Can I temporarily withdraw from my course for more than one year?

An application for a temporary withdrawal (for a period of more than one year) from your course will only be considered in exceptional circumstances.

Before applying for any withdrawal, we strongly advise you to first discuss it with your personal tutor and our MySurrey Hive team, as there may be ways that the University can support you through your course. You can contact the MySurrey Hive via Surrey Support. Please select "My Course" as your enquiry topic. You can also talk to the MySurrey team regarding any questions related to how temporary withdrawal will affect student loan entitlement, fees and funding, housing and visa applications.

To apply for a temporary withdrawal period exceeding one year, (which includes any previous periods of temporary withdrawal), you will be required to submit your application via the Extenuating Circumstances process. You access this via Surrey Self-Service by selecting “Extenuating Circumstances” from the top menu. Select “Start new evidence application (10 university working days)". In the statement of your application, please ensure that you clearly state that you are applying to extend a period of temporary withdrawal that is exceeding 12 months.

Evidence will be required for this type of temporary withdrawal and can be uploaded when you make your application. Your application will need to include compelling evidence to explain why you did not apply for a withdrawal at the time you originally needed it.

If you are a Tier 4/Student visa/Study Route student, it is highly unlikely that you will have a retrospective withdrawal application accepted. Please contact the MySurrey Hive team via Surrey Support for more information regarding this. Please select "International Advice and Visas" as your enquiry topic.

More information is on our main Withdrawals page.