We understand that, for various reasons, you may need to change something to do with your studies.
If you want to make any kind of change to your academic studies, it’s important that you let us know so we can support you and update the information we hold about you and your tuition.
Firstly, please discuss your options with your personal academic tutor (PAT) - they can talk you through any implications and guide you through the process.
You should also talk to our student support advisers as they’ll help you understand any implications, including finances.
If you want to change courses, you should not only speak to your personal academic tutor (PAT) but also to the course director for the other course. This is to check that the change you wish to make is possible. You can get academic advice about the implications of the change, and find out more about what you will be studying. You can discuss other options that may be available to you that you might not have thought about.
You should also familiarise yourself with the modules you could be studying. You can look up the modules taught on your new course here (for Undergraduate courses) or here (for Postgraduate taught courses).
If you’re thinking of changing course or pathway, please check whether there are any financial implications with Student Wellbeing Services.
If there’s a difference in tuition fees between courses, the fees for the new course are payable once your application for transfer is approved and your student record is updated.
Where a refund is due, it’ll be payable once the transfer is approved and your student record is updated.
If you’re transferring to the beginning of a new course and you intend to apply for Student Finance funding, please check the maximum number of years for which you’ll be entitled to student funding. Depending on the date of your transfer, you may need to pay some or all of the tuition fee due for your original course.
Changing your mode of attendance allows you to move from full-time to part-time study or vice versa. Please note, there may be financial implications relating to your change.
If you take a break from your studies (also known as an interruption), we hope you’ll return as soon as you’re ready.
An interruption is for a maximum of one calendar year or, exceptionally, to the start of one further academic year.
The Interruptions Policy outlines the agreed University policy for managing students’ formal interruptions to study.
During interruption, you’ll still be a registered student but some of your entitlements may change. For example, you won’t have the right to payment of any bursaries and loans. You’ll also still be subject to university requirements, including any disciplinary procedures.
While you’re away, we want you to access important information and support, so you’ll still be able to:
- use the library
- access your computing accounts
- access all university systems and facilities (except for supervision – if you’re a research student).
Students on an interruption of studies can approach Student Wellbeing Services for advice and guidance, including assistance to apply for university hardship funds. Students who use University wellbeing services are recommended to contact the Support Services team at least 6 weeks before they are due to return. This will enable a meeting to be arranged to ensure support plans are updated.
When you submit your request to interrupt, we'll need to know when you plan to pause your studies and your expected return date. To help you, you can check key university dates for your academic calendar including your formal assessment and reassessment periods for up to two years in advance. Your Course team use your expected return date to help determine when to contact you to confirm your return to study and agree transition and support requirements.
Tuition fees and funding support
We’ll need to verify your stated interruption date, as this will be used to work out your tuition fee liability and your student funding. If you wish to check your tuition fee liability before making a decision, you can contact fees@canterbury.ac.uk.
You’ll need to pay tuition fees for the academic year in which you return. Any fee will depend on your return date and it may be due even if you’re only returning to sit exams. Please ensure you fully understand the financial implications of your request before making your final decision.
Any funding support such as maintenance loans will stop while you’re taking a break. Student Finance will do an overpayment calculation and you may have to return part of the loan you’ve already received. If you’re interrupting due to compelling personal reasons, or you can’t support yourself and would be put in financial hardship by the withdrawal of your maintenance loan, you can request that your funding continues for the rest of that academic year. Your circumstances and any evidence will be reviewed before a decision is made.
Important information for students on a Student Route visa
If you take a break from your studies, you’re required by the UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) service to return to your home country. If you remain within the United Kingdom during any break from your studies then we’re obliged to follow UKVI rules and reserve the right to refuse to issue a further Confirmation of Acceptance of Study when you plan to return to your studies.
Important information for students in university accommodation
If you are currently in University named accommodation, please note the following:
- You must provide a letter from your academic department confirming your interruption. This must be given to the accommodation team. You can send this by email to accommodation@canterbury.ac.uk.
- You will still have to pay rent due to date, plus 4 weeks' rent after the date you notify the accommodation team (unless a replacement student can move in earlier).
You may incur a charge for room cleaning and/or damage if your room is left in an unacceptable condition.
