Council tax - am I still a student if I have not graduated

ipi_ipi_ipi

Hi guys,

I handed in the dissertation for my Masters degree a few weeks ago but my graduation ceremony isn't until December. Am I still technically a student? This is incredibly important to me as several hundred pounds of council tax bills hinge on this definition.

Your help is much appreciated x

Lokolo

If your course teaching has finished, then you are not a student.

oompahloompah

Unfortunately not; your student status stops the day your official term ends (usually the beginning of June, but some courses differ). Your student finance office should be able to tell you when the end date was for council tax exemption. AFAIK PhD students (not sure about Masters) aren't exempt in their writing up period either, as the teaching has finished so technically they aren't students any more.

Fiddlestick

ipi_ipi_ipi wrote: »

Hi guys,

I handed in the dissertation for my Masters degree a few weeks ago but my graduation ceremony isn't until December. Am I still technically a student?

No.

Nice try though

dmg24

oompahloompah wrote: »

Unfortunately not; your student status stops the day your official term ends (usually the beginning of June, but some courses differ). Your student finance office should be able to tell you when the end date was for council tax exemption. AFAIK PhD students (not sure about Masters) aren't exempt in their writing up period either, as the teaching has finished so technically they aren't students any more.

Many Masters courses finish at the end of September, so it is certainly worth checking. My summer term finishes tomorrow ... and my autumn term starts on Monday!

melancholly

student services routinely provide certificates as evidence of the exemption - whatever date your uni puts on the certificate is the date that will count!

it shouldn't be based on graduation, but it will be based on the date that you stopped being a full time student (there can be a delay of months between final hand in dates and graduation when they would expect you to be able to work rather than study).

agrinnall

melancholly wrote: »

student services routinely provide certificates as evidence of the exemption - whatever date your uni puts on the certificate is the date that will count!

it shouldn't be based on graduation, but it will be based on the date that you stopped being a full time student (there can be a delay of months between final hand in dates and graduation when they would expect you to be able to work rather than study).

I've just started a Masters, my CT exemption letter gives an end date of November 2011 even though the taught part of the course finishes in May, after which I'll be working on my dissertation.

melancholly

agrinnall wrote: »

I've just started a Masters, my CT exemption letter gives an end date of November 2011 even though the taught part of the course finishes in May, after which I'll be working on my dissertation.

yes - it should do! if you are still a full time student working on a dissertation, that will count, as it should! graduation may be 3 months later, which is where it's pushing it!