Leave of Absence

A Leave of Absence is when can take a break from your studies, either for personal or professional reasons.

It allows you to essentially pause your studies to have time away from the programme so that you can then pick up your studies at a later date.

What is a Leave of Absence?

This is a formal request for a period of leave to be granted to a current registered student to be absent from their studies. This will allow you to pause your studies at a certain time to then reconvene these studies art a later date as per agreed by your Programme Leader. The period of a Leave of Absence will vary and we will always advise you to discuss the period of Leave of Absence with your Personal Tutor / Programme Leader.

They will be able to provide detailed guidance in terms of the time you can take away from your studies and the date that your studies can recommence as you will need to ensure that the module is running when you return.

How do I obtain a form?

You can download a Leave of Absence form online; as well as this, the policy is available helping you understand the process of what happens next.

You can also submit an enquiry if you have any questions.

LEAVE OF ABSENCE | SUBMIT AN ENQUIRY

Submitting a Leave of Absence

You will need to complete the Leave of Absence form and have the form signed off by your Programme Leader. You must also demonstrate a firm intention to return to your studies, stating clearly your start and return dates which can be discussed with your Programme Leader.

Once the form has been signed off and completed, you will need to submit this directly to the Gateway via Compass. If you already have an open Compass enquiry in regards to a Leave of Absence request, you can add a note with your completed form attached. once your form is received, The Gateway will ensure it's been fully completed and once checked over will pass this form on to your dedicated Programme Support team for processing. You'll be kept up to date at each stage.

As part of the submission process for international students we will ensure your form is checked over by our International Student Advisers who will contact you via your Compass enquiry in regards to any implications

What happens next?

Once your Programme Support team have processed your form, you will receive communication to your student email advising that the request has been approved and any further guidance that is applicable to you.

You will still be deemed as a registered student, however, your status will show that you are on a Leave of Absence. This change in your status will result in you not being able to engage in any teaching or learning activity during your Leave of Absence period. However, you will still be able to access our wide range of Student Support services here to assist you during your student journey.