Taking a leave of absence (LOA)
What to do before and after taking a leave of absence and how this will affect your student visa.
How to apply
- Use the LOA self-help tool for information on the immigration implications of taking an LOA and whether it will be reported to UKVI.
- If you're applying for an LOA on medical grounds, you must provide a medical note that covers the entire period of your requested LOA with your application.
Visit the following pages to apply:
Information for Taught students (student login required)
Student visa conditions
Your leave of absence will be reported to UKVI and your visa will be cancelled if:
- you are absent from study for more than 60 days, and/or;
- your intended LOA would mean that your new course end date is not covered by your current visa expiry date.
If your visa is cancelled you must leave the UK for the duration of your LOA. You must request a new CAS and apply for a new visa before returning to your studies.
This applies to all LOAs, including for medical and financial reasons. If you're unable to leave the UK, seek advice from the ISSAC team in the first instance. You may then also be advised to seek further specialist advice from an external provider.
Taking further LOA
If you take a LOA of 60 days or less that does not need to be reported to UKVI, the LOA may become longer than 60 days (and then need to be reported to UKVI) if you request a further period of LOA that follows on immediately after the end date of the first LOA.
This will also apply if there is a gap between the end date of the first LOA and the start date of the further LOA, but you did not re-register on your course following the first LOA (for example, because you did not receive your medical certificate for fitness to resume study, or you did not complete the online registration steps). Where this happens, the full period of both LOAs will be counted when we calculate the length of the LOA (ie the start date of the first LOA to the end date of the further LOA, and all dates in between)
Returning from an LOA
Apply for visa
If your leave of absence was reported to UKVI, you must apply for a new CAS from International Student Support three months before your expected return date, and you must use this new CAS to apply for a new visa.
Provide medical evidence
If you're returning from a medical LOA that wasn't due to maternity, you must provide evidence from the University Health Service that you're well enough to return.
For Taught students in the Faculty of Health:
You will need to provide the report issued by the Occupational Health Service (OHS) confirming that you are fit to resume your study before a new CAS can be issued to you. You must ensure that you provide a copy of the letter issued by OHS when applying for a new CAS.
Tuition fees
A Leave of Absence may affect your tuition fees for your current year. You may owe money or be entitled to a refund depending on how much you have paid and the date the LOA takes place.
For more information, see our refund policy or our tuition fee refund calculator.
You must also be aware that if you return to the University at the start of the academic year then you will be liable for a full year of tuition fees. Therefore we recommend only returning to a course at the same point as when you left, (eg if you left in February, you would return in February) to avoid incurring extra tuition fees
If you have any queries about how a Leave of Absence will affect your tuition fees, contact the Student Fees team.
Visa cancellation information
Read the document below from UKVI for information on when and why your visa might be cancelled.