Leave of Absence

Loughborough University does not charge tuition fees if you take LOA from your course during the first four weeks of the academic year.

If you take a LOA after the end of the fourth week of the academic year, you will be charged tuition fees on a termly basis:

Please note however that any year you start will count as one year’s previous study for student finance purposes, even if you take LOA during the first four weeks. We can advise you how this affects your future student finance.

If you have borrowed a Tuition Fee Loan to cover your fees it is important to check that your student loan statement (which you may not receive for several months) reflects the correct level of tuition fees, otherwise you may end up repaying too much.

Your loan entitlement will be recalculated if you leave partway through a term as the payment is made with the expectation that you will attend for the whole term. Student Finance will ask you to repay any overpaid amount.

Student loans are not normally payable during LOA. But:

• If you state illness as the reason for your LOA on form RG1011A your funding entitlement should be extended by 60 days.
• If you are taking LOA because of serious health or personal difficulties and you will be in financial difficulty if your payments stop, you can ask Student Finance England for payments to continue. This would be on a discretionary basis and you need to provide proof of your financial situation.

You won’t normally get any further instalments of your current year loan after the date of your LOA. But if you take a LOA shortly before the due date of your next payment, there is the possibility that you may receive the money because of a delay with Student Finance England updating your record. Be warned that this may result in an overpayment that will probably have to be paid back directly rather than when you finish your course.

If you return to restart your course, your previous year(s) of study will generally affect your future tuition fee funding. This can apply even if you only completed a few weeks of a previous course or academic year. N.B. The Maintenance Loan and Disabled Student Allowance is not normally affected.

Tuition Fee Loans will normally be paid only for one additional year of study beyond the standard duration of the degree programme. The extra year is often referred to as a “gift year”. If the gift year has already been used due to previously changing course or an earlier repeat year and any period of repeat study is due to health or personal difficulties, you can request an additional year of funding.  You will need to provide submit an explanation and evidence of the difficulties having affected your studies to Student Finance. Student Finance England decide such a request under their Compelling Personal Reasons (CPR) procedure. SASS can advise and assist with preparing such a request.

Any previous years of study at higher education on a different course or at a different institution will normally affect Tuition Fee Loan entitlement.

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.

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

You will be charged up to the LOA date, plus an admin fee equivalent to 4 weeks rent/hall fees. This fee might be waived if you leave 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 certificates are available via the Student Self-Service portal.