An interruption of studies means taking a temporary break from your studies. The break is usually for the reminder of the academic year or a full calendar year and most often is needed for health-related, financial or other personal / work-related reasons.

If you decide to pause your studies your student status will change (you will still be registered but not enrolled). This may affect things like your funding, your right to remain in the UK or services that depend on being an enrolled student. It is important that you understand the implications.

The Student Support Zone webpage provides guidance so that you understand what you need to think about, who is available to advise and support you, and how to apply for an interruption of studies.

‌‌‌If you plan to carry out research away from College for a period of 2 weeks or more as part of your PhD student registration, your department can approve study leave using the relevant study leave form below (which is then submitted by your department to the Registry Student Records Team for recording). Study leave is normally pursued either as a placement under the supervision of a third party organisation (placements are managed by your department and are subject to College Placement Learning Policy, Good Practice under the College’s overall off-site working protocols) or fieldwork managed by your department under off-site working protocols. Contact your departmental postgraduate administrator for further guidance if you and your supervisor wish to have study leave considered.

The same forms can be used by a department to record the location of split PhDs (on or around a student’s initial enrolment).

For further information on external study leave, please refer to the Guidelines for external study leave

Your department will download, complete and submit the relevant form on your behalf:

• Faculty of Engineering SRO1 External Study Leave Form (WORD)
• Faculty of-Engineering SRO2 External Study Leave Form (WORD)
• Faculty of Medicine and ICL SRO3 External Study Leave Form (WORD)
• Faculty of Natural Sciences SRO4 External Study Leave Form (WORD)
• Faculty of Business SRO5 External Study Leave Form (WORD)

Should a change of supervisor be required partway through your resrearch programme, your department will need to complete the Research degree registration amendment form [doc]. The completed form should be submitted to the Registry Student Records Team.

The College has made provision for students, in appropriate circumstances, to transfer their research degree registration from another university to Imperial.

Students accepted under these arrangements would be required to follow a course of study at one of Imperial College’s campuses of not less than 12 months full-time (or 24 months part-time).

Transfer of registration for research degree students [pdf]

If you are thinking about leaving your course, please speak to a member of your department beforehand. Depending on the reason for your decision, there may be Departmental or university support systems in place, which can assist you. The university will try and provide support to you so you can continue your studies, or support you in interrupting your studies if that would be helpful. 

If you do decide to withdraw from your programme, you should be aware that it is not normally possible for students to return to their programme after they have withdrawn. 

You are required to notify the department or division in writing, of your intention to withdraw. Your department will the inform the Student Records team in Registry who will formally withdraw you from Imperial. 

Withdrawal from your studies will affect an international Student Visa, especially if you have a Student Visa. Please arrange an appointment with an adviser in the International Student Support team to discuss your options. 

Withdrawal from your studies will also affect any funding you are in receipt of, such as a scholarship, or a bursary. Please contact the Student Financial Support team (student.funding@imperial.ac.uk) to discuss how withdrawal will affect your funding.

My Imperial is the College student portal, home for applications that support you with your work or study at Imperial. My Imperial is accessed using your College login. 

When you start as a new student at Imperial, you will need to login to My Imperial to complete your online College registration and enrolment on your programme of study. You will then be asked to re-enrol annually, at the start of each year of your programme. During the enrolment process you will be asked to review and update any changes to your personal details. 

Updating your name or date of birth:

• If your name or date of birth is incorrect in College records, or if you change your name during your studies, please send your request to the Student Records team (student.records@imperial.ac.uk)
• You will need official documentation showing your correct name/date of birth (e.g. passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate, change of name deed). Please note, we do not accept driving licences as a form of ID and the original document is required (photocopies are not acceptable)
• Your degree will be awarded in your name as shown in College records

Updating your addresses:

• Please keep your Permanent Home, Term-Time and Emergency Contact addresses up to date in the My Imperial student portal
• Your Degree Certificate address should be updated in your final year. On confirmation of your results, the Registry will notify you of a deadline for updating this address

Updating your emergency contact details:

