This page provides important information for students who are considering suspending or withdrawing from their studies and the financial impact that their decision will have upon them.
It is still advisable to speak to an advisor in the Student Funding Office before you make your final decision to suspend or withdraw.
The University of Bristol charges tuition fees for every year or part of a year that a student studies. All home UK (and EU) undergraduate students who are studying towards their first degree can access a tuition fee loan from the Student Loans Company to pay for tuition fees whilst they are studying.
The amount of tuition fees you will be charged will be determined by when you suspend or withdraw during the academic year and which year you started your course (i.e. students who start from 2012 are liable to pay higher tuition fees compared to those who started prior to 2012).
The Undergraduate Fees Liability for 2012 spreadsheet (PDF, 74kB) shows you the amount of tuition fees that will be charged throughout the academic year.
Please note that tuition fees will be charged for the last week you commenced and are in attendance. Therefore if your last day of attendance is a Monday or Wednesday of a particular week, you would be charged for the full week as per the spreadsheet above.
If you are eligible to receive a tuition fee waiver, you will have your entitlement adjusted for the last week you commenced and are in attendance. Therefore if your last day of attendance is a Monday or Wednesday of a particular week, you would be eligible for a tuition fee waiver for that week, as per the appropriate spreadsheet below.
The spreadsheets below will enable you to calculate your tuition fee liability after your tuition fee waiver has been taken into account.
Students who have taken out the government maintenance loan for living costs will not be asked to repay any of their loan should they suspend part-way through a term. For example, should you suspend part-way through the Autumn term you will be able to keep the full loan you have received for that term, but would not receive any further loans for the Spring and Summer terms - unless there are extenuating circumstances.
Maintenance grants and supplementary grants are calculated to cover 365 days a year. Students who have been assessed to receive the maintenance grant (or special support grant) for living costs and / or supplementary grants (e.g. Parents’ Learning Allowance, Adult Dependants’ Grant and Childcare Grant), may be asked to repay part of their grants should they suspend their studies. The Student Loans Company will calculate on a pro rata basis how much grant a student is entitled to receive. Students would not normally receive any grant payments for the terms that they are not attending - unless there are extenuating circumstances.
Suspending your studies will affect your future funding entitlement when you return to complete your course.
All students who are undertaking an undergraduate degree for the first time are entitled to receive funding to cover the duration of the course, plus an additional year in case the student has to suspend or repeat a year of study. This additional year is known as the ‘plus one’ year.
For example, a student who is studying towards a BA in English or BSc in Science which would ordinarily take 3 year to complete will receive up to 4 years of financial support if required.
NB If you enrol on a course and are in attendance for any period of time, a month, a week or even only a day you will be considered as having ‘used up’ your funding entitlement for one full academic year.
If you suspend your studies, and return the following year to complete the year you didn't previously finish, it uses up your ‘plus one’ year of support (see above).
If you subsequently need to suspend and repeat another year of study, later in the course, then your funding entitlement for the second period of repeat study will be affected.
During this second repeat year you would not be entitled to a tuition fee loan, or be eligible for the maintenance grant (or special support grant as applicable), although you would still be able to apply for a maintenance loan for living costs and supplementary grants if eligible.
Your full funding entitlement would then restart the following year for the remainder of your course, provided you have no additional periods of suspension. The reason for this is that Student Finance England will weight any remaining full support entitlement towards the end of the course first and remove support from earlier years as necessary.
It is important to highlight that the reason behind your suspension from studies will have a significant bearing on your future funding entitlement. Students with extenuating circumstances may be able to continue to receive support during a period of suspension and/or protect their future funding entitlement – please see the sections below on extenuating circumstances.
In some circumstances, the Student Loans Company can use their discretion to pay a student whilst they have suspended their studies by deciding whether it would be appropriate to pay all or part of the grant or loan support, consideration should be given to:
Students who are eligible to receive financial support whilst suspending their studies are normally those who are unable to work during the period of suspension due to illness or caring responsibilities.
No financial support will be paid to students who have an eligibility to receive benefits as they would be expected to return to the benefits system during the period of suspension.
The Student Loans Company also have the discretion to grant an additional year of support under the Compelling Personal Reasons (CPR) rule. This would normally apply if suspension of studies were due to compelling personal reasons such as illness or bereavement.
Students who think they fall under this rule should contact the Student Funding Office for further information.
Full time students are exempt from paying Council Tax. This can also apply when students suspend their studies.
Students who suspend their studies are still considered to be students, unless they complete their course, withdraw from the course or are asked by their university to leave the course. Because of this council tax exemption still applies in most situations. Individual circumstances however will have bearing on the local council offices decision and students are advised to contact the Student Funding Office for assistance with council tax exemption if they are having difficulties in dealing with their local council.
Students who live with one non-student will not be exempt from paying Council Tax, but the household may be entitled to a reduction in their bill.
The Student Funding Office administers the Access to Learning Fund (ALF), which is fund for UK (home) students to apply should they feel they are experiencing financial hardship.
Students who have suspended their studies are also eligible to apply to the ALF during the period of suspension. Students who are in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance may be eligible to apply to the ALF depending on their circumstances. Please contact the Student Funding Office for advice and guidance.
Application forms are available from the Student Funding Office in Senate House.