Withdrawing from the University
NB: 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 and wish to withdraw from your course, it is important to let the University know.
Withdrawal from study is usually considered permanent. If you need to take a break from study for reasons that are not covered by the rules for intermission, please explain the reasons and timeframe in your application to withdraw. If withdrawal is approved you will need to apply for reinstatement when you are ready to resume your studies, but should bear in mind that it is not always possible to accommodate a student wishing to be reinstated, especially if a significant period of time has passed since the withdrawal request.
You may find it useful to discuss leaving the University with your College Tutor before finalising your decision as there may be other courses of action to consider, such as a break from study through medical or non-medical intermission or changing your mode of study to part-time if applicable for your course.
Applying to withdraw
Current students apply to withdraw via their CamSIS self-service. Information is available on the ‘Applying for a change in your student status’ page. Once submitted, your application to withdraw will be considered by your supervisor, Department, College and Degree Committee before arriving at Student Registry for the final decision.
Timing of withdrawal /Fee liability
If you withdraw within the first 20 days of the start of a ‘full term’, you will not be considered liable for fees for that term. If you are studying on or beyond the 21st day of a ‘full term’, you will be considered liable for fees for that term unless you have already paid the maximum fees required for your course. Please also see below under 'Reinstatement'.
You can find more information about the dates of full term on the ‘Term Dates’ page of the University’s website: https://www.cam.ac.uk/about-the-university/term-dates-and-calendars.
Temporary withdrawal is not normally possible if a student is only in their first term - they would normally be expected to withdraw permanently and reapply or resubmit their application. For students on a Masters course, it is also not normally possible to temporarily withdraw if you have kept the required terms for your degree - 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.
The effects of withdrawing from the University
Withdrawing from the University means that you will no longer be recorded as a student of the University of Cambridge and will no longer be entitled to supervision or the use of University resources, including your University email address. You should make arrangements to 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. In exceptional circumstances access to these resources may be retained for a further period, with the support of your department in consultation with UIS. You should contact your departmental postgraduate administrator if this applies to you. However, please note that although you may also retain certain access with departmental support, all of the University's e-resources will become unavailable - in all cases, the University's license agreements prevent access to those who are not currently students or members of staff.
Reinstatement
If you have withdrawn from study, you may be able to apply for reinstatement in the future. See the page on reinstatement for more information about this. You should read this information carefully as reinstatement is not always possible. Withdrawal will not impact on the overall terms for which there is fee liability. Students who are reinstated in a future academic year who had not already met their fee liability for the course at the time of withdrawal, will normally be liable for fees at the rate for the academic year in which they are reinstated which will invariably be higher. Withdrawal does not extend your thesis submission date (postgraduate research students) and you will still be required to complete the minimum number of terms of research required for your degree. Further information about terms of study, research and residence can be found on the Terms of Study page.
Funding
If you are not self-funded, you should contact your funding body regarding any decision to withdraw. The funding body may have different terms and conditions attached to your funding and there may be funding implications involved in withdrawal. Your funding body may require you to repay any funds that were paid to you in advance. 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.
Contact
If you have any questions about withdrawing from the University, please submit a query here: student-registry-help.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 (https://cam.joinhandshake.co.uk/login)