Registration, Attendance, Off campus learning and Change of Status

The University regulates the amount of time that students have to complete their studies according to the type of qualification being sought and whether students are full or part-time. The University recognises, however, that in exceptional circumstances students may need to interrupt their studies and that in exceptional circumstances they may need to apply for extensions etc. All of this is governed by the University's framework of regulations on the registration of research students.

The University expects that you will make good progress in your research and writing, and lays down a series of goals that need to be achieved in order for you to continue to study each year. The University also requires that all Colleges have mechanisms to monitor the progress of students on an annual basis, and to make decisions about their future registration as a result.

Only registered students may have access to the facilities of the University, including supervision. Each student is given a Registration Status that reflects the qualification they are registered for, their ‘mode of attendance’ (full-time, part-time, continuation status) and other circumstances.

Registration is automatically terminated when the maximum period of study has been reached and no thesis has been submitted for examination. In such circumstances students will not be allowed to submit a thesis and will not be eligible for the award of a degree.

* Please note that due to the current Covid-19 pandemic there are restrictions in place regarding the amount of time that staff and students can spend on campus. The information below relates to pre-Covid requirements for presence on campus. Please check the University’s webpages for the most up-to-date information about guidance on attendance on campus. The amount of time that you are expected to work on your thesis still applies.

Full-time students are expected to work full-time on their research for at least 44 weeks of the year, pro-rata for part-time students You are expected to be present at the campus at which you are based unless you have the agreement of your supervisors or specific permission from the PGR Support Team to undertake your research and writing as an off-campus student.

The PGR Support Team can require students to attend the University if this is felt to be necessary for research training or supervision purposes. Students who are researching as off-campus students will normally be asked to spend some time in the University, typically at the beginning and end of their research and writing, for meetings with their whole supervision team, upgrade, and/or to attend the PGR Conference.

International students who are in the UK on a study visa should note that attendance monitoring is a statutory requirement of the Points Based visa system. Unauthorised absence from 10 compulsory academic activities will be reported to the Home Office and will result in the termination of your student visa.  The University has a duty to inform the relevant authorities if a student is away from their studies without agreement. Your attendance will be monitored via MyPGR so it is essential that you keep your supervision records up to date.

Students who are normally resident near their campus who intend to be absent from the University for two or more weeks (for data collection, for example) must inform their supervisor and the PGR Support Team. International students in the UK on a Tier 4 student visa who intend to be absent from the UK for a period of research must inform the University’s International Student Advisors in the International Student Support Office, their supervisor and the PGR Support Team.

You are encouraged to maintain an appropriate work/life balance during your studies and periods of study for research degrees therefore make allowance for periods of annual leave. Taking a period of annual leave does not alter the end date of your programme.

You are expected to actively manage your studies, to take no more than four weeks of leave at a time, and to ensure that any periods of leave do not impact on your studies, or upon maintaining regular contact with your supervisory team. You must therefore discuss, in advance, any absence for periods of leave with your supervisory team. You must also ensure that you comply with any requirements of your funding body with regards to taking leave, if you are in receipt of funding for your studies.  

You are allowed to take up to 8 weeks of annual leave a year (pro-rata for students studying on a part-time basis), inclusive of public holidays and University closure days. 

Please note that if you are intending to be absent from your studies, for any period of up to 4 weeks, for events such as getting married/honeymoon or to visit relatives we expect this to be covered by annual leave, rather than by an interruption of studies. 

International students who are Tier 4 visa holders should be aware that if a period of leave is followed or preceded by a period of interruption the International Student Support Office may be required to report your absence from your studies to the Home Office.

Acceptance as an Off-campus Student

Off-campus students will only be admitted if the relevant discipline DPGR is satisfied that the applicant can meet any specific study requirements pertaining to periods of attendance at Exeter, supervision arrangements, skills training, access to appropriate library and IT facilities, and shows a commitment to devote sufficient time to study.

Annual Attendance at the University of Exeter

Off-campus students are expected to be present on campus at least once a year for the equivalent of a minimum of one week. 

* Please note that due to the current Covid-19 pandemic there are restrictions in place regarding the amount of time that staff and students can spend on campus. Please check the University’s webpages for the most up-to-date information about guidance on attendance on campus.

