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Extenuating Circumstances

This guide should help you understand the University’s policies and procedure if illness or unexpected events affect your studies and/or assessments and are outside your control.

Make sure you’re aware of the University’s regulations governing attendance and engagement , especially if you think you are going to be unable to attend University for more than two weeks.

The University sets out student responsibilities in section 4 of the Policy on circumstances affecting students' ability to study and complete assessments . You should make sure you read and understand these responsibilities.

Let your Personal Tutor or a member of the Support and Wellbeing Team know when you are having difficulties so that appropriate guidance and support can be provided, even if you don’t think you need to make an Extenuating Circumstances (EC) claim.

Remember, the University cannot respond to your circumstances if they’re unaware of relevant information.

If you find yourself needing to know more about Extenuating Circumstances, a good place to start is University information on ECs, which can be found here .

What are Extenuating Circumstances?

They must be EXCEPTIONAL; they must be different to what you deal with in your usual day-to-day life

They must be OUTSIDE OF YOUR CONTROL; you could not have prevented them.

They must have had a significant and clear NEGATIVE IMPACT on your ability to study or to undertake an assessment.

Extenuating circumstances should be exceptional. In the main, you’re expected to manage your health and minor illnesses or disruptions alongside your studies. Claims should be reserved for serious situations: a significant illness or bereavements, being a victim of crime or another acute trauma.

The University would normally expect only a minority of students to need to make a claim during their time here. If you’re finding that you need to submit a claim every semester, then there may be further support needed and you should speak to your Personal Tutor, PhD Supervisor or Support and Wellbeing team for advice. It might even be appropriate to consider a Voluntary Interruption of Study.

The TIMING OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES MUST BE RELEVANT to the claimed impact; they are usually short-term.

When the University considers claims, it will always look to see that the timing of events matches any claim of impact.

Further information about what are acceptable and unacceptable circumstances for an EC claim can be found on the 'FAQ: What are acceptable circumstances for an EC claim?' page.

Long-term Conditions and/or Disabilities

If you have a long-term condition or a disability, the University can support you with the management of those conditions. These conditions don’t generally fall under the Extenuating Circumstances procedure as other measures, such as reasonable adjustments, may be more appropriate forms of support.

Please refer to the University Policy on Long Term Conditions/Disabilities affecting the Ability to Study and/or Comply with Assessment Requirements.

If you notified the University of a disability or long-term condition when you applied, Disability Support Services should have contacted you to see if you needed support with your study. If not, it’s advisable to get in touch as soon as possible. Even if you didn’t declare a disability on application, you can do so at any point during your studies and it’s best to do it as early as possible to ensure appropriate support is in place.

Your Support Plan may entitle you to extensions to coursework deadlines. In this case you should consult the procedure for requesting extensions if you have a Support Plan .

Late Diagnosis of a Long-Term Medical Condition or Disability

There is specific support available if you’re diagnosed with a long-term medical condition or disability during your time at the University. In the first instance, you might want to discuss what to do next with your Personal Tutor, PhD Supervisor or your Support and Wellbeing Team.

What’s going wrong?

What if i'm ill during a teaching period.

It’s expected that you’ll be able to catch up with work if you’re ill for a few days during term-time as most deadlines are set to take this into account. Make sure you’re aware of University Regulations governing attendance and engagement , especially if you think you are going to be unable to attend University for more than a few days.

However, if you’re unable to attend a mandatory teaching or laboratory session, your School/Department should have a procedure in place for reporting this, so have a look at your course handbook.

What if I think I'll miss a coursework deadline?

If you’re ill during the teaching period, such that you cannot complete coursework as scheduled, you will need to request and extension or submit an Extenuating Circumstances claim - see the section relating to ‘Requesting Extensions’ for further information.

Even if you are in the process of requesting an extension or are going to submit a request, if you haven’t had an extension request approved by the time of the original submission deadline, you are required to submit the work completed to date. Failure to submit this could result in a mark of zero should your EC claim be rejected.

What if I have problems during a revision period?

‘Exam stress’ is not considered to be grounds for an EC claim. If you feel ‘below par’ while preparing for and/or engaging in an assessment or assessments, you should make reasonable efforts to comply with the assessment requirement(s) as normal.

You should alert your Personal Tutor or your Support and Wellbeing Team to the difficulties you are having. If you think you require medical treatment, you should seek this as soon as possible.

If you feel that your ability to revise has been seriously adversely affected by your circumstances, you may wish to submit an EC claim.

What if I have problems on the day of an assessment?

