Re-admission of students following their earlier withdrawal
While students who have withdrawn have no automatic right of re-admission, departments are encouraged to consider any such requests carefully, in particular taking into account any difficulties which may have originally led to the student´s withdrawal. The following points are among those which will need to be addressed:
- It is appropriate to ask any potential re-applicant to put their request in writing, giving full reasons for their wish to be re-admitted.
- In the case of a student previously leaving for medical reasons, it would normally be appropriate to consult with the University Health Service at this point.
- It may not necessarily be desirable for a student to be re-admitted to a programme of study from the point at which they withdrew: changes in course structure or other academic considerations may mean that the student would be best to rejoin the programme at an earlier point (i.e. effectively to repeat part of their course) in order to enhance their likelihood of successful progression and completion. If this is the case, it would need to be agreed if any previous examination grades and credits are to be ‘set aside’ for the purposes of the resumed course.
- Funding issues should be explored, in conjunction with the Taught Programmes Office, in order to ensure that students are fully aware of any possible financial implications at an early stage. Depending on the duration of their earlier studies, re-admitted students may no longer be eligible for statutory support.
- In the case of international students, there may be issues relating to immigration/visa/leave to remain. Contact should be made with the Student Support and Guidance section of Student Services for advice.
- If there have been more significant changes in the area of study concerned, such as a re-structuring of degree programmes or the withdrawal of certain programmes, it may be necessary to reject an application for re-admission on the grounds that relevant members of staff are no longer employed by the University or particular modules are no longer offered. In these cases it will obviously be helpful to the former student if it is possible to provide any information on alternative cognate programmes which might be available, whether in Sheffield or elsewhere.
The Taught Programmes Office should always be notified of these cases, both in order that the relevant Faculty Officer can be informed so that applications are dealt with consistently across the Faculties, and in order that the student´s original University record can be re-activated to ensure continuity in the official record for the purposes of transcripts, etc. A standard notification form is available, which may be requested from your Faculty contact in the Taught Programmes Office.