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Pregnancy and study
If you need to confirm if you are pregnant
you can purchase a home test for £2
from:
Colchester campus -
Nightline
or Students' Union
Advice Centre
Southend campus -
The Union
Building
Loughton campus -
Student Support
Pregnant students are
encouraged to contact
Student Support to talk through a variety of issues
including; arrangements for maternity related absence, financial
implications, visa implications and emotional support.
Once you have spoken with
Student Support you will need to complete the
The University of Essex policy
documents are available for further information
Student pregnancy and maternity policy &
Pregnancy and
maternity support plan
Depending on what stage you are at in both your
pregnancy and your course, you may want/need to consider taking some
time out (known as intermitting) from your studies and returning
once the baby is born.
You may wish to take further advice from:
- Your GP or midwife
- Your Department to discuss intermitting and any adjustments
that can be made to allow you to continue with your studies.
Please note that on some courses which are highly physical or
involve hazardous activities it may not be possible (for the
health of both mother and baby) to continue with the course past
a certain stage of pregnancy.
-
Accommodation if you are living in University-owned
accommodation. We have very limited family accommodation and
you would be unable to stay in a single room once the baby is
born. Intermitting students can be released from their contract
once they return their key.
-
Day Nursery -
if you are on Colchester campus
you may wish to consider childcare on campus
when you return to study.
If you feel that you have performed
less well in your exams and/or coursework due to your pregnancy then
you may be able to submit extenuating circumstances which will be
considered by the Board of Examiners.
Please
select the appropriate link to find out more
Undergraduate students or
Postgraduate students
If you decide to intermit from your studies you
should be aware that this will affect your student funding.
Intermitting students continue to be treated as full time students
for Council Tax purposes so you will not have to pay any Council Tax
whilst you are intermitting (though if you live with non-students
the household may still be liable). Home
students - Undergraduates must advise Student Finance
England that they will be intermitting. They will look at how
much student loan/grant you have already received for the period
that you will not be studying (if any) and will work out what
repayment is due. Any student loan that is due to be repaid
can be added to you debt to be repaid once you have left University.
Any student grant that is due to be repaid must be repaid as soon as
possible or can be clawed back from any grants that you may be
eligible for once you return to study. Postgraduates
should advise their funding body as soon as they decide to intermit,
some students will be required to repay funds to their funding body
whilst others will not (such as students on certain NHS-funded
courses).
International students and intermitting -
International students should seek immigration advice from
Student Support as
early as possible in their pregnancy or before becoming pregnant
(where possible). If necessary, you will be referred to an
immigration lawyer for further specialist advice. If
you have a student visa, intermitting your studies will affect your
immigration status. You should plan to leave the
UK
as soon as possible after submitting your intermission form, and
return to the UK when you are ready to resume full time studies.
Make sure that you are planning to return home whilst you are still
able to fly - you should check with individual airlines for their
own pregnancy policies.
International students with a dependant's visa can
make changes to their student status without any immigration
implications. More information about
absences, late submission, intermitting
and other useful topics see the
Registry web pages.
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