You should make reasonable efforts to undertake the assessment. The typical symptoms associated with ‘exam stress’ (e.g., anxiety, sleeping disturbances, feeling nauseous etc.) are not normally considered to be good reasons for missing or underperforming in an assessment.

However, if you are too unwell to attend/undertake an assessment, you should report your absence as soon as possible and submit an EC claim.

You may be able to self-certificate your absence from an exam during the main assessment periods without needing any evidence. This applies to both in-person and online exams. Please read 4.2.1 of the EC Regulations carefully to see if you are eligible for self-certification. This is only applicable where you do not attend the exam and there are limitations on how many times this option can be used in any one assessment period. If granted, the only available outcome for this request is a first sit.

If you’re significantly affected by illness during an in-person assessment, you should report this to an invigilator during the assessment.

What if I think the issues are going to affect me for a considerable period?

You should make every effort to ensure that you are fit to study and undertake assessment throughout your time at the University.

Extenuating Circumstances Panels are very likely to reject a claim that is made for extenuating circumstances that have already been claimed for. It is your responsibility to seek advice and professional help, where relevant, to assist in resolving the problem. This might mean visiting your doctor or having a meeting with, for example, your Personal Tutor or your Support and Wellbeing Team, to explore referring you to Occupational Health, Disability Support Services etc.

Panels may, however, consider the same circumstances if there’s evidence that you have accessed appropriate support to manage the circumstances but there is an unexpected acute episode at a particularly significant time. Ongoing circumstances can also be considered if you needed to make one claim for a specific event such as an operation and an earlier or later claim for prior symptoms or aftereffects.

What if I'm not ill, but someone close to me is and it's affecting me?

In some cases, it’s not your own health that is the issue. You may be affected by the chronic illness of a relative. If this is the case, it’s important that you discuss the situation with your School/Department and decide on the appropriate course of action. If you’re in the early stages of study, you may decide to take a voluntary interruption of study. If this happens later in your study, you may be able to plan a strategy to help you to manage.

It’s important to remember that, if you do make a claim in respect of circumstances affecting someone else, you will need to provide evidence of the impact on you and, in the case of ongoing circumstances, how you have tried to mitigate that impact. There’s lots of advice and guidance on available support on the University’s HealthyU webpages .

What if I am ill during an exam?

As with other illness during exams it is essential that you notify the invigilator that you are unwell so that a record can be taken. This can then be used by your School’s EC Panel when reaching a decision on your claim. You can obtain this supporting evidence from the Exams Office. Your EC claim must be submitted within 5 working days of the affected exam. You can indicate on the form that evidence will be supplied later if you don’t have it at the time of submission. You will need to request an extension for the submission of evidence if you don’t have it within 10 working days of the affected exam.

What if I am unable to attend a particular exam?

If you did not request exam deferral but feel unable to attend a specific exam because of religious observance, for example, you should notify the University as soon as possible. You can do this by contacting Student Services, your Personal Tutor or Support and Wellbeing Team. You should then submit an EC claim no later than 5 working days after the affected exam. You will need to provide evidence to support your EC claim.

More information about religious observance and assessments can be found here .

What if I’m a research student in thesis pending?

If you're a research student in the thesis pending stage of study, you may wish to consider requesting an extension to your Thesis Pending Period .

When should I submit Extenuating Circumstances?

If you wish to submit an Extenuating Circumstances claim, it is very important that you submit your claim within the defined timescales given in the procedure. These timescales vary depending on which type of assessment has been affected:

For coursework: Claims must be submitted BEFORE the coursework deadline. It’s highly advisable that you don’t leave the submission of the claim to just before the deadline as you won’t know the outcome immediately. If you have submitted an EC claim but have not had a response to indicate whether an extension is being granted, you should submit whatever work you have completed at the time of the deadline (ensuring the filename includes the term ‘EC Pending’) so that, if necessary, it can form the assessment. Having submitted the work done to date, you should continue working and submit on your requested submission date in order that, if an extension is granted (which would be from the original submission date), you are able to take full advantage of any extra time allowed.

For timetabled examinations/assessments: Claims must be submitted within FIVE WORKING DAYS of the affected examination (including PGR Progress Review). This means within five working days of the first affected assessment, not within five working days of the end of a series of affected assessments.

Claims must be accompanied by supporting evidence . Don’t miss the submission deadline because you’re waiting for the evidence. Where evidence is not available to you at the time of making the claim (for instance, where you are waiting for a letter from your GP or Counsellor etc) then you may opt to submit it separately. You should tick a box on the EC claim form to indicate that you intend to do this. This is accepted by the University so long as the evidence is submitted within TEN WORKING DAYS of the affected coursework deadline or timetabled examination taking place.