Time Commitment for Off-campus Students

Off-campus applicants will only be admitted if they commit, in writing, to devote 35 hours per week over 44 weeks per annum to their study in the case of those intending to study on a full-time basis; or 20 hours per week over 44 weeks per annum for those intending to study on a part-time (50%) basis. Students studying other part time variants will need to adjust their time to study accordingly.

University Codes of Practice

All provisions in University Codes of Practice and Statements of Procedures pertaining to research students fully apply. 

In the case of split-site applicants being considered for admission through a partner institution, study and attendance requirements will be specified in the agreement between the College and the partner institution.

There are occasions when students may wish to change the status of their registration in order to respond to changes in personal circumstances; if you wish to change your registration status you must discuss any changes with your supervisor before submitting a request. The PGR Support Team and College Director of Postgraduate Research will consider all requests and facilitate requested changes where appropriate. Information and forms are available from the PGR Support Team, or MyPGR as appropriate, and in the University’s Teaching Quality Assurance Manual: Periods of Registration and Changes to Registration Status for Graduate Research Students.   

Full-time to Part-time (and vice versa)

Requests to change from full-time to part-time status (or vice versa) will be considered on their merits by the PGR Support Team. In some cases the PGR Support Team, or your supervisors, might also recommend a change of status if it is agreed with your supervisor and discipline DPGR that we think it is to your benefit. 

Please note that any request to change mode of attendance will only be considered if the change will result in a change to your maximum period of study, once the relative equivalence has been calculated. Therefore requests to change from full-time to part-time (or vice versa) will not normally be considered after three years of full-time, or six years of part-time, study. 

Requests to change your mode of attendance must be discussed with your supervisor(s) and, if supported, will then be considered by the College Director of Postgraduate Research.  Please note:  if you are a student funded by a research council there may be restrictions on the number of times that you can change your mode of attendance; in such cases please check with the PGR Support Team before submitting any such requests. For all students starting their studies from September 2019 onwards your mode of attendance may be changed no more than once every six months with the agreement of your supervisor.

International Students Only

A change to part-time study can impact on your prospects of remaining in the UK or returning to the UK to study at a later date. It is a requirement of the Home Office that only authorised University personnel in the International Student Support Office interview and sign off forms for students who wish to change their mode of attendance, so you must make an appointment with the International Student Support Office in order to see an International Student Advisor (ISA) for approval. Please note that this rule does not apply to students changing to continuation status.

Continuation Status

Students may be permitted to apply to transfer to continuation status when they can demonstrate that they have completed their research and will not undertake any significant additional research. Such students are considered to be writing up their thesis, and are not charged normal full-time or part-time fees. There is, however, a small administrative fee (£50 per month) after four months for students who are registered on continuation status and who have not yet submitted their thesis for examination. 

Continuation status is not an automatic right and an application will only be considered if a student is near to the submission of their thesis. We would normally expect you to have submitted a full, or near complete, first draft of your thesis to your supervisor before they will agree to you transferring to continuation status. Please see below for details of the conditions for transfer to continuation status, which vary depending on when you commenced your programme of study.  Students who have transferred to continuation status will be expected to make minimal use of University resources. If a student needs further supervision during the period of continuation status, the PGR Support team will require them to re-register as a full-time or part-time student and to pay full tuition fees accordingly. There should, however, continue to be contact between student and supervisor, but this contact will be significantly reduced, with the minimum frequency of supervision meetings dropping to three a year (one a term). 

Requests to transfer to continuation status are submitted via MyPGR and must be discussed with your supervisor(s) – if supported the request will then be considered by the College Director of Postgraduate Research who should consider the resource implications of the request. 

You should apply to transfer to continuation status via MyPGR, and email a timeline of work completed and work still to be completed to the PGR Support Team to support your request. No request will be considered without a completion timeline.

Continuation for Entrants Prior to September 2019

Students should be in a position and be able to demonstrate that they will be able to submit their thesis within 6 months of moving onto continuation status. Students will have submitted a full draft of the thesis to their supervisor

Continuation for entrants from September2019 onwards

Students should be ready to transfer to continuation status 3 to 6 months ahead of submission. For part time students this period should be calculated on a pro-rata basis. The supervisory team should have received a complete (or near complete) draft of the thesis. If a student fails to submit their thesis within the time frame listed in their project timeline action will normally be taken under the 'Unsatisfactory Student Progress and Engagement: Code of Good Practice’.

