It’s important to remember that the Extenuating Circumstances Procedure should only be used for situations that are short term and generally only affect assessments. If you are experiencing longer-term issues that could mean you miss too much learning, you may need to consider interrupting your studies.
Self-certification
From 23rd September 2024 the university allows the limited use of self-certification in the Extenuating Circumstances process.
Please visit our article on Self-certification for further information.
Circumstances we will usually accept
Whilst it is impossible to provide a complete list of all circumstances, the circumstances that will usually be accepted along with guidance on the types of evidence that you will need to support your claim are listed in the EC evidence guidelines. You can make a claim for any other circumstances that you believe are extenuating along with suitable evidence, although not all circumstances are able to be accepted.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR EVIDENCE
It is impossible to provide a complete list of all circumstances but those listed below - backed up by supporting evidence - are generally considered to be extenuating.
It's important that you provide as much evidence and information as possible to support your claim. Each claim is considered on its own merits as an individual case. We use the documents you provide to decide if they clearly evidence the impact of your circumstances on your ability to study and/or take assessments.
Your evidence must be current and independent - Staff making the decisions on your claim aren’t able to consider the impact of medical or other information that is not recent to the circumstances that you are claiming for, so your evidence must clearly show how the circumstances affected you at the time that you were preparing for or undertaking the assessment.
Your evidence must be in English or must be accompanied by a certified translation – You’re responsible for getting your evidence independently translated by an accredited translator prior to submission. The Association of Translation Companies has a full list of translators available for you to locate a suitable service (language and price).
Whilst it’s very rare, we are occasionally provided with false evidence. If we suspect this has happened, we may refer the evidence for consideration under the Student Disciplinary Procedure as an attempt to gain an unfair advantage.
Circumstances we will not usually accept
Generally, something is not extenuating if it can be predicted or expected such as coursework deadlines, which are set in advance. These examples are circumstances which usually could have been avoided or where arrangements could have been made to address the problem, so are unlikely to be accepted:
- Accommodation disturbances - It is your responsibility to make sure you have access to suitable accommodation during your academic year, exam and resit period. Disturbances caused by housemates would generally be considered normal and therefore not acceptable grounds.
- Criminal conviction - If you are convicted of a criminal offence, any disruption caused by the sentence is not considered an acceptable extenuating circumstance.
- Exam stress - Feeling stressed or anxious leading up to and during an exam is common. It is not considered to be an acceptable extenuating circumstance unless a medical diagnosis of illness has been made.
- Holidays - It is your responsibility to ensure you are available for all potential assessments during term time, exam or resit periods. All term dates can be found on the Academic Calendar.
- IT and/or computer failure - If you lose your work, your files become corrupted or you upload the incorrect file, this isn't an acceptable extenuating circumstance. It's your responsibility to make sure all of your work is sufficiently backed up.
- Misreading the exam timetable - It is your responsibility to make sure you know, and remember, the location, time and duration of all of your exams.
- Moving home - Buying a property is not an unexpected or unforeseen event. An eviction notice from a rented property is usually provided with a minimum notice period of 3 months so isn't usually considered an acceptable extenuating circumstance - if you've been issued with a section 8 eviction notice of less than 3 moths, this may be accepted.
- Scheduling of assessments - Deadlines, or exams being close together are unlikely to be considered an acceptable circumstance. You’re expected to plan your academic work so that you can meet assessment deadlines at the same time as your other obligations. If you have an exam clash, speak with your Faculty.
- Transport issues - You should arrive at your assessment or exam on time and always allow extra time in case of delays. If you can't travel because of circumstances beyond your control, this may be accepted.
- Work issues - You are expected to make sure that any work you undertake does not interfere with your studies. If you are a part-time student and an unexpected or exceptional work commitment does arise, this may be considered an extenuating circumstance.