Late claims

The University considers the timescales in the procedure to be fair and give sufficient opportunity for students to tell their School/Department about circumstances affecting them. You need to be aware that your School/Department may reject automatically and without consideration extenuating circumstances claims that are submitted beyond the specified timescales outlined above.

Schools/Departments are also able to reject your claim where you submit evidence beyond the ten working days timeframe. So, make sure you request a further extension if your evidence is delayed. The only exception to these timescales is where you can provide compelling evidence that demonstrates that circumstances or illness prevented you from submitting the claim any earlier, for example, you were admitted to hospital unexpectedly just before a submission deadline.

If you want to make the University aware of circumstances that affected your study after a Board of Examiners has decided on progression or classification

EC claims may only be submitted before a progression or classification Board of Examiners has reached a decision on your results. After a Board of Examiners has confirmed its decision in relation to your results, you should submit an appeal using the Academic Appeal procedure rather than submitting a claim under the EC Procedure. In this appeal you will need to show that evidence concerning your circumstances was not, and could not have been, made available to the Board of Examiners at the time of its original decision. This principle is routinely applied which is why it’s important that you tell someone about ECs affecting your study at the time of impact.

FAQ: What are the timescales for EC claims?

How do I submit Extenuating Circumstances?

You will need to submit an Extenuating Circumstances claim – telling a member of staff isn’t enough. Please use the information below when making an EC claim .

Section 1 - Your details.

Please make sure you complete all boxes in this section. When asked for your home School/Department, it’s important you state the School/Department that you're registered with for the course and not the School/Department running the module (if they are different).

Section 2 - Claim details.

You should be specific about the period during which your ability to study and/or take assessments has been affected. Your evidence will need to cover this same period. For example, if you go to your doctor after a period of illness, the information provided by your doctor will need to make it clear what impact that illness was having on you at the time of the period claimed.

Providing a clear explanation of the situation is essential. Remember, panels will consider not only the circumstances cited, but the information you provide in support of your claim of impact. For example, if a close family member or friend is ill, explain how this has impacted on you. Understandably, you'll be concerned or upset, but this may not be grounds for a claim. You need to explain the practical impact of your situation on your ability study e.g., frequent trips to hospitals, having to take on carer duties for another family member, distress to the point that you are unable to study for a significant period. You’ll also need to be able to provide evidence in support of the narrative. If you’ve been speaking to a member of staff about these circumstances over a period of time, include details of these conversations and they may be able to provide a statement in support of your claim.

Please don’t assume the EC Board know you or your circumstances - you must tell them. EC claims are frequently held up while further details are sought or even rejected because students haven’t explained what happened and the impact.

It may be helpful if your School/Department knows what outcome you're seeking. In most instances, if your claim is approved, the likely course of action will be either to grant an extension to a deadline or a further assessment opportunity. The School/Department has the final decision as to what action is taken. Potential outcomes are listed in the Frequently Asked Questions and your request should be in line with the listed outcomes.

Remember, EC panels can’t change your marks due to your circumstances so avoid making requests such as “consideration when marking”.

Section 3 - Assessments affected.

Make sure you include details (with module codes) of all affected assessments. You may wish to take advice from someone before completing this section e.g., Personal Tutor, PhD supervisor or Support and Wellbeing Officer. The dates in this section should be consistent with the dates reflected in Section 2.

Section 4 - Supporting evidence.

Evidence in support of your claim is critical. Make sure you read the Guidance on Acceptable Circumstances and Evidence in full before submitting your claim.

If you don't have your supporting evidence yet but will be submitting it separately, you should clearly state this in the claim details section. Remember the claim must be submitted with five working days of an exam or before a coursework deadline even if the evidence is not available. Your evidence must be submitted within ten working days of the coursework deadline or examination. To submit the evidence, you should Log into your Student Enquiry Portal account and reopen your claim by selecting the Claim Number link (they start ‘UoN-000’). The assessment team will be notified of your newly uploaded evidence and will make sure the panel is notified ready for review.

If you wish to self-certify your absence from an examination, in line with the University’s information in ‘4.2 Attending examinations and assessments’ tick the box to say so.

If your case is very sensitive and you are concerned about disclosing highly personal information, for example in the case of sexual assault or if you are giving evidence as part of an ongoing criminal investigation, we advise that you speak to your Personal Tutor, PhD supervisor or a Support and Wellbeing Officer. These people may be able to provide a supporting statement for you to include with your form, without you needing to submit the sensitive evidence.

