You need to be aware of the possible impact on your student funding.
If you are entitled to funding for your undergraduate degree, you should receive tuition fee funding for the duration of your course plus one extra year (minus any years or part-years of previous study). If you take a break in study mid-academic year, this may use two years of tuition fee funding entitlement.
Student Finance England (SFE) does not award additional years of funding for the Postgraduate Master's Loan if you repeat a year of your course, even if the repeat was caused by Compelling Personal Reasons (CPR). However, SFE may consider CPRs for one year of funding for a new course.
View our postgraduate funding guidance for more information.
If you intend to take a break in study, you will need to contact your funding body.
Generally, you will not receive a maintenance loan while you are on a break in study (as you will not be in attendance), so you will need to consider how you will manage financially. However, you may be able to get discretionary funding depending on your reasons for taking a break, or if you will be in hardship. Depending on whether you are awarded some discretionary funding, you may incur an overpayment if you take a break part-way through a term, as your maintenance loan will have been paid for the whole term. An overpayment may be taken off your maintenance loan entitlement when you return to study. If you need advice about funding issues and hardship, you can speak to the University, view the University's funding guidance, or contact us at SU Advice.
Further information about student funding, hardship, and finance relating to a break in study, including how to apply for discretionary funding, can be found in our additional funding guidance, Guide to Compelling Personal Reasons, and via Student Finance England.
If you are on a full-time course, you will still be classed as a full-time student during your break in study (as you have not withdrawn from the course), so for most students this will mean they cannot claim welfare benefits (as most full-time students are not entitled). However, some full-time students can claim benefits - contact us at SU Advice for more information.
Council Tax exemption
If you were a full-time student before the break in study and you are planning on returning to your course afterwards, you should remain exempt from Council Tax throughout your break from the course - please contact us at SU Advice if you have any problems in requesting confirmation of this from the University.
If you have a tenancy agreement, you will usually be tied into this - and be liable for the rent - even if you take a break in study. View our tenancy agreements guidance for more information.
At SU Advice we can help you explore your options and any implications. In order to be able to advise you, we will need you to first discuss your academic options with your Student Support Adviser and ask them to complete a draft Break in Study form for you to provide to us. We will then be able to advise you on how these options may affect other areas of your life, such as your finances.