Withdrawal from study - Royal Holloway Doctoral School

I'm considering withdrawing from my studies. What do I need to take into account?

What shall I do first?

Before you complete the form, please make sure that you have discussed the implications and options open to you from an academic perspective.

Please ensure that you discuss the possible options available to you with your supervisor / advisor / Department PGR Lead / School Director of PGR Education.
You may wish to seek guidance from Student Advisory & Wellbeing. Further details can be found on their webpages.
You may wish also to seek guidance from the Students’ Union Advice Centre. Further details can be found on their webpages.
You may wish also to seek guidance from the Doctoral School about the different options open to you.

How do I decide a suitable withdrawal date?

It is not possible to backdate your withdrawal, i.e. you should complete and return the form within two weeks of the date you decide to withdraw.

If I withdraw, what will happen to my student record?

A withdrawal from study will permanently end your registration with the University. If your record is closed and you wish to return to the University at a later time you must email StudentServices@rhul.ac.uk to request a reinstatement of your record. This will incur a reinstatement fee of £300.00 and will only be considered if there are exceptional circumstances.

I'm self-funded. What will happen to my fees if I decide to withdraw?

Students who withdraw from their studies are liable to pay fees for the period that they have been registered prior to the withdrawal. Postgraduate research students who withdraw from academic year 2023/24 onwards will be liable for tuition fees on a monthly pro-rata basis as per the table below:

Within 3 weeks of the start of the programme	Full tuition fee refunded.
Within 1 - 11 months of the start date or the anniversary of your start date	Student charged pro-rata for the number of months completed, i.e. if completed 9 months then will be charged 9/12 of full year's tuition fee.
More than 11 months after the start date or the anniversary of your start date	Student charged 100% of full year’s tuition fee

Please note that if your fees are a mixture of, i.e. full time/part time fees and/or writing up fees, then the above calculation will be applied so you are charged for the period of studies completed rather than as a fraction of the fee for the full year. i.e. if your academic year consists of 6 months full time studies and 6 months writing up, if you withdraw within 6 months then you will be charged for the 6 month full time studied and the 6 month writing up fee will be cancelled.

When calculating the period of study completed prior to withdrawal, fees will be rounded up to the nearest full month

Postgraduate research students withdrawing PRIOR to academic year 2023/24 will be liable for tuition fees based on the previous withdrawal policy which can be found here.

I'm currently interrupted and have decided not to come back but withdraw from my studies instead. How does this affect my fee liability?

Please note that if you are withdrawing whilst on a period of interruption the date of withdrawal is recorded as the start date of the interruption and the fee liability is calculated accordingly.

I'm a funded student and in receipt of stipend. What will happen to it if I withdrew?

If you are in receipt of a studentship, please be aware that you will not receive any further payments once you have withdrawn and you may be asked to repay any instalments that you have already received. Should you have any queries, please contact us.

Find out more about the financial implications of withdrawing if you are currently funded

I hold a Student Route Visa (formerly Tier 4). What happens if I withdraw?

If you are studying at Royal Holloway under a University sponsored visa, your withdrawal will be reported to UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) and you will be required to leave the UK within 60 days of the withdrawal (unless you apply for new permission to remain). The UKVI will be provided with the most recent contact details that we have recorded for you on Campus Connect. For further advice, please contact International Advice at internationaladvice@royalholloway.ac.uk.

I live in Royal Holloway Student Accommodation. Will I need to leave my room?

If you are currently living in halls of residence, you will need to complete the online notice to leave form and vacate your room, as per the Licence Terms & Conditions within 28 days, ensuring that you check out at your Halls Reception.

If you do not check out at your Halls Reception you will remain financially liable for the room and in all cases settlement of any outstanding financial liabilities must be made in full.

More information can be found on the online notice to leave form. Should you have any queries, please contact studentservices@royalholloway.ac.uk.

I've read the information above and have decided that I'd like to withdraw. What do I need to do now?

How do I request a withdrawal?

Once you have decided that you definitely want to withdraw from your programme of study at Royal Holloway:

You MUST read all sections above before completing the withdrawal form.
You must contact your department to arrange an appointment with your supervisor to discuss the details of your withdrawal.

Completing the form

You must complete sections A to C of the online form and submit.
You will be required to provide your University email address to commence this form.

Section A - Student details

This will require your basic details including your student ID number, programme of studies and supervisor details.

Section B - Details of your request

This will require details of the date for your withdrawal, and the reason for the request.

Section C - Student's confirmation

This will require your confirmation that you have read, understood and acted on the advice as set out in these guidelines.

Submit

By submitting your form you are confirming that you would like the Doctoral School to start processing your request, in line with the process guidance provided above, and all the information you have provided on the form is true and correct.

You will receive an automated confirmation email, along with a copy of the details of your form once your application has been successfully submitted.

Tips for completing the form

It is advisable that you follow the steps below in order to ensure you submit your request successfully:

Use Google Chrome to access the form;
Delete cached data and cookies before you start completing the form;
When navigating through the form, use the ‘Previous’/ ‘Next’ buttons at the bottom of the page rather than the ‘Return’ arrow of the browser.