5: Pastoral Care and Welfare

If you have any doubts about your degree and are considering withdrawal, we encourage you to talk to the pastoral support team, who will be able to explain your options. These include a temporary withdrawal, a restart on your current or a new degree and permanent withdrawal.

Temporary Withdrawal

A temporary withdrawal (TWD) is an approved period of time when you are not studying for your award and is governed by University Regulation 36.1Link opens in a new window.Link opens in a new window A TWD request cannot be made after the end of term 2, as these requests are considered by the relevant Exam Board. TWD must be requested for 12 months in the first instance, but this can be extended to a maximum of 2 years.

You can request a TWD for many reasons and should talk with your Personal Tutor or the pastoral support team about it. You should read the information on the university webpagesLink opens in a new window and complete an online TWD form, which must be submitted along with the relevant medical or other evidence. Without evidence, your application may be declined. Final approval lies with the Academic Registrar.

Requests for retrospective TWD, to effectively restart the term or academic year on your return, will be considered only in exceptional circumstances, with a clear rationale and evidence outlining why you were unable to make the request earlier. Retrospective TWD can only be backdated by a maximum of four weeks for student visa holders. If you are a student visa holder you should go to the Student Visa AdviceLink opens in a new window team to seek advice as this will affect your visa. All students should speak toStudent FinanceLink opens in a new windowandAccommodationLink opens in a new windowto notify them of your temporary withdrawal once it has been confirmed.

You are not permitted to attend lectures or classes during your TWD, but will normally retain access to IT and Library facilities to help your return. If you are returning part-way through an academic year, you will be assessed on the basis of the syllabus you studied and where necessary, you will be set a special examination paper. If your TWD was based on medical reasons, you will need to submit a fitness to study certificate on your return.

Restarts

During your first year of study, you may be permitted to restart your course in the following academic year if your first attempt has been affected by issues beyond your control (e.g. if medical problems or personal factors negatively affected your ability to study).

You may also be permitted to restart University the following year on a different course if you find your first choice was not the right one. You must gain approval from the receiving department and should speak to that department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies. You will be treated as a new student when you begin your restart. Please note that there is no guarantee that any restart request will be approved.

If you wish to restart, you should read the information on the university websiteLink opens in a new window and complete the online restart request form. 

Permanent withdrawal

If you want to permanently withdraw from your course, whether after a period of temporary withdrawal or not, please make an appointment to see your Year Tutor, as this is a very important decision. If, after this discussion, you still wish to permanently withdraw, you should read the information on the university websiteLink opens in a new window and must complete the online form. You should seek advice fromStudent FinanceLink opens in a new windowon any implications for your fee payments and also from Warwick AccommodationLink opens in a new window. International students should contact Student Visa AdviceLink opens in a new window team to seek advice for details on visa implications.