Section 5 - Consent

Your claim will be considered by an EC Panel member or members. Your form and supporting evidence will be made available to those responsible for considering your claim. Details may also be shared with Support and Wellbeing staff, who may need to contact you directly to offer advice and support if the information disclosed is of significant concern.

How can I request an extension?

The ONLY way of having an extension request approved is by submitting an Extenuating Circumstances claim using the online form . Only members of EC Panels have the authority to approve extension requests so please don’t ask Module Conveners or Personal Tutors to approve the request.

Some schools/departments can provide a coursework extension of up to 5 working days, which will be given without the requirement to provide evidence . However, some schools/departments will be able ‘opt-out’ of this.

Schools/Departments need to inform students if `no evidence’ extensions are not permitted (for example via course handbooks or Moodle). It is possible for some assessments in a School/Department to be eligible for `no evidence’ extensions and not others. Please check whether the evidence free extension applies before ticking the box on the EC form .

However, schools/departments can delegate no-evidence claims (see below) to Registry and Academic Affairs to assess – please be aware that although no evidence is required, the circumstances must meet the requirements of the procedure.

It is also up to Schools/Departments to determine if there is a limit to how many times ‘no evidence’ extensions can be applied.

Some things to bear in mind if you're making a claim for an extension:

Consider the impact of an extension request. Will the new deadline conflict with other deadlines or assessments? You may find that an extension increases the pressure you are under and creates more problems than it solves.

Claims cannot exceed 15 working days . If you need more than 15 working days of extension (due to ECs) you would be regarded as having been subject to serious circumstances that have impacted your work.

If you are asking for more than a short-term extension, you might find that the only option that can reasonably be offered by a Panel is for you to undertake the assignment again.

Short-term illness (less than 7 days) will not generally be regarded as an extenuating circumstance regarding assessed coursework if you’ve been given several weeks/months to complete and submit work, although a School/Department may decide to grant an extension for short-term assignments (e.g., 1 or 2 weeks).

You need to submit the claim as soon as possible; don’t leave it until the last minute. If you submit a claim very close to the submission deadline, it’s likely that you won’t receive an outcome before the deadline. If you haven’t got evidence in support of your claim at the point of submission, this will also create delays in the process. Please don’t send follow up emails asking for an outcome. Instead, focus on completing the work. If you haven’t been notified that you’ve been granted an extension by the submission date, you should submit whatever work you have completed at the time of the deadline so that, if necessary, it can form the assessment. Having submitted the work done to date, you should continue working and submit it by your requested deadline in order that, should the request be approved (which would be from the original submission date), you are able to take full advantage of any extra time allowed.

If your claim isn’t approved and you miss the deadline for submission, you’ll be subject to late submission penalties .

Extension requests based on a Support Plan

If you have a Support Plan, it may state that extensions to deadlines should be allowed on request wherever possible, based on your disability/long-term condition. You do not need to complete an extenuating circumstances form, but should complete the coursework extension request form found on the Coursework extensions page

This form is sent to your Faculty Assessment Team. You do not need to include any supporting documentation.

This form can only be used for one extension per piece of work and must be submitted before the original deadline.

If you have already been granted an extension based on a Support Plan but your circumstances have changed, such that you would like to request a further extension to the already extended deadline, you would need to submit an Extenuating Circumstances claim.

What evidence do I need?

With the limited exception of the circumstances, all Extenuating Circumstances claims must be supported by independent, reliable documentary evidence of your inability to comply with the assessment requirements or to attend teaching or undertake required study.

Some schools/departments can provide a 5-day coursework extension, which will be given without the requirement to provide evidence. However, some schools/departments will be able ‘opt-out’ of this.

Schools/Departments need to inform students if `no evidence’ extensions are not permitted (for example via course handbooks). It is possible for some assessments in a School/Department to be eligible for `no evidence’ extensions and not others.

If required, evidence allows your School/Department to understand how and when the circumstances affected you. If your claim is submitted without the required evidence within the prescribed timescales, it will be rejected. The information below is provided in addition to the University guidance on Acceptable Circumstances and Associated Evidence .

The evidence should confirm that:

• the circumstances must be exceptional and out of your control – you could not have prevented them.
• the circumstances must have had a demonstrably negative impact on your ability to study or to undertake an assessment.
• the timing of the circumstances must be relevant to the claimed impact.

