In this article we address the financial implications of taking an interruption in your studies, for more guidance about other things you may need to consider before interrupting, such as your Student visa, housing, council tax and access to support, please refer to:
- Will a withdrawal or an interruption impact my visa status?
- What are the practical implications of interrupting my studies?
- How can I take a break from my course?
- Interruption of Study Policy
We recommend talking your decision to interrupt through with your personal tutor. You may also wish to seek advice from the Money & Housing Advice Service in relation to your funding.
If I interrupt before the end of the academic year, will I still pay the full years’ tuition fees?
The amount charged is usually determined by the last day you were ‘actively engaged’ on the course (exceptions are outlined below). You should read all of the guidance and speak to your personal tutor before completing the Change of Registration Form on Student Records so that you can agree your interruption date and an appropriate date to return to the course.
The longer you have attended the course the more fees you will be charged for the year. If relevant, this ‘last day’ will also influence the amount of living cost support paid by your funding body.
Are there any exceptions to this fee rule?
Yes, there are some courses where the charging arrangements differ. This is likely to be the case for King’s Digital courses, International Foundation Courses and other short courses offered at King’s.
Please speak to your department directly or Student Records for more specific information about these programmes.
I am responsible for paying my own fees and have paid in advance. Can I expect a refund?
Once your interruption is finalised, your tuition fee will be recalculated by Student Records.
Credit Control will issue a new invoice and if there is credit on your account, you can request a refund via Student Records or leave the funds until you return to study. For more detail you can take a look at the Student Fee Payments FAQs.
Your contact about your record will vary slightly depending on your faculty:
If you’re within the Nursing faculty, please get in touch with Nightingale Student Hub through Student Services Online
If you're in any other faculty, please get in touch with Student Records
Student Finance paid my tuition fees direct to King’s - what if they have paid King’s too much?
If you are funded by Student Finance England (SFE) or regional equivalents, the university will inform them about the change of registration and alert them to any revised charges. This will prompt them to adjust the Fee Loan paid.
Sometime later, you should receive a new financial assessment document from your funding body with the updated Fee Loan figure.
Important to know: Students with US Loans should speak to the Student Funding Office.
Student Finance helped with my living costs too - will interrupting impact on maintenance support?
When your funding body amends the Fee Loan, they will also reassess Maintenance Loans and/or Grants where relevant. Like Fee Loans, these are only paid for as long as you remain enrolled unless you interrupt for health or caring responsibilities, in which case, your funding body will extend your funding by an extra 60 days.
Important to know: As this type of funding is usually paid to you in advance, a mid-year reassessment is likely to result in your entitlement being reduced and an overpayment being identified. Your funding body will write to you about this as they are likely to seek immediate recovery of that overpaid amount.
I thought that loans were only repayable once I graduated and earned over the threshold amount for my repayment plan?
Yes, that is usually the case but when you interrupt, if you were paid for a whole term but did not complete it, this will trigger an overpayment request. Money paid towards periods that were completed will not be demanded and are repayable as normal at the end of your studies.
I receive an NHS Bursary, will they also make a request for money back if I interrupt mid-year?
Yes, once the NHS are informed of your interruption, they will review your funding and depending on dates, if an overpayment is identified you will be asked to repay this.
However, you may continue to receive your NHS funding for short periods of ill health, provided that this is authorised by the faculty/department office. If a significant break from study is required funding will be suspended.
The NHS has a maternity leave policy which can provide funding to students taking a break to have a baby. For more information, check the NHS FAQ Can I receive an NHS Bursary during maternity or adoption leave?
If you received this funding because you are on a Nursing, Medicine or Dentistry course, please contact your department/faculty directly for guidance.
I have spent all my maintenance funding. What should I do if I cannot repay it all immediately?
Once you hear from your funding body, your options will be explained. Typically, these will include:
- Making an immediate repayment where you can or
- Having future funding reduced to help cancel out the overpayment.
- In some instances, with Student Finance, you may be able to defer the repayment until you complete the course, if an earlier repayment would put you in severe hardship.
For more details about overpayments and deferring repayment visit Student finance if you suspend or leave your course.
I still have rent and bills to pay but I am too ill to work, how will I manage without student finance?
If you have ongoing financial commitments and are unable to work (or receive financial support from your family or partner) you can ask SFE to continue payments, so as to avoid serious financial difficulty.
Important to know: We strongly advise you to consult a specialist Money Adviser about how to do this and the evidence required.
If I interrupt before the end of the academic year, will I still pay the full years’ tuition fees?
The amount charged is usually determined by the last day you were ‘actively engaged’ on the course (exceptions are outlined below). You should read all of the guidance and speak to your personal tutor before completing the Change of Registration Form on Student Records so that you can agree your interruption date and an appropriate date to return to the course.
The longer you have attended the course the more fees you will be charged for the year. If relevant, this ‘last day’ will also influence the amount of living cost support paid by your funding body.
Are there any exceptions to this fee rule?
Yes, there are some courses where the charging arrangements differ. This is likely to be the case for King’s Digital courses, International Foundation Courses and other short courses offered at King’s.
Please speak to your department directly or Student Records for more specific information about these programmes.
What if I have paid too much? Can I expect a refund?
Once your interruption is finalised, your tuition fee will be recalculated by Student Records. Credit Control will issue a new invoice and if there is a credit on your account you can request a refund via Student Records. You can also leave the funds on your account until you return.
Important to know: If you have paid a non-refundable deposit, this could cancel out a refund, depending on the figures. Please refer to Student Fee Payments for full details.
I used a Postgraduate Loan to pay my tuition fees, will this money still be refunded back to me?
Postgraduate Loans are paid directly to students and are intended as a contribution towards postgraduate study. You can choose how you spend that loan and if you used it towards your fees then any overpaid amount will be refunded back to you.
If I interrupt, do I have to repay the Postgraduate Loan back to my funding body?
If you have accessed a Postgraduate Loan and interrupt mid-course, King’s has a duty to inform your funding body of this change. This is because instalments paid are linked to attendance so, in some cases you may find an overpayment is identified once your last day of attendance is confirmed to them. Your funding body will write to you about this and explain your options for settling this bill.
I thought my Loans were only repayable once I started working and earning over the £21,000 threshold?
To a large degree, this is true. However, the Postgraduate Loan is usually paid in instalments and their release is dependent upon attendance each term. So on occasion, where an instalment is paid (assuming attendance), but later the funding body learn of an earlier interruption, an overpayment notice may be sent out to cover the instalment paid in error.
You can help avoid this by contacting your funding body as early as possible, to update them on your change of registration.
I've been awarded a scholarship/bursary. What happens to that funding if I interrupt?
If you have been awarded a scholarship or bursary, it is important to check whether there are implications when taking a break or leaving early. If you have been given written terms and conditions governing the payment, then refer to those for guidance.
If you are a postgraduate research (PGR) student, you can also speak to the Centre of Doctoral Studies if you have any further queries about how the funding is disbursed.