Changes to Registration
In this section
Students circumstances may change during the course of their time at Warwick, and it may become necessary to change your mode of registration, extend your registration due to exceptional circumstances, or take a break from your studies.
Mode of Attendance
Where all parties agree (including the student, the supervisor, the department and any external partners), and the grounds in University Regulation 38.3.2 are met, students have the option to study part-time at 60% of the full-time equivalent. Part-time students are also able to switch to full-time.
At Warwick part-time time registration for PGR students is 7 years (84 months). Fee charges, funding and stipend payments are made for at 60% of the original award over an adjusted funding period.
Postgraduate students should make their request to change mode of attendance using Student Records Requests in Student Records Online. Some external funders place restrictions on the number and timing of changes to mode of attendance.
UKRI funding only: students must seek permission from their council for more than one change in mode of attendance. Changing in mode of attendance in the final six months of the funded period is not permitted.
Overseas students may find that their leave to remain in the UK will only be valid for full-time study. Neither the Department nor the Student Records team are permitted to give advice on immigration matters. Such matters should be referred to the Immigration and Compliance Department.
Temporary Withdrawal
If students find that they are unable to continue their studies for a period of time due to a number of reasons, then they can apply for a period of temporary withdrawal from their course. The minimum temporary withdrawal for a PGR student is 28 days and the maximum total over the course of study is 2 years. Exceptions can only be granted upon consideration by the Chair of the Board of Graduate Studies.
UKRI funding only: students may take a maximum of 12 months temporary withdrawal over the studentship. Any exceptions must be approved by the relevant research council.
Before applying for Temporary withdrawal, students should talk through details with their supervisors who will need to support the application.
Students supported by a student visa must refer to the immigration Team for advice prior to requesting any form of leave as this may affect their visa.
Students deemed to be temporarily withdrawn must not undertake any formal study for the period of the temporary withdrawal and must cease to receive instruction from their Department. However, students will retain their IT access and library access and borrowing rights during a period of temporary withdrawal.
For full details on the process and how to apply, students should refer to the Student Records webpagesLink opens in a new window.
Funded students only: Note that during periods of temporary withdrawal, any stipend payments will normally cease unless an application has been made for sick pay. Funded research students should refer to the Doctoral College guidance on Sick PayLink opens in a new window for further information.
Stipend payments are made in whole months if a student is is in attendance for one day or more of any given month. Therefore, starting or returning from temporary withdrawal part way through a month will mean the full stipend payment is made for that month and future scheduled payments may end before the extended formal funding end date.
PGR Annual Leave
It is important that students take time out from their studies for a break in order to maintain an appropriate work/life balance. Periods of study for research degrees are calculated with an allowance for periods of annual leave during the registration period, as such taking a period of annual leave does not alter the end date of research programmes.
Full-time PGR students are entitled to take a maximum of eight weeks/40 days holiday in the year (incl. the statutory (i.e. Bank Holidays) and customary University holidays). UKRI recommends a minimum of 30 days of annual leave per year. For part-time students annual leave will be pro rata.
Note: If a student is supported by a student visa, they must refer to the Immigration Team for advice prior to requesting a leave of absence as this may affect their visa.
Students should seek approval from their supervisors prior to taking a period of annual leave, and, if approved, notify pghistoryoffice@warwick.ac.uk of the dates of their planned leave.
PGR Paid Sick Leave
Funded students may be eligible for up to 13 weeks of paid sick leave in any rolling 12-month period, with a commensurate funded extension. Please visit the Doctoral College Paid Sick Leave policy for details, and contact your funding administrator or Doctoral Training Centre for further advice if required.
Short-Term Leave
The University recognises there may be times in which PGRs require time off work to cope with unforeseen circumstances and is committed to ensuring that leave is granted in a fair and equitable manner across the University. There is therefore now also a PGR Short-Term Leave policy.
PGR Extensions
From the outset of your studies in Year 1, you should have a clear plan for the completion of your thesis, with a submission date that you are working towards. This plan needs to be regularly reviewed and revised, and must always be realistic and practical.
If you are unable to submit your thesis by your end of registration due to serious mitigating circumstances, you may be able to request an extension.
Note that an extension to registration does not include an extension to funding arrangements. Students should contact their funding provider if they would like to discuss a funding extension.
Please see the Student Records - PGR Extensions page for full information.
Note that the Maximum Period of Study PolicyLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window applies to all students starting their first year of study from 2022/23 onwards.
Permanent Withdrawal
We hope that you will be able to complete your course at Warwick, and before choosing to withdraw there are other avenues you may wish to explore such as taking a temporary withdrawal. Permanently withdrawing from your studies means that you have decided to stop studying at the University of Warwick and that you have no intention of returning to continue your programme of study in the future.
Leave to Submit
If a Postgraduate Research student has not been able to submit their thesis by their end date, but do not have mitigating circumstances to apply for an extension, they can apply for permanent withdraw from their degree with "Leave to Submit" a thesis at a later date, see Guide to examinations for higher degrees by research: section 7.5 Leave to Submit for further details.
Candidates considering requesting leave to submit at a later date should be aware that they will not have access to University facilities or be entitled to supervision after the end of their registration period.