The evidence should normally be attached to your completed form. Try to include the evidence when you first submit your claim as this will speed up the decision-making process. However, if it is unavailable, you must submit it via the Student Services enquiry portal no later than 10 working days after the coursework deadline or exam date. In this case you should note on the form that your evidence will follow. You will need to request an extension if it’s going to take any longer than 10 working days to provide the evidence.

If your case is highly sensitive and you are concerned about disclosing highly personal information for example in the case of sexual assault or if you are giving evidence as part of an ongoing criminal investigation, we advise that you speak to your Personal Tutor, your PhD supervisor or your Support and Wellbeing Team. These people can review the evidence in confidence with you and may be able to make a supporting statement for you to include with your form, without you needing to submit the sensitive evidence.

Who Can Provide Evidence?

Evidence may come from a variety of sources both within and outside of the University. Who provides the evidence will depend on the type of circumstance and the University has guidance on who can provide evidence here .

Health Professionals (e.g., Doctor, Counsellor, Psychiatrist)

If your circumstances relate to illness, either your own or a family member’s, a health professional is likely to be best placed to offer this.

Cripps Health Centre and the University Counselling Service are unlikely to provide evidence for ongoing circumstances where you have not engaged with them prior to the affected assessment. Cripps Health Centre don’t usually provide letters in support of EC claims so you will need to present evidence of prescriptions and appointments instead (see below). They may be able to give you a printout of their records of your consultation, but this is not guaranteed. More information about asking for evidence from the Counselling Service can be found here .

University Staff (e.g., Support and Wellbeing Officer, Personal Tutor, PhD Supervisor)

In certain circumstances it can be difficult to obtain evidence, particularly for those situations which do not require medical or professional treatment. In these cases, University staff may be able to offer supporting evidence.

Staff can only provide evidence if you’ve previously made them aware of the circumstances and if they agree that there has been an impact. Therefore, you should discuss the circumstances with them at the time they are affecting you. It would be inappropriate for you to make an appointment to see a member of University staff to ask for supporting evidence if you have had no previous engagement with them regarding the illness/issue. There is no obligation for staff to provide evidence for your claim. Please don’t ask staff members for evidence in lieu of evidence from health professionals.

Please see the ‘Who Can Help?’ section for details of the range of support that the University provide.

In most circumstances a health professional or University staff member can provide evidence to support your claim. However, there are situations where evidence may come from other sources. For example, if you are a victim of a crime, you may be able to get written evidence from the Police.

What information should my evidence include?

The University considers each claim of extenuating circumstances on its own merits, as an individual case and according to the relevant procedure. The EC Panel will consider the documentation provided and determine whether it provides sufficient evidence of impact on the ability to study and take assessments to approve the claim.

You can find examples of the kind of Acceptable Circumstances, and examples of the associated evidence that is normally required, here .

You can also find examples of Unacceptable Circumstances on this page, although all cases should be considered on an individual basis.

What format should my evidence be in?

It is important that your evidence meets the University’s required standards, or it may be rejected.

• Letters should be on headed paper, with a date and include the signature of the author.
• Email evidence should be from the official domain name of the author’s organisation.
• It should be in English (an officially accredited translation is acceptable)

It’s fine for you to submit scans or photos of evidence with the online submission, but the University can ask to see the original documents as well, if needed.

If you have read the policy and are still unsure, seek guidance from someone e.g., Personal Tutor, PhD Supervisor or Support and Wellbeing Team.

Fraudulent evidence

It is important that your evidence is authentic and unaltered. You should be aware that, if there is evidence that a student has fraudulently presented documentation to the University, the matter will usually be referred for consideration under the University’s Academic Misconduct regulations and, where applicable, the University’s Fitness to Practise Procedure .

FAQ : What kind of evidence do I need to submit with my EC?

Can I withdraw my EC Claim if I no longer want it?

The EC regulations are clear that if your extenuating circumstance claim is upheld, the outcome awarded is not optional. This is because in submitting the claim you have stated that you believe the circumstance affecting you will have a demonstrably significant, negative impact on your ability to study or to undertake an assessment.

However, they recognise that circumstances change, and you have an opportunity to request that your claim is withdrawn.

• If you wish to withdraw your EC in advance of your exam/assessment submission date you can - your initial attempt will then be marked, and that mark will stand.
• If you wish to withdraw an EC request for an exam after the examination date - you can do so within 5 working days of the exam date.
• If you wish to withdraw an EC for a piece of coursework after the work has been submitted - you can do so if no mark (confirmed or provisional) or feedback has been provided to you. However, this may mean you will incur late penalties so speak to your school if this is your situation.
• In all other cases , marks for initial attempts will be voided and the first sit will be undertaken in the reassessment period, and you have the right to appeal .

