In this article:
Am I eligible for Council Tax Exemption when progressing from undergraduate to postgraduate study?
If you complete an undergraduate degree in the summer, and then go on to start a new postgraduate course in the September of that same year, it can feel like you are simply continuing as a student, especially if your undergraduate course and postgraduate course are both at King’s.
However, these are regarded as two separate courses, and your student status is according to your course dates. This means that you will be considered a student up to the official course end date of your undergraduate course.
You will then next be eligible when your new course starts – once you’ve completed your enrolment and from the official start date of your next course, as long as you meet the eligibility criteria for Council Tax Exemption.
I’ve completed the online enrolment task and am starting my course very soon. When can I get my Confirmation of Study letter for banking and accommodation?
You can access your Confirmation of Study letter as soon as your record has updated and shows you as ‘current’ and fully enrolled.
It can take a bit of time for our systems to update and reflect your new status, so we recommend allowing up to 48 hours between completing your enrolment and your letter being available for download.
If you’re struggling to access your Confirmation of Study letter, please read our troubleshooting guidance I’m having technical difficulties accessing this letter.
What is the difference between being on a ‘Dormant’ status or a ‘Dormant – Resit’ status?
If you are told you are on a ‘dormant’ status it means you have interrupted your studies and have taken a break in your course. You could be on ‘Dormant’ or a ‘Dormant – Resit’ status; both mean interrupted, but on ‘resit’ it means you’re resitting or resubmitting an assessment.
In both instances, you would not be expected to attend any classes.
What emails/notifications should I expect to receive about my interruption?
When you interrupt, you’ll receive a confirmation email.
If you haven’t passed assessments to progress on your course, you’ll be contacted by email to your KCL email account and advised about the options available to you, such as resitting or resubmitting. If you choose this option your status on record will changed from ‘Current’ to ‘Dormant – Resit’, and you’ll receive an email confirming this.
After this, if you’ve passed enough to progress, you will be contacted at the end of the year and invited to re-enrol for the next year of study.
If you’ve decided to interrupt your studies for a different reason, you will receive an email confirming the interruption. Your interruption may be for a semester or a full year; once you’re due to return, you will receive an email asking you to re-enrol.
Important to know: Correspondence will come to your KCL email account so we advise keeping an eye on your inbox and checking it regularly.
If I’m interrupted, do I still have a personal tutor and can I contact them?
Yes; whether you’re interrupted while resitting or simply interrupted, you still have a personal tutor assigned to you, and you can still contact them for support related to your studies. To check who this is, see Who is my personal tutor?
Can I still contact academic staff in my department?
Yes, if you need support with your studies, you may approach appropriate academic staff members; this may especially helpful for you if you are resitting.
What happens with my student funding while I’m interrupted?
For details on what happens with your funding, please see the relevant article:
Am I entitled to Disabled Students Allowance (DSA)?
Unfortunately if you’re on a break you’re not eligible for DSA, however we do advise getting in touch the Disability Support Team; find out more in our article Funding support for disabled students.
Am I still entitled to student discounts?
Some discounts will be affected; for example, the university updates Transport for London (TfL) on interruptions at regular points throughout the year and this will prompt TfL to cancel your Student Oyster card. When you return to the course, you will have to reapply to TfL for this travel discount.
For other discounts from organisations such as Totum or railcard discounts, please check the organisation’s website for their eligibility details.
Am I still eligible for Council Tax Exemption (CTE) while I’m on an interruption?
Your Council Tax Exemption should remain while you’re interrupted if you were previously eligible for the exemption; for more detail please see either:
Can I continue living in my student residence?
Unfortunately if you’re on interruption, you won’t be able to continue living in Halls of Residence. For more details on how interruption affects your living arrangements, please see either:
If I’m on a Tier 4 or Student visa, can I remain in the UK?
For information about how interruption affects your visa status and what you’re allowed to do, we advise reading Specific information for Tier 4 or Student Visa students and getting in touch with the International & Visa Advice team for guidance.
Am I allowed into campus buildings?
If you have a working and valid student ID card, you will be able to access campus buildings. If your ID card is not working, it could be for a number of reasons, including expiry or a card can be temporarily marked ‘inactive’ due to lack of use.
