Leave of Absence

Taking a break in your studies is often called taking a leave of absence, however you may also hear the terms ‘interrupting’, ‘suspending’, ‘taking time out’ or ‘intercalating’. There are many reasons for wanting to do this and the first thing you should do is discuss these reasons with your Programme Leader.

  • Seek advice from your programme leader and/or personal tutor
  • Speak to a member from the ADH Student Advice Centre adhadvice@dmu.ac.uk or call 0116 257 7394
  • Speak to a member of DMU Money Advice to discuss how taking a leave of absence will affect your finances.
    T:0116 257 7595 (option 3, then option 3) E: sfw@dmu.ac.uk  Appointments can be booked via the Student Gateway, on MyGateway
  • Complete a Leave of absence application form (Please see below link to download depending on whether you are a Home or Overseas student)
  • Include 3rd party evidence to support your application

Please click here to view examples suggested for evidence

Please complete the correct form from below

Home and *EU Settled Students

(*EU students with indefinite leave status may use this form, otherwise please fill out the Overseas (Tier 4) form if you have Visa conditions)

Overseas (Tier 4) Students

How To Submit A Leave Of Absence Application

  • Obtain the correct form depending on whether you are a Home/EU or Overseas student
  • Complete the form by filling out the required details
  • Please ensure to state your last date of attendance as this will be used to calculate your fee liability for the year
  • Please ensure you sign and date the form at the bottom of the page
  • Please include a brief written statement outlining the reasons for the Leave of Absence
  • Please include all your supporting evidence in one PDF file. You can do this by copying all your evidence into one Word document and saving as a PDF. Best way to create an PDF file from a Word document is,
    • 1. Click FILE 
    • 2. SAVE AS…
    • 3. Name the document 
    • 4. Change the “Save as Type” to PDF 
    • 5. Click SAVE.
  • Once you have your completed form, evidence and statement ready, please submit as an email attachment to adhadvice@dmu.ac.uk with the subject title including your full name, Pnumber, Programme and ‘Leave of Absence’ e.g. Joe Bloggs, P1234567 Fine Art – Leave of Absence

Page last updated 31/08/2023 – if the information on this page is incorrect, please contact adhadvice@dmu.ac.uk