The request for withdrawal of an EC should be made at the earliest opportunity via the student enquiry centre /Ask a Question . This will be directed to your local assessment team for review.

FAQ: Can I cancel my EC claim?

What do the outcomes mean?

Once your EC claim form has been submitted, your School/Department will arrange for it to be considered by an Extenuating Circumstances Panel. The Panel is responsible for reaching a decision on whether to uphold or reject your claim. After the EC Panel has decided, Student Services will write to you explaining what decision has been made.

Schools/Departments have the option to delegate no-evidence claims to Registry and Academic Affairs to assess.

What happens if my claim is approved?

Taught Students (Undergraduate and Postgraduate students undertaking taught programmes or modules)

If your claim is accepted your School/Department may offer one of several possible recommendations to allow for the impact of the circumstances. In deciding this they will take into consideration what outcome you requested on your Extenuating Circumstances claim form.

It’s important to note that the EC Panel cannot change marks based on an extenuating circumstance claim.

You can find more information about the different EC Outcome Codes here .

You can find more information about the potential recommendations in Section 4.4.3 of the EC Regulations here .

Please be aware that the award of a first sit or resit means any original work completed will not be marked, or the original mark will be voided.

There are other considerations for reassessments for some PGT students so, if you’re unclear about what this means for you, make sure you speak to a member of staff e.g., Personal Tutor, Course Director, Senior Tutor.

For final year students, your EC may be provisionally approved based on the evidence provided but a final decision on the outcome and any recommendations will be deferred to a meeting of the Extenuating Circumstances Panel at the end of the academic session when the full impact can be assessed.

Postgraduate Research Students

If you are studying for a postgraduate research degree, the outcomes for you will be different. The School/Department will either:

• Grant an extension for the annual review or
• Permit a further annual review if you fail the initial one.

Receiving support

As well as the various academic outcomes listed above your School/Department may also suggest that you engage with appropriate support in the future to help manage your extenuating circumstances. This may include meeting with your Personal Tutor and/or Support and Wellbeing Officer or seeking support from your GP, for example. If you choose not to take up this support the University could choose to reject later extenuating circumstances claims about the same matter.

What can I do if my ECs are not approved or not considered?

If your School/Department does not accept your circumstances, the outcome letter will explain the reason for this. For example:

• The grounds were not considered acceptable.
• The claim and/or evidence were out of time or submitted after the Exam Board.
• The evidence was not from an approved source.
• The evidence was not sufficient to support the claim.
• The evidence did not show the seriousness of impact.

Further Evidence

If you feel that your claim has been rejected because you did not fully explain or provide sufficient evidence for your circumstances, you should discuss the matter with your Personal Tutor and/or Support and Wellbeing Officer and consider submitting further evidence to your School/Department. Ordinarily this should be done by email, submitting the new evidence to the EC team along with a clear explanation as to why you were unable to submit this evidence with your original claim. You should do this as soon as possible as the rules on deadlines for submitting claims set out in the EC procedure will still apply.

If you have received a final progression or award decision such as a course termination or degree classification, and you want the University to consider circumstances that you’ve not previously raised, you should raise these circumstances by submitting an Academic Appeal . Again, it is essential that you explain why you were unable to submit this earlier and provide evidence to support this.

Academic Appeals

If you feel that the School/Department’s decision in respect of your extenuating circumstances claim was unfair or unreasonable you may have grounds to raise an Academic Appeal . The Academic Appeals procedure is in place to assess the fairness of the School/Department’s decision. Disagreeing with the decision alone is not grounds for an appeal. You are required to explain, with evidence, how the School/Department acted unfairly in line with the University’s grounds for appeal. Therefore, you may argue that they did not apply the procedure properly or/and they took a completely unreasonable decision or/and that the decision was taken with prejudice and/or bias.

An appeal must be submitted within one month of the letter confirming the School/Department’s rejection of your circumstances. However, you should do this as soon as possible so that, if the appeal is successful, any further assessments can take place in the next re-assessment period.

If the University’s final decision, following an appeal, is to reject your extenuating circumstances claim and you believe this is unfair, you have the right to raise the matter externally by making a complaint to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education . This should be done no later than one year of you being issued with a ‘Completion of Procedures Letter’ confirming the University’s final decision.

Who can help?

If you are unwell, or going through difficulties that you consider are having a negative impact on your studies and/or your ability to take assessments it is vital that you let someone know.

