Can I add or remove a placement year to my programme?

Switching between the placement year and non-placement year versions of your programme is a simple process and can be done at any point in time before 31 August (at the end of your preceding academic year). 

If you are an undergraduate student, you can make this request (to either add a placement year or cancel your placement year) by notifying the MySurrey Hive team via Surrey Support. Please select "Placements" as your enquiry topic. 

If you are a postgraduate student who wants to add or remove a placement year, you will also need to include a completed Programme Transfer form as part of this Surrey Support request. This is because for postgraduate students, adding or removing a placement year is considered to be a programme change. 

International students who want to add a placement year will also need to include a further supporting statement. Please see ‘International students’ below.

We generally encourage you to add a placement year, as it often helps motivate you to seek and apply for placements when the time comes. As the process of switching between placement and non-placement programmes is so simple, it also means that you can keep your options open. It also means you will have access to placement adverts as well as a Professional Training SurreyLearn page.

International students

You can add or remove a placement if you are on a student visa, but there are set of criteria that must be met if you are requesting to add a placement year.

If you are a student visa holder, you will also need to provide a 300 word supporting statement detailing why you wish to add a placement year, and how it will be of benefit to your future career aspirations. This will be considered by Immigration Compliance as part of the process and will be kept on your student record as evidence that the transfer was assessed in line with the Student Route visa regulations. This additional statement is not required to remove a placement year.

If you would like to speak to an advisor before submitting a formal request, appointments can be booked with the International Student Advice team. You may also find it useful to read through the information listed in our course issues page.

If requesting to remove a placement component, this will not affect the validity of your current visa. After the request is approved, the Home Office will be informed of the new programme completion date and will shorten the time remaining after the degree has been awarded.

If requesting to add a placement component, after outline approval is received an extended visa will need to be obtained before your student record can be updated.