to your Student Success Coordinator, and any fees liability calculated accordingly.
To notify the University you must submit a request to voluntarily withdraw using the Online Learning Student Withdrawal form located here.
For modules which have already been paid for, students will be eligible for a refund if they withdraw 14 calendar days from the payment deadline for the module. If a withdrawal request is received after the 14 calendar day period, you will not be entitled to a refund for that module, but would be eligible for a refund for any modules paid for but not yet commenced. If you have any queries please contact your Student Success Coordinator in the first instance.
For full information on the financial implications please refer to the Withdrawal Policy linked above, and our Tuition Fees and Refunds Policies, which can be found here
MODULE WITHDRAWALS
You may withdraw from a module within 14 days of the payment deadline and receive a full refund. To notify the University, you must submit a request to voluntarily withdraw using the Online Learning Student Withdrawal form located here ( insert link)
You cannot withdraw from a module after the 14 day window. Please contact your Student Success Coordinator to discuss your options. You must withdraw from any modules you do not wish to study on within this time period, or you will be considered to have not submitted and be referred when the module is considered by the Assessment Board.