It is a requirement of the Policy on Circumstances Affecting Students’ Ability to Study and Complete Assessments that you inform your School/Department of circumstances affecting your ability to study and/or take assessments at the time that you are affected. Although it may at times feel easier not to say anything, your School/Department is in a much stronger position to offer support and help if you raise any issues with them as soon as possible. The longer you leave it without telling anyone, the harder it will be for your School/Department to accommodate or support your situation.

When you are faced with illness or other extenuating circumstances that you believe to be having a negative impact on your time at university you can seek support from the following individuals/services:

Personal Tutors/PhD Supervisors

If you are an Undergraduate student or a Postgraduate student on a taught course, your Personal Tutor (although alternative provision is in place on Law and Psychology) are an initial point of contact who can guide and support you. They will also be able to make relevant staff aware of your difficulties. Your Personal Tutor should also be sufficiently aware of University regulations to guide you through the Extenuating Circumstances procedure. If you are a PhD student, you should speak to your supervisor.

Module Convenor/Course Lead

Sometimes, you may feel comfortable in approaching senior staff within your School/Department if you are experiencing difficulties. This may be because they have taught you for certain modules previously or they have been supportive in the past. They should be able to provide initial guidance and support in relation to University regulations and signpost to other relevant support providers within the University.

Support and Wellbeing Team

Each School/Department has a Support and Wellbeing team who can provide support and guidance if you are struggling with circumstances that may be getting out of control. They too can signpost/refer you to other University support services where relevant, such as the Counselling Service and the Mental Health Advisory Service.

Disability Support Services

Disability Support Services (DSS) can help you if you have a disability, mental health difficulty, long-term medical condition, autistic spectrum condition, or a specific learning difference such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, or ADHD.

Amongst other types of support, the DSS can advise you if you need an extension to coursework, support with alternative exam arrangements and can arrange support workers. For more information, visit the DSS page .

It’s advisable that you engage with Disability Support Services at the earliest opportunity. Assessments can take time and the sooner any adjustments (accommodations) can be implemented, the sooner you receive the support you need.

Additionally, each School/Department appoints a Disability Liaison Officer (DLO) to provide a point of reference, advice and guidance for members of staff and students in the School/Department about disability issues and support.

Students' Union Advice

The SU Advice team can offer in depth, independent and confidential advice about a wide range of University policy and procedures including Extenuating Circumstance claims and appeals. They are part of the Students’ Union and therefore independent from the University. The team can also advise you on your options where a claim has been rejected, including the appeal procedure. To contact SU Advice or find out more about their areas of advice then visit the Students’ Union Advice webpage .

The information in these pages is relevant from 25 September 2023, when changes were made to the University’s Extenuating Circumstances regulations. The regulations in place before this date can be found here .

• Enquire and submit
• Knowledge Articles
• Find answers to our most frequently asked questions

My coursework extension was approved but the deadline was in the past, what does this mean?

In the event of an extension approval being sent to you after the extension date has passed, contact the Assessments team by raising an enquiry via the Student Enquiry Centre as soon as possible. This can then be investigated for you.  

There is always a risk that you might not receive your outcome until after the original deadline, particularly at busy times of year (eg. ahead of key assessment periods). If this happens the  Extenuating Circumstances policy (Meeting Coursework Deadlines) clearly states that if you have not received a decision on your EC claim by the original deadline you must submit the work you have completed to date so that if necessary, it can form the assessment.  

Where this is the case and you are submitting work by the original deadline, please ensure you include the words EC Pending in the file name submitted . This will inform the marker that this is your work in progress and that there will be another piece of work submitted if your extension is approved. You are then recommended to continue working on your assignment to take ful l advantag e of any ad ditional time.    

Consideration of personal circumstances

Sometimes personal circumstances, like illness, or bereavement, might impact your ability to study, prepare for, or finish your assessment. Learn more about what to do.

If you are worried that your personal circumstances might affect your studies, please tell your personal tutor, in person or by email as soon as possible. They can give you advice on how to ask for your circumstances to be considered for your assessments.

You can ask for consideration of your personal circumstances in two ways:

• Ask for an extension to your assessment deadline
• Ask to delay the assessment(s) until the assessment next takes place, usually in the summer.

Support information

We understand that you may be anxious, distressed or find it difficult to talk about your personal circumstances. You might also need advice and support.

If you want to talk to someone about your assessments, we suggest you speak to your Personal Tutor, Course or Module Leader or Course Administrator. They will be able to offer advice and can help you to access other sources of support, such as wellbeing, if you need it.

We offer a range of support services to help you deal with your personal circumstances, and you can find a list of the services we offer on our website .

