If you are not in a position to continue your studies, you can apply to withdraw from study. In certain circumstances, a student may be withdrawn from study by the University.
Withdrawal from the University is usually considered permanent. Reinstatement may be possible in certain circumstances but cannot be guaranteed. You should ensure you understand possible implications or limitations before you withdraw.
Withdrawal from study means that you will no longer be recorded as a student of the University of Cambridge.
Requesting to withdraw from study
If your offer of admission has been confirmed but you have not started your course, you do not need to apply to withdraw. You should ask your College or Department to contact Student Registry to advise them you are not taking up your place.
If you are a current student, you can apply to withdraw via your CamSIS self-service. You are advised to discuss this with your College Tutor before finalising your decision, as withdrawal has serious implications for fees, visas, and access to services; for more information see Effects of withdrawal, below. There may be other courses of action that you should consider, such as intermission or changing your mode of study (where applicable). It is important to do this as soon as possible.
Information on the application process is available on the Applying for a change in your student status page. The application will need to be considered by your supervisor, Department, College, and Degree Committee before being processed by the Student Registry.
Before you request withdrawal, you must be aware that it is not always possible to accommodate a student wishing to be reinstated – please see below under Reinstatement.
Withdrawal from study by the University
In certain circumstances, the University may withdraw a student from study. This most commonly happens when a student has not met the deadline for submission of their thesis. It can also occur if a student is not progressing in their studies or has not paid their fees. A student may also be withdrawn from study as the outcome of a formal University discipline or conduct procedure.
The University’s Statutes and Ordinances detail the instances in which you could be withdrawn from study:
- See Chapter VII, Regulations 12 and 13 for instances covering progression, fees, and deadlines.
- See information on Student Discipline provided by the Office of Student Conduct, Complaints and Appeals
Effects of withdrawal from study
University resources
If you are withdrawn from study, you will no longer be recorded as a student of the University of Cambridge. This will mean that you will no longer be entitled to supervision or to use any University or College resources, including access to support services like the Accessibility and Disability Resource Centre, or the Student Counselling Service.
You will also lose access to your University email address and must return any equipment or material that belongs to the University or your College. When your withdrawal is confirmed, the University Information Services (UIS) will email you giving notice of approximately four weeks before your access to resources and your Cambridge email addresses are deactivated. Further information can be found here:
Leaving the University | IT Help and Support
Fee liability
If you have not met the fee liability for your course at the time of withdrawal, then if you withdraw within the first 20 days of the start of Full Term, you will not be considered liable for fees for that term. If you are studying on or beyond the 21st day of Full Term, you will still be considered liable for fees for that term despite withdrawing from the course. You will not be entitled to a refund for any fees you have paid.
You can find the dates of Full Term here. https://www.cam.ac.uk/about-the-university/term-dates-and-calendars
Funding
If you are not self-funded, your funding body may require you to repay any funds that have been paid to you in advance. You should contact your funding body regarding your withdrawal and refer to the terms and conditions attached to your award to understand the funding implications. Please contact your funding administrator for advice.
International students
If you are studying with a Tier 4/Student visa, the University is required to cease sponsorship for this visa with effect from the date of your withdrawal. The International Student Office will confirm the implications of this by e-mail. Please contact the International Student Office directly should you have any question about this: international.students@admin.cam.ac.uk.
Careers Service
You are still welcome to make use of the University's Careers Service to help plan your next steps, and can book an appointment to talk to an adviser via the Careers portal, Handshake.
Reinstatement
Withdrawal from the University is usually considered permanent. Reinstatement may be possible in certain circumstances, but this is not always an option and where it is, there are time limits for applying and implications for your fee liability and submission deadlines.
It is important that you are aware of any limitations on possible reinstatement before you withdraw.
More information about reinstatement terms and processes are available on our Reinstatement pages.
- Reinstatement following withdrawal from study is not normally possible if a student is only in their first term when they withdraw. You would normally be expected to reapply to your course and be assessed as a new applicant.
- For students on a taught Masters course, it is also not normally possible to apply for reinstatement if you have kept the required terms for your degree by the time you withdraw. If you are experiencing difficulties and will not be in a position to submit your thesis or dissertation by your deadline, you should seek advice in advance about the options open to you, such as intermission or an extension to your deadline.
Contact Student Registry
If you have any questions about withdrawing from the University, please submit a query here: student-registry-help.admin.cam.ac.uk.