1. Before withdrawing permanently from a course of study, you are advised to meet with your Academic Mentor or Supervisor to discuss the options available to you. It may be more appropriate for you to interrupt your studies instead.

Please note: General Course study abroad students are not permitted to interrupt their studies. General Course students wishing to withdraw should first speak with the Dean of the General Course and may, after withdrawal, apply to join the programme again in a later year.

2. If you both decide that withdrawal is the best option you should complete the Permanent Withdrawal from Studies form. Please complete the form fully including the reason(s) for withdrawal as incomplete forms may delay processing.

3. Once you have submitted your Withdrawal from Studies request form, it will automatically be sent to your Academic Mentor or Supervisor and also the Departmental Tutor (for Undergraduates only) for review.  They will receive an email to confirm your submission, so you do not need to tell them yourself.

4. If your request has been recommended by your department, it will be sent to the Student Records Team in the SSC. Once they have processed your request, you will be notified via your LSE email address. This will usually be within five working days from the point that it's received by the SSC.

5. Depending on your circumstances you may be contacted by a member of staff from the Student Advice and Engagement Team to confirm and discuss your decision.

6. You will receive confirmation to your LSE email address when your request has been processed.

It is important to note that:

• Your LSE Card and IT account will be deactivated shortly after your withdrawal is processed. 
• If you live in LSE Accommodation, the Residential Services Office will be contacted and you will be expected to make arrangements to leave.
• If you have an 18+ Student Oyster photocard, we are required to inform Transport for London that you are no longer a registered student.

If you are living in Halls of Residence, you must also discuss your intention to withdraw from your programme with the Residential Services Office.

Withdrawing from your programme will have implications upon your right to continue to live in the hall. 

Fee Liability

You will not be charged tuition fees if you withdraw by the Friday of the fourth week after your campus enrolment date in your first year of study.

After this date, you are liable to pay pro-rata fees up to the Friday after your last day of attendance*. The Fees Office will be notified of your withdrawal and will refund any overpayments.

If you are granted an interruption of studies and decide to permanently withdraw from your programme during the interruption period, you will have your fees recalculated to account for the teaching you received prior to interruption. 

For more information about the tuition fee policy as it relates to interruptions and withdrawals, please visit Fees Income and Credit Control. 

Students Loan Company

Students reliant on funds from the Student Loans Company (SLC) to pay their fees will be charged a fee in line with the schedule of loan payments from the SLC (i.e. up to 25% of the fee if the withdrawal applies before the end of Autumn Term, up to 50% of the fee if the withdrawal applies before the end of Winter Term and up to 100% of the fee if the withdrawal applies before the end of Spring Term).

*First year students on the MSc in Health Economics, Policy and Management or the Executive MSc in Health Economics, Outcomes and Management in Cardiovascular Sciences who withdraw on or before the fourth day of teaching will not be charged fees. Students who withdraw after this date will be charged half the annual fee if they have attended one unit of teaching, and the full annual fee if they have attended two units of teaching.

First year students on other executive programmes who withdraw on or before the fourth day of teaching during their first module will not be charged fees. Students who withdraw after this date will be charged pro-rata according to the amount of teaching they have taken

U.S. Federal Loans

Official Withdrawal for the purposes of Federal Aid

Official withdrawal will be the student’s Last Date of Attendance as signed off by the Academic Department and recorded in the School’s record system, tuition fees will be calculated accordingly. The University will also report the withdrawal via the National Student Loan Database (NSLDS).

Unofficial withdrawal for the purposes of Federal Aid

Students who have stopped attending classes and did not follow the official withdrawal process of the School or made contact with their Academic Department to confirm reason for nonattendance are considered as being on an “unauthorized break” from their studies for the purposes of Federal Aid .  At this stage, the student record will be updated, and the last date of attendance recorded in the School’s system. The same date will be used to calculate any outstanding fees for the relevant academic year and in conjunction with U.S. Federal regulations, a calculation of Return to Title IV funds will be undertaken using the last date of attendance during the Academic Semester.

Please refer to the Schools RT24 Policy for further details.

Research Students who wish to withdraw should contact the PhD Academy for more advice.