If this happens, please refer to the guidance in our article I need a replacement student ID card.
Can I still access my Confirmation of Study letter while I'm interrupted?
When you’re fully enrolled on your course, you will be able to access and download your Confirmation of Study letter from your student record. However, if you’re on a break or resitting, your status on your record will change and this will stop the automatic download of this letter.
We can still produce this letter for you manually, however we will need details of why you need it. For more details please see I need to prove my student status.
What support, systems and software can I still get access to?
- IT access: Your access should remain, including to your KCL email account. We recommend checking in on your account for any important updates that might affect you.
- If you’re unable to access your email account it may be that your password has expired. If this happens, refer to Accessing your IT account at King's
- KEATS: You’ll still have access, but any modules will be removed from your record, so it’s likely you won’t see anything there.
- Libraries & Collections: Your access may vary depending on your exact circumstances, so it may be worth checking with Libraries. If your student account is still working and you have a valid student ID card, you should be able to get access to Libraries & Collections.
- If you’re unsure or find you can’t access something you’re looking for, you’re best to contact the Library team and they can check if there are any blocks on your library account.
- Student Services: You can always get support from Student Services by accessing any article on Student Services Online or by logging a case with the Student Services Frontline team.
Am I still considered a student until my graduation ceremony?
Your graduation ceremony is an occasion to mark and celebrate your achievements and the end of your studies. However, ‘to graduate’ means finishing university and getting awarded your degree. This means that you graduate when your course has officially ended – your official end date will appear on your student ID card, Confirmation of Study letter and other documentation such as your HEAR.
For most students, there can be a couple of weeks or even a few months between their official course end date and ceremony date; during this time we consider you completed and graduated.
Are there any exceptions?
The only exception would be if you are in the process of getting an extension or resitting; this may mean your expected course end date is pushed to a later date. It can take a few days for this process to take place and for your record to be updated to reflect this. But once it is, it will appear on any letters we produce, and we recommend replacing your student ID card to show the new expected end date.
Important to know: When you officially finish your course you are no longer considered a student, which means you will also stop being eligible for student discounts – this includes Council Tax Exemption. For more information about this, please refer to Who is exempt from paying Council Tax?
Finishing university can be both an exciting and challenging time, and there is still support available to you as a graduate and alumni of King’s. We recommend reading our articles in our Graduation category which addresses the key topics relevant to you when finishing university.
In particular, we recommend these articles:
Am I still considered a student until my results and award are released?
How quickly you receive all your ratified results and your degree award, depends on when the relevant Assessment Sub Board for your faculty meets to finalise this. This means different faculties/departments across the university may release results at slightly different times.
However, you are considered a student until the official end date of your course; for most undergraduate students this will be May or June, for most postgraduate taught students this will be the end of September, and for postgraduate research students this will vary. In all cases, your official course end date will be stated on your student record and will be stated on your student ID card and on any letters we issue.
Are there any exceptions?
The only exception would be if you are in the process of getting an extension or resitting; this may mean your expected course end date is pushed to a later date. It can take a few days for this process to take place and for your record to be updated to reflect this. But once it is, it will appear on any letters we produce, and we recommend replacing your student ID card to show the new expected end date.
Important to know: When you officially finish your course you are no longer considered a student, which means you will also stop being eligible for student discounts – this includes Council Tax Exemption. For more information about this, please refer to Who is exempt from paying Council Tax?
I’m waiting for my assessment results; where can I find out more?
If you would like to find out more about when and how to expect details of your results, we recommend reading When will my exam results be available?
If you think you may need to apply to resit or for an extension:
If you have completed all your exams and submitted all required coursework, but haven’t yet received your results and need to prove your status during this ‘in-between’ period, we recommend referring to these articles:
I have submitted my thesis and now I can’t access my Confirmation of Study letter; does this mean I am no longer considered a student?
As with all students, you’re considered a student until the expected course end date on your student record. If you’re a research student and have submitted your thesis, your record will update your enrolment status code, and this can stop the automatic letter from working.
We can check your record and find out why you can’t access your letter. We can produce a letter for you manually, just make sure you let us know why you need it when logging a case.