WITHDRAWAL FROM DOCTORAL PROGRAMMES

Temporary and definitive interruptions of doctoral studies

 

LINK TO THE WITHDRAWAL REQUEST ON THE UCLM WEBSITE

 

 

(If the direct link to the procedure does not work, please visithttps://www.sede.uclm.es/web/guest/catalogo-de-serviciosand locate the procedure "Application for withdrawal from doctoral programmes")

TEMPORARY WITHDRAWALS

Each academic year, and until their thesis has been read, doctoral candidates enrolled in programmes verified according to the Royal Decree 99/2011 must formalize their enrolment at the University of Castilla-La Mancha.

In the event that, for a period of time, the doctoral candidate is not going to focus on the completion of his/her thesis, he/she must request a temporary withdrawal from the programme.

Grounds and duration for temporary withdrawal:

  • Withdrawal due to illness, pregnancy or any other cause provided for by the regulations in force, for the period necessary: this must be supported by appropriate documentation.
  • Voluntary withdrawal for personal reasons. For a maximum of one year, extendable (subject to request) for one additional year.

 

Consequences of temporary withdrawal:

  • Computation of the period of continuance in the studies will be suspended during the authorized time of withdrawal.
  • The obligation to pay tuition fees in an academic year will lapse when the period of withdrawal includes at least that full academic year.

 

Application procedure:

  • The doctoral candidate will fill in the application form that can be found on the UCLM website (link at the top).
  • Once the application has been received, the International Doctorate School will process the request with the Academic Committee of the doctoral programme in question.
  • The International Doctorate School will record the temporary withdrawal in the student’s record, for the appropriate purposes.

 

Advice for cases of withdrawals for personal reasons:

  • As a general rule, if a withdrawal for personal reasons is authorized, it will be for one year and will be effective from the beginning of the academic year in which it is requested. If the request refers to another period, this must be clearly stated in the application and duly justified.
  • The authorization exempts the doctoral candidate from tuition fees and evaluation in the year concerned.
  • Approval to withdraw from an academic year does not in itself constitute grounds for reimbursement of tuition fees for that year.
  • Before requesting a withdrawal, the candidate should make sure that he/she is not awaiting a grading in the RAPI tool for the previous year of enrolment.
  • An application for temporary withdrawal during the six-month correction period will not exempt the doctoral candidate from the obligation to undergo the second evaluation within the established period. For this reason, the withdrawal of a doctoral candidate in this situation will not be processed until the matter has been resolved.

 

DEFINITIVE WITHDRAWAL

The grounds for definitive withdrawal from doctoral studies are:

  • Personal application by the student for definitive withdrawal from the doctoral programme, by notifying the International Doctorate School through the UCLM website.
  • Failure to renew enrolment within the established period without prior approval for temporary withdrawal.
  • A negative assessment, duly motivated, of the Research Plan and/or Activity Document.
    In this latter case, the doctoral candidate will have six months to correct the reasons for the negative evaluation and to undergo a new assessment. If this result is also negative, the doctoral candidate will be definitively withdrawn from the programme. An application for temporary withdrawal during the six-month correction period will not exempt the doctoral candidate from the obligation to undergo the second evaluation within the established period.
  • Exhaustion of the terms established for the duration of the studies in each of the study arrangements, according to the provisions of the Royal Decree 99/2011.

In the case of definitive withdrawal, the doctoral candidate will not retain the right to the topic or the research plan he/she had embarked upon.

 

RESUMPTION OF DOCTORAL STUDIES AFTER A DEFINITIVE WITHDRAWAL

Those doctoral candidates who wish to resume their doctoral studies in the same doctoral programme from which they withdrew, must comply with the provisions of article 5 of the Regulations on study arrangements and continuance in doctoral studies at the University of Castilla-La Mancha.

The steps to be taken are:

  • Obtain a favourable report from the relevant academic committee for readmission.
  • Send a reasoned submission and the favourable report from the academic committee to the Management Unit of the International Doctorate School, which will decide whether  readmission is appropriate.

If approval for readmission to the former doctoral programme is given, the student may avail only of the time that remained at the moment of definitive withdrawal.

Doctoral candidates who wish to resume their studies in a different doctoral programme after definitive withdrawal will be regarded as new students, for which reason they must begin the established admission procedures and will have the maximum time allowed according to the chosen study arrangements.