During your time with us you might experience significant personal difficulties.
Extenuating circumstances (ECs) are events that affect your performance in assessments which are unforeseen and out of your control. Our EC procedure is intended to support students with these exceptional, short-term circumstances.
In the first instance we recommend that you notify, for example, your Personal Tutor, PhD supervisor or the Support and Wellbeing team, as soon as possible.
These people will be able to provide advice and direct you to appropriate procedures or support services, if applicable.
If you’ve discussed your circumstances and you identify you need to make a claim under the Extenuating Circumstances procedure, you will need to let us know by raising an extenuating circumstances claim via the student enquiry centre. Your claim will be reviewed and you’ll be informed of the outcome of your claim via email.
If you have a Support Plan that states on it that extensions to deadlines in relation to your disability should be allowed on request, you do not necessarily need to complete an extenuating circumstances form. Refer to the procedure for Students with Support Plans that makes reference to extension. There is a helpful flowchart on this page that might help to work out which process is the right one for you.
If the issue affecting you is a long-term one, then an EC is not the appropriate route to go down. In these circumstances, you should seek advice on getting a Support Plan in place.
More details on ECs and what they are outlined in the EC Procedure here. The University EC Regulations are outlined here.
Read the University policy on circumstances affecting students’ ability to study and complete assessments.