Reasons doctoral students suspend their studies

Doctoral students can suspend their studies for a number of reasons:

a serious injury, illness or medical condition
an ongoing physical or mental health condition suddenly getting worse
significant disruption of personal life
maternity, paternity or adoption
election as a Students' Union Officer
in the case of part-time students only, pressure from other business/employment
work placements

For a full definitive list, please see Regulation 16 of the Student Regulations.

Going into suspension can have a significant impact on many aspects of a student’s life. Students should be encouraged to seek the appropriate advice from the relevant services before making a final decision about whether or not they should suspend.

Academic staff are not expected to advise a student on all concerns they raise, and should refer the student to the appropriate services. Students will often have queries about, or not appreciate, how suspension will affect their situation with respect to their academic progress, funding, housing situation, disability support or support for physical or mental health issues and for visa holders, their immigration status. Staff may consult the Doctoral College for advice on the approval process for suspension requests.

Meeting with the student

The Director of Studies (DoS) or supervisors should arrange or invite the student to a meeting as soon as possible. If a face-to-face meeting is not possible then contact should be made via email, telephone or Microsoft Teams in order to ensure:

the student has considered the potential impact of suspending their studies
the supervisor(s) and/or DoS understand the student’s issues leading to the request
the correct information is gathered
the student has been provided with the opportunity to get specialist advice

This meeting will allow you to discuss in confidence with the student their academic progress and circumstances affecting their studies. Staff should discuss possible options for the student in relation to their studies, which can include alternative options to suspension.

These options could include:

Referral to specialist services, such as Student Support, Doctoral College, Careers, Independent Advisers for Postgraduate Research Students, the Students’ Union Advice & Support Centre, the Skills Centre or the Student Finance Office
Reasonable Adjustments and/or Disability Access Plan if the student has a disability or long-term medical condition that is affecting their studies. The Disability Advice team can provide staff with further advice and guidance
Extension or change of mode of study (see Regulation 16 of the Student Regulations for the procedure and the Student Records and Examination Office webpages for the relevant forms).

We recommend referring students to suspending your studies if you are a doctoral student which provides important information and guidance on key areas at the pre-suspension, during suspense and return to University stages.

Refer to specialist services for advice

A student may disclose circumstances to an academic member of staff which are affecting their studies, where specialised advice and guidance would be beneficial. The following services are available which students can be referred to:

Student Support (Therapeutic Services & Mental Health, Disability, Wellbeing, Money Advice)
Students' Union Advice & Support Centre (independent advice and representation)
Careers Service
Student Immigration Service (visas)
Skills Centre (Academic Skills) and MASH (maths resources)
Student Finance Office (tuition fees) and Studentships team
Doctoral College (issues related to doctoral progression)

Staff should signpost the student or make the appropriate referral themselves with the permission of the student. Staff can do this by providing the student with the contact details of the relevant service, or by calling or emailing the service to initiate contact on behalf of the student.

We strongly recommend all students seek advice from the Doctoral College and Student Money Advice (Student Support) before suspension to understand the impact on their funding. Students need to consider the terms and conditions of their funding, as well as verifying the suspension processes required by research councils or other sponsors. Students on a University studentship should contact the Studentships Team.

Visa holders will be required to meet with the Student Immigration Service (SIS) for visa advice.

If you are unsure where to direct students, the Doctoral College can help to signpost to the right service.

What to do if a student decides to suspend

Students must seek Board of Studies (Doctoral) approval of the suspension. The student should contact their programme administrator in the Doctoral College to do this. Appropriate corroborating evidence (such as a medical certificate) will normally be required in support of the request for suspension. Students can request to suspend their studies for a period of up to 12 months.

Once the suspension has been approved, the student, lead supervisor and DoS will then receive an email confirming the suspension. This will also include the date when we expect the student to resume their studies and any conditions for their return.

Process for returning to study

Before the agreed date when students will resume their course, they should contact their Director of Studies and supervisors to confirm that they will return. The Director of Studies and/or supervisors should include a reminder of any conditions for their return in any response.

If you haven’t heard from your student within one month of the scheduled return date, please make contact with them.

(https://www.bath.ac.uk/publications/regulations-for-students-2018-19/attachments/appendix-2-fitness-to-study-policy.pdf).

Preparing to return to the University

Students are advised to talk to their Director of Studies and their supervisors about how they should prepare for returning to their doctorate. Students should also let their programme administrator in the Doctoral College know when they have returned, and the Student Records and Examinations Office so their student record can be updated.

Returning to the UK (visa holders)

Once students have confirmed that they will be resuming their course, they must reapply for their visa before they can return to the UK.

Guidance for staff if a doctoral student considers suspending their studies

Advice for staff when a doctoral student is considering or needs to suspend their studies, and how to get support from other teams within the University.