If you’re thinking of leaving the University (also known as withdrawal), please discuss this with your Course team and/or Student Wellbeing Services. They may be able to help you find an alternative solution or support you with your next steps. You may also wish to check your tuition fee liability by contacting fees@canterbury.ac.uk.
Important information for students in university accommodation
If you’re currently in university accommodation, you need to:
- Provide the accommodation team with a letter from your academic department confirming your withdrawal and the date of withdrawal. You can email this to accommodation@canterbury.ac.uk.
- Continue to pay rent due to date, plus four weeks rent after the date you notify the accommodation team (unless a replacement student can move in earlier).
- Pay any charges for room cleaning and/or damage depending on the condition of your room.
Recognition of achievement
If you leave us before completing your studies, we’ll recognise your achievement according to how far you’ve progressed.
If you successfully complete a stage or level of your course, you’ll receive an Interim Award. For undergraduate study, this can be a Certificate or Diploma of Higher Education. For a Masters or Taught Doctorate, this can be a Postgraduate Certificate or Diploma.
We award Credit for all modules you passed. This can include Credit additional to an award. This means you might get both an award and extra Credits.
You’ll receive a transcript setting out any Interim Award and all Credit you’ve achieved. You can use this transcript as evidence of your achievement if you transfer to a course at another institution and you can use it to apply for the professional exemption.
All University Interim Awards and Award of Credit align with the UK’s Framework for Higher Education Qualifications and the Higher Education Credit Framework for England. So, if you apply to another institution, they’ll understand how much study you undertook, the level you studied and the range of skills achieved. They’ll use this information to decide how much exemption you receive.
We’re happy to confirm the details of the course you studied with other institutions and employers on request. Request a replacement certificate or transcript or contact the i-zone.
If you want to change modules, it’s important that you check the deadlines to do this with your course:
- Any requests to change after the deadline date will only be considered in exceptional circumstances. Requests are reviewed individually by the course director.
- You’ll need to provide information relating to your exceptional circumstances in order for the request to be reviewed.
- Even if your course director agrees on the request in principle, module changes also depend on student numbers, timetabling clashes, health and safety factors and curriculum requirements.
Please check with your course director/team whether module changes can be made for your course.
How to request a change to study
- Requests to change course or mode of attendance, or take a break from your studies or withdraw from the university, are now submitted via MyRecord. Please see below for a short video guide.
- To request a change in your optional modules, please contact your course team.
Top tips for submitting a changes to study request via MyRecord
Logging in
If you've already signed into the University network, you'll be able to log in to MyRecord without re-entering your username or password.
Otherwise, you’ll need to log in to MyRecord via the ‘Student and Staff Login’ - use your student username and password as you would to sign in to any of our other online services.
To change your course
- Find the course that you want to move to by typing its name and choosing from the drop-down list. If the course is taught both full-time and part-time, you can narrow your search by adding ‘ft’ to display just full-time variants or ‘pt’ for just part-time.
- If you’re looking to continue on the same course but at a different location, for example Medway rather than Canterbury, or a different intake, such as a January start instead of September, select your current course from the dropdown list. Use the ‘Additional comments’ to explain what it is you want to do.
To change your mode of attendance
- Simply choose whether it’s the full-time or part-time variant of your current course that you want to switch to.
To interrupt
- We need to know when, to the best of your knowledge, you’ll pause your studies and your expected return date. Look up key dates for your academic calendar.
- Your course team use your expected return date as a guide as to when to contact you to confirm your return to study and agree transition and support requirements. You can check the relevant academic calendar if you want to be precise about key dates during the next two years.
To withdraw
- As there may be tuition fee implications if you withdraw, try to be as accurate as possible with regards to your date of withdrawal. This should be when you last attended a taught activity, accessed Blackboard, submitted an assessment or attended an exam.
What happen next?
- Once you submit your request, you’ll receive an email in acknowledgement. You'll then further emails as your request is processed by the relevant University staff.
- If you change your mind before your changes to study request are actioned, please contact your course team. They will be able to cancel the request for you.
- Once your student record has been updated in line with your change to study, this will be reflected on your individual student timetable. This may take a few days. In the meantime, you can use UniTimetables to check the timetable for your new course/mode of attendance.
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