Taking a Leave of Absence (LOA) from your Master’s course

Loughborough University does not charge tuition fees if you cease study during the first four weeks of the academic year.

If you cease your studies after the end of the fourth week of the academic year, you will be charged tuition fees depending on which term has started:

Part time students are charged on a modular basis.

You would not normally be entitled to any further instalments of any current year loan after taking date of your LOA.  However if you take LOA shortly before payment is due, payment may occur due to administrative delay.

If you return to re-join your course, your funding entitlement will normally be the remaining balance of the previous loan entitlement.

If you resume study after a suspension period of two years or more (whether a continuous period or a cumulative total of shorter suspension periods), further payments will only be released if you provide evidence of a compelling personal reason for having been absent from the course for the total suspension period.

If you are from Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland then you will need to contact the relevant funding body for your country.

• Complete the accommodation cancellation request form for the Student Accommodation Centre 
• Remove all your belongings
• Hand back your keys when you vacate your room. 

You will be charged hall fees up to the LOA date, plus an admin fee equivalent to 4 weeks rent/fees. This fee might be waived if you leave or suspend for medical reasons. 

If you have already paid your hall fees you can ask for a refund of any overpayment if your account is in credit. 

Students sometimes wish to stay in halls whilst on LOA – this is not normally permitted but check with the Student Accommodation Centre for their up-to-date information. 

If you are due a refund of your room bond deposit, it is normally refunded within 30 days.

If you have signed a contract for a private hall or private house/flat you will probably be liable to pay rent to the end of the contract whether you live there or not. But if you do not wish to live in the accommodation, you can:

• Check to see if there is an early release (break) clause in your contract.
• Try to find a replacement tenant – The landlord or managing agent needs to agree to the transfer to release you from your contract. It is strongly recommended that you sign a deed of surrender or assignment. We can advise you further on this.

If you want to stay in privately managed halls or accommodation whilst waiting to join a new course and have arranged to take Leave of Absence you retain your student status for Council Tax and would not normally be liable to pay it.

You are still entitled to a student status council tax certificate during a period of absence, as long as you plan to return to your course. Council tax letters can be requested from the online student self-service system.

If you are in financial hardship whilst on LOA you can apply for help from the University Hardship Fund.

You can’t normally claim welfare benefits/Universal Credit during any LOA unless you have an underlying entitlement due to disability or as a lone parent.

Check with the Loughborough University (LU) Finance Office (via Student Records and Operations in the Rutland Building) to see if you have any credit (or debit) on your university account. If you owe money to the University, this will need to be paid. If you are in credit it is advisable to request a refund without delay.