Interruption

The University permits interruptions of study with good cause, which normally means it is of positive benefit to a programme of study, or due to personal, financial or medical circumstances. Full-time students should consider that in difficult but less critical circumstances, a change to mode of attendance to part-time status might also be an appropriate alternative. It is not appropriate to apply for an interruption to go on holiday (see Annual Leavein the Teaching Quality Assurance Manual for further information). Students should note that interruptions of study will normally only be granted when academically viable; where this is not the case a student shall be 

be required to withdraw, but they may apply to reinstate their registration at a later date. 

An interruption of your studies means an entire cessation of academic work for a specified period, and is usually granted when you are suffering from personal or other difficulties which make it impossible for you to continue with your research for that period. Fees are not payable during periods of interruption and the period does not count towards the timeframe for completion of your degree.  During a period of interruption you will not undertake academic study, and will not receive supervision. Your registration at the University will be suspended until you re-register and resume your studies. 

If you do experience any serious difficulties outside of your control that affect your studies and you feel that you would benefit from an interruption, before completing a formal request on MyPGR please discuss this with your supervisor(s) or PGR Pastoral Tutor, and the PGR Support Officer. It is essential that if you think that you may need a period of interruption that you talk to your lead supervisor and/or the PGR Support Team in a timely manner – no more than four weeks after the interruption has started – as interruptions can only be granted retrospectively (and normally only to the start of the term) in very exceptional circumstances. 

The College does not accept retrospective interruptions unless there are significant reasons why the interruption was not taken at the appropriate time.  If a retrospective interruption is to be considered the student and supervisor will need to provide a case and supporting material to the College DPGR for consideration. 

Please note that any request to interrupt your studies on medical grounds must be supported by a medical note from your doctor and, when you are ready to return to your studies, you will also need to provide a doctor’s note to confirm that you are fit to return before you will be allowed to re-register. 

The minimum period of interruption is one calendar month, and the maximum total period is two years, with a maximum of one year at any one time. 

Interruption does not imply a termination of registration, but instead is a period of voluntary suspension of study. During any period of interruption you will remain a student of the University and be subject to the normal student regulations, including the completion of Annual Monitoring Review reports. Your individual circumstances will however be taken into account, and any necessary processes will be handled in an appropriate way. Student services are not normally accessible during any period of interruption with the exception of the Chaplaincy, Students’ Guild and the Health Centre. 

During an interruption you will normally retain access to Library facilities (including any books that you may have currently on loan) and your IT account will remain active. 

We aim to have interruption requests approved as quickly as possible, and normally within two working weeks of request. If, however, there is likely to be any delay to the approval of your request you will be notified by the PGR Support Team within one working week of receipt of your request. 

Requests are sent to your lead supervisor for approval in the first instance. For those students in receipt of Research Council funding, the University’s Research Council liaison administrator will also be asked to approve your request, and for international students the International Student Support Office is required to approve all requests. Final approval for an interruption of study is given by the College Director of Postgraduate Research on the recommendation of your supervisor.

Students who do not re-register after the end of the interruption period will be deemed to have withdrawn and their registration terminated. 

Specific Guidance for Funded Students

If you are in receipt of a studentship which provides you with a maintenance stipend, please note that your maintenance payments may be suspended during periods of interruption. If your maintenance allowance is paid to you for a period of time during which you are not registered on the programme of study we will normally seek reimbursement for any overpayment that has occurred. If you have any concerns about the possibility of being asked to reimburse any overpayment, please discuss this as a matter of urgency with the Humanities PGR Support Officer in the first instance. If you are considering requesting an interruption you must therefore ensure that you have the means to support yourself during this period. 

Research Councils can operate differently, before submitting an interruption request, please contact the PGR Support Office. 

As a Research Council funded student you should also be aware of the specific Research Council regulations regarding interruptions of study. Research Council rules will take precedence over University regulations so it is essential you read the relevant funding guide and talk to the PGR Support Officer for advice before requesting an interruption. 

For AHRC funded students please see the Training Grant Funding Guide (under Suspensions) 

For ESRC funded students please see the ESRC Postgraduate Funding Guide (under Suspensions).

Specific Guidance for International Students

Interrupting your studies can have serious consequences for your immigration status as the University may be required to report this interruption to the Home Office. This will lead to the curtailment of your visa.  If you are thinking of applying for an interruption, advice should always be sought from the International Student Advisers. The immigration rules are strict, and very rarely make allowances for extenuating circumstances. Therefore it is vital that you are aware of the ramifications of any decision to interrupt before it is finalised, and that you understand what actions you must take after your interruption to ensure that you are allowed to study in the UK again in the future.  

