Termination and self-withdrawal

During your studies, you are expected to follow the Postgraduate Researcher (PGR) Registration Termination and Self-Withdrawal Procedure. To keep your registration active, you must:

• Make satisfactory progress and meet the required doctoral standards (see the Progress and Review of Postgraduate Research Students policy).
• Ensure your tuition fees are paid on time. This requirement applies to self-funded postgraduate researchers and those with external funding arrangements that do not cover automatic fee payment.
• Register at the start of each academic year, at the correct session term, to which you started - September, January, April or July. Registration should also take place after any approved interruption period.
• Submit your thesis by the end of your period of study, this also applies to PGRs who fail to resubmit their thesis by the deadline date and fail to complete their minor corrections by the agreed deadline.
• Comply with University regulations, policies and procedures, and maintain professional standards.

If your registration is terminated

• You will be notified in writing by your Faculty Doctoral Academy.
• Any outstanding tuition fees or charges must still be paid.
• If you are on a student visa, the University is required to inform UKVI.
• Any sponsors or funding bodies will also be informed.
• If you are unhappy with the decision, you should discuss your concerns with your supervisor(s), advisor, or Faculty Doctoral Academy in the first instance.
• If you believe you have grounds for an appeal, please visit our website.
• Your IT account will close after 28 days. Allowing to time for an appeal.

Self-withdrawal

Withdrawing from your programme means leaving it permanently. Once you withdraw, you will not normally be able to return to the same programme in the future.

Withdrawal can also affect your funding agreements, accommodation, and other aspects of your student life. If you are an international student, it may also affect your visa status — the Student Immigration Team will provide specific guidance on this.

Tuition fees are charged daily up to and including your final date of attendance. If you are eligible for a refund, you will need to request this in writing from the Student Services Centre once your withdrawal has been confirmed.

Because withdrawal has permanent consequences for your study, we strongly recommend discussing your options with your supervisor(s), the Doctoral Academy support team and your Head of PGR before submitting a withdrawal form. They can help you consider whether withdrawal is the right step and guide you through the process.

To help you reach a decision, we recommend that you read the University’s Change of Circumstances for PGR Policy. Before submitting the form, you should be aware of the alternatives available to you such as applying for an interruption.

Upon submitting this form, your application to withdraw will be processed by the Doctoral Academy Progression and Welfare team who will contact you to confirm your withdrawal. Make sure that your contact details are up to date in My Manchester.

Once your withdrawal is confirmed and your student record has been updated, the following will happen:

• Your University IT account will close immediately.
• Your access to the Microsoft Office 365 software suite will be closed. This includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneDrive.
• Your university email will be closed. We recommend that you forward or transfer any emails you would like to keep to a non-University email account.
• You will no longer be able to access Blackboard course materials or the services provided by My Manchester. We recommend that you save any files you would like to keep from your personal network storage space (P: drive) to an external storage space.
• Access to all University facilities will be discontinued. You will need to return any library books you may have borrowed and retrieve any personal belongings from university buildings.