Request a student suspension

The University has a procedure in place to temporarily suspend students, either fully or partially, as a precautionary measure (rather than as a sanction or penalty). This is generally for one (or more) of the following reasons:

to protect a member or members of the University community
to protect the property of the University or of a member or members of the University
to protect the reputation of the University
to avoid the repetition of the circumstances which led to the allegation
to prevent any disadvantage to the suspended student (e.g. where bail conditions prevent the student’s presence on campus)
to ensure that any alleged victims or potential witnesses are not subject to interference
to prevent the student’s continued presence being a source of disruption to the University or any part thereof
to facilitate a proper investigation into the alleged misconduct

A temporary suspension must be recommended by an Authorised University Officer (AUO), agreed in principle by the Director of Campus Life, and ultimately approved by the President and Vice-Chancellor. It is important, therefore, that the University's Procedure for Suspending a Student is followed.

Assessment/information gathering

If serious behavioural concerns are raised and a temporary suspension is considered appropriate, in the first instance the local Authorised University Officer (AUO - see Reg XVII section 7) should be informed. If the AUO agrees that a suspension may be needed, then the matter should be referred to the Division of Campus Life by emailing conductanddiscipline@manchester.ac.uk along with any material that supports the suspension request.

When contacting Campus Life, it is good practice to complete and attach the Student Suspension Request Form.

If the information about the student concerned has come through a report from another student who has an involvement in the issues being raised, then you should seek the reporting student’s consent if including any of their sensitive personal data when notifying Campus Life.

If the Director of Campus Life doesn't consider that suspension is required or appropriate, advice will be provided on what action is appropriate in the circumstances.

Approval of the suspension

If the Director of Campus Life determines that an immediate suspension is appropriate and necessary based on the circumstances of the case, the Division will recommend to the President and Vice-Chancellor that the reported student be suspended. If the recommendation is approved by the President and Vice-Chancellor then the reported student will be notified by the Division.

If the Director of Campus Life determines that suspension is appropriate and necessary based on the circumstances of the case, but the issues don't require an immediate suspension, then the Division will notify the reported student so that they can first provide representations on the potential suspension. This may still lead to a recommendation that the President and Vice-Chancellor suspends the student, or the Director of Campus Life may decide not to proceed with the recommendation and alternative actions might be advised.

Conditions of a suspension

Depending on the details of the case, a recommendation for suspension may include reference to certain conditions that may be considered necessary, for example:

restriction of access to the University or a specified part thereof
total or selective restriction of participation in University activities or access to University services (academic, residential, social or sporting facilities provided by the University) but with permission to sit University examinations
prohibition from exercising the functions or duties of any office or committee membership in the University or the Students’ Union
no contact with a named person or persons
relocation within University-managed halls of residence, if determined to be necessary by Residential and Sport Services

This list is not exhaustive and suspension conditions are decided on a case-by-case basis.

Timescales and process

When serious behavioural concerns are raised, or a suspension is requested, the Division of Campus Life will seek to respond as quickly as possible. The process of determining whether a suspension should be recommended will involve one or more of the following:

a prima facie consideration of the material that supports the suspension request
establishing that any reporting/impacted students have consented to their report being shared with Campus Life
an urgent case conference that may involve the University's legal team, the Counselling and Mental Health Service, ResLife, Security, the School or Department, external bodies (e.g. GMP) or others as appropriate
a risk assessment carried out by Advice and Response colleagues, ResLife, or others as appropriate

Temporary suspensions are rare and will only be approved when considered absolutely necessary for one or more of the reasons outlined at the top of this page. It is therefore very important that all options are explored before a suspension is recommended to the President and Vice-Chancellor.

It is hoped that, where a suspension is considered appropriate, this can be enacted within approximately 36-48 hours of receipt of the request. Please note that each case is different and timescales may vary.

Communication and notification

Information regarding a student suspension is shared on a strictly need-to-know basis, and will be shared with colleagues internally only for the purpose of putting the Regulation into effect (i.e. for deciding upon, facilitating, or enforcing the conditions of the suspension).

A notification of student suspension will be shared with the appropriate Head of School for the purpose of putting the Regulation into effect.

Where an immediate suspension has been approved by the President and Vice-Chancellor, the Division of Campus Life will write to the student to notify them of the suspension and the reasons for it.
Where a non-immediate suspension is being considered the Division of Campus Life will write to the student to notify them of the potential suspension and the reasons for it.

As soon as reasonably practicable, the student will be given an opportunity to meet with the Division of Campus Life to provide their comments on the suspension. It may be appropriate for a representative from the student's School to attend the meeting. After the meeting, the Division of Campus Life will review the student’s comments against the suspension.

If the student does not attend the meeting or submit any comments on the suspension, then the suspension will be reviewed by the Division of Campus Life in the student’s absence.

The Division of Campus Life will confirm the outcome of the meeting to the student and, where necessary, the President and Vice-Chancellor.

In the case of an immediate suspension the outcome to the meeting might be that the suspension remains in effect or that the suspension has been amended in some way.
In the case of a non-immediate suspension, the outcome to the meeting might be that suspension continues to be recommended and comes into effect, or that alternative action is instead identified.

As per section 5 of the Procedure for Suspending a Student, the student will have the opportunity to appeal the suspension.

The suspension will be reviewed every 20 working days pending the outcome of any other investigation and/or disciplinary proceedings.

Fitness to Study

The Procedure for Suspending a Student is underpinned by Regulation XVII (Conduct and Discipline of Students) and should be used where there are serious behavioural/misconduct issues or concerns that may lead to disciplinary action.

If a suspension is being considered based on a student's own well-being or fitness to study, then the Procedure on Fitness to Study should be used instead.