When an international student holding a Tier 4 visa takes an interruption of study, the University is required to withdraw its immigration sponsorship and report this to the Home Office. As a result the student’s visa will be curtailed and they may be required to leave the UK. When it is time to return to studies the University will issue a new CAS and the student can apply for a new visa. 

The Home Office does, however, allow institutions to grant Tier 4 students periods of ‘authorised absence’ where immigration sponsorship is continued during a period of absence from study. 

You should also be aware that you can take a period of authorised interruption of up to 60 days and remain in the UK, if you can show good cause, such as ill health or personal difficulties. 

Students on Tier 4 visas can interrupt for a total of four months during a programme of study without the University withdrawing its immigration sponsorship. No individual period of interruption, however, can be for longer than two months (60 days). 

Where there are particularly strong mitigating factors the University can grant a period of authorised interruption of more than 60 days. This will, however, only be in cases where there is clear proof that a student cannot return to their home country (normally due to severe ill health), and this must be approved by the Immigration Compliance Officer or Manager, as well as the Head of Student Support and an appropriate representative from the College. Please discuss this with the International Student Advisers.

In all cases, requests for interruption by international students must be approved by the International Student Support Office who will then advise the student and the College on whether or not the request will be treated as an authorised absence. 

In cases where a student subject to immigration control is unable to demonstrate that they have valid immigration permission, the student will be advised to take a period of interruption until they can demonstrate that they have obtained this permission. If the student does not take a voluntary interruption, the University may invoke a period of interruption. This will be initiated by the Immigration Compliance Unit but will then follow the standard interruption request procedure. The period of interruption will end when the student is able to demonstrate that they have valid immigration permission. If the student is not able to demonstrate this within 28 days then the student will be referred for withdrawal.

Withdrawal

You are permitted to withdraw from your programme of study at any time and for any reason, but any fees or fines that you have outstanding must still be paid. Once you withdraw from a programme, your registration is terminated and you cease to be a student of the University of Exeter.  To request a withdrawal you will need to complete and submit a withdrawal form available from the PGR Support Team. 

Should you wish to return to your studies at a later date, you may apply to re-register, subject to the approval of the Associate Dean for Research and Knowledge Transfer, so withdrawal does not necessarily mean that you must give up your studies forever. To apply for re-registration you will have to produce a suitable work plan and timetable to submission.

Students Deemed Withdrawn

The University may de-register a student and initiate termination of registration for good and documented reasons. A student retains the right to appeal such a decision under the University's normal procedure for academic appeals.  Please refer to the TQA manual for details of when a student may be de-registered.

Extension of Period of Study

Extensions are an approved increase in the overall duration of the period of study for the research programme. Extensions should be used in cases where a student will exceed the maximum period of study for the degree for which they are registered. 

Extensions to the maximum period of study are only granted in exceptional circumstances and must be approved by either the College Director of PGR or the College Associate Dean for Research. If you think that you may not make your maximum submission deadline, you should discuss the implications of this with your supervisor at the earliest opportunity, at least 3 months before your completion deadline. Please note that, if approved, extensions will normally also be issued with an Initial Warning letter. 

If you wish to apply for an extension you may do so by completing an extension form, available from the PGR Support Team. You must also submit an outline of work completed to date (including word counts) and a work plan and schedule for completion of the remainder of your thesis. Please note that requests will not normally be considered earlier than 3 months before your completion deadline. If your request is approved you will receive confirmation of the new submission deadline for your thesis/dissertation from the PGR Support Team.

Starters from September 2019 Onwards

Approval for extensions will not be given later than six months prior to the maximum date of submission (or re-submission), unless exceptional circumstances justify consideration of a later application. 

Extensions will not be given for longer than a year (pro-rata for part-time students), and the length of the extension requested should be justified. 

Normally, only one extension request for a particular deadline will be approved.

Research Council Funded Students

AHRC and ESRC students requiring an extension to their submission date must submit an application to the PGR Support Team. Applications must be received 3 months before the submission deadline date and will be forward to the AHRC or ESRC for approval. 

International Students

An extension to period of study may require you to extend your visa. Before submitting any request for an extension you should make an appointment to see an International Student Adviser.