• You will be asked to provide details of an emergency contact for Imperial to use if there is a concern about protecting your life or the life of others
• You will be asked to provide consent on an opt-in basis that gives Imperial permission to also use your emergency contact details if we have serious concerns about your wellbeing
• You should nominate a responsible adult of your choice; this could be a parent, legal guardian or spouse but it does not have to be. Please consider how the person you nominate would be able to support you in the event of an emergency, or where serious concerns are raised about your wellbeing
• You should inform your given contact that you will share their contact details with Imperial for emergency purposes
• If you can’t provide details of an emergency contact you should raise this with your Department Senior Tutor
• Careful consideration will be taken before using your emergency contact details. In event of a wellbeing concern, this would normally be your Faculty Senior Tutor and Student Services
• We will discuss with you our intention to approach your contact unless it is not possible or would cause critical delay

You can access My Imperial at any time throughout your studies to update your personal details.  

The Thesis Deadline Extension procedure is available to students whose progress towards the final thesis submission deadline has been affected by circumstances beyond their control.

Students concerned about their ability to submit on time are advised to speak to their supervisor and departmental administrator as early as possible. 

All requests for an extension to the final thesis submission deadline are subject to departmental approval by the Director of Postgraduate Studies prior to submission to the Registry Assessment Records Team for processing.

Requests to extend the thesis submission deadline may also be subject to review and approval by a panel comprising of two senior members of the Imperial College London Graduate School, on behalf of the College's Postgraduate Research Quality Committee.

All requests should be submitted to the Registry Assessment Records Team using the Thesis Extension Request Form. 

For further information, please refer to our Guidelines for Requesting an Extension to the Thesis Deadline for PhD, MPhil, MD

If you have any queries relating to this procedure, please contact the Assessment Records Team (assessment.records@imperial.ac.uk). 

Research students yet to submit their thesis for examination may enter writing up status upon satisfactory completion of the required criteria, as specified in the College's Writing Up Procedure. 

Research students yet to submit their thesis for examination by the end of the standard active research period are subject to a formal monitoring point to determine progress and eligibility to enter the writing up period (referred to as a Progress Review). Research students wishing to enter the writing up period earlier than the scheduled Progress Review point should liaise with their supervisor in the first instance. 

For further information, please refer to the College's Writing Up Procedure (PDF)

The Registry Assessment Records Team must be provided with details of students confirmed as eligible for entry to writing up status. Department staff may wish to use the College's Application for entry to Writing Up Status (doc)

Principles for the transfer of MPhil to PhD; or MD(Res) to PhD; or PhD to MD(Res) are set out in the Regulations for the awards of MPhil and PhD. 

If you feel that your current course is not right for you, your department may approve a request for a transfer. It is usually possible to transfer to a different programme within the same department. 

To transfer to a programme of study run by another department requires the agreement of your current department and the department you would like to join. You will need to meet the admissions criteria for the course you want to join. Both departments will inform the Student Records team in Registry to finalise the process.

As a postgraduate research student, you will not normally be allowed to transfer programmes if you have passed your Early Assessment, unless the transfer is caused by something outside your control (such as your supervisor leaving Imperial). 

If you are on a Student Visa, and/or receiving funding such as a scholarship or a bursary, transferring programmes may have an impact on these. Please contact the Student Financial Support team (student.funding@imperial.ac.uk) and the International Student Support team (international@imperial.ac.uk) to understand the impact of a programme transfer on your funding and/or visa.

If you have a suggested Reasonable Adjustment Document (SRAD), please note that this is programme specific, and if you transfer programmes the Disability Advice Service will help you create a new SRAD for your new programme. 

Most research programmes at Imperial are offered on both a full-time and a part-time basis. If your programme is offered as both full-time and part-time, it may be possible for you to change your intensity of study. If you are in receipt of a Student Visa, you must normally study full-time. 

To change between full-time and part-time study, you must submit a request in writing to your supervisor and Director of Postgraduate study. If the request is approved, they will inform the Student Records team in Registry who will amend your student record. Your thesis submission date and upcoming milestone dates will be adjusted.

You will not normally be allowed to change your mode of study after you have completed your Progress Review.

Changing your mode of study may also affect any funding you are in receipt of, such as a scholarship, or a bursary. Please contact the Student Financial Support team (student.funding@imperial.ac.uk) to discuss how changing to full-time or part-time study will affect your funding.