You can also get independent advice by booking an appointment with our Student’s Union Information and Advice Service or the Peer Support scheme .

You can ask for an extension to get extra time to finish your assessment when you have been affected by personal circumstances. An extension can be for up to two weeks. If the extension is approved you will be given a new deadline to submit your assessment.

You can ask for an extension online . If you need an extension of up to a week you can self-certify - please complete the self-certification form and upload it when requesting your extension online . If you need an extension of more than one week and up to two weeks you will need to send evidence of your circumstances. You can find information about types of evidence in our  Notification of Extenuating Circumstance (NEC) policy .

If you think you will need an extension, please apply for it as soon as possible. You can ask for an extension before, and up to one week after, the assessment deadline. If you can’t apply for an extension because, for example, you are in hospital, you should apply as soon as you can and send evidence to show why you couldn’t apply earlier.

You can only ask for two extensions for the same assessment. For example, if you asked for a week’s extension but your personal circumstances affected you for longer than expected, you can then ask for another week’s extension or to delay the assessment. You will need to complete another online form and provide evidence of your circumstances.

You can’t ask for an extension for exams, class tests or other assessments that take place in person, such as presentations. If your personal circumstances impact one of these types of assessment you can request a delay until the next time the assessment takes place instead (see section below).

You can’t request an extension after you have submitted an assessment. If you submit your assessment without an extension you are telling us that you were well enough to do the assessment and accept that it will be graded on its merit.

If you need help to request an extension you can speak to your personal tutor or course administrator.

Asking to delay the assessment until the assessment next takes place

Sometimes your personal circumstances might affect you for longer than two weeks or mean that you can’t sit an exam or other in-person assessment. When this happens you can ask to delay the assessment until the assessment next takes place, this will usually be in the summer.

You can ask to delay the assessment online and you will need to send supporting evidence of your circumstances. If you don’t provide evidence there may be a delay in approving the request or it might not be approved. You can find information about types of evidence in our Notification of Extenuating Circumstance (NEC) policy .

If you think you will need to delay your assessment, please fill out the online form as soon as possible. You can ask for a delay before, and up to one week after, the assessment deadline. If you can’t ask for a delay because, for example, you are in hospital, you should apply as soon as you can and send evidence to show why you couldn’t apply earlier.

If you originally asked for an extension, but then feel that you need to delay the assessment because your circumstances impacted you for longer than expected, you will need to fill out another online request.

If you need help choosing the best option for you, please speak to your personal tutor or course administrator.

Examples of personal circumstances that are likely to be accepted

This list includes some examples of personal circumstances that are likely to be accepted for an extension or delay. If you have personal circumstances not covered here, please speak to your personal tutor.

• Short illness, injury, hospitalisation or minor illness where you couldn’t access labs due to infection control protocols
• An ongoing condition or disability got temporarily worse
• Serious illness or bereavement of a family member or close friend
• Unexpected caring responsibilities for a family member or dependent
• An unexpected personal or family crisis, or experiencing a traumatic event
• Being a victim of a crime
• Being evicted from your accommodation or your accommodation becomes uninhabitable
• Public duties such as Jury service, competing in national or international sporting events or being a candidate in NTSU elections during the voting period
• Lunar religious festivals, where the date moves each year, such as lunar new year, Rosh Hashanah or Eid.

Examples of personal circumstances that are not likely to be accepted

Your personal circumstances are not likely to be accepted if it is something you could reasonably have planned for, such as a house move or holiday. You can’t ask for an extension or delay for the following circumstances:

• Assessments deadlines that are close together
• Normal exam anxiety
• Misreading assessment deadlines, exam timetables or other details
• Minor transport disruption
• Minor life events such as work pressure, having a disagreement with you friends or housemates
• Computer, printer or internet failure
• Not having access to your student account because you owe debts to the University
• Being reluctant to tell us about your circumstances.

Sport and Exercise Science

Sport and exercise science addresses all issues underpinning human performance and adaptation in the context of sport. It also embraces major public health issues, such as sedentariness, deconditioning, mental health and ageing, all of which associate strongly with chronic disease progression.

Sport and exercise scientists understand how the human body interacts with and changes to its environment. They use this knowledge to maximise improvements in performance and physical and mental health across sport, exercise and clinical settings.

Why study with us?

• Top 20 in the UK for Sports Science - Complete University Guide 2024
• Engage with your learning in specially designed exercise and biomechanics laboratories
• Flexibility to accommodate sporting and academic commitments
• Learn from internationally recognised academics, who specialise in associated sport, medical, health and engineering fields
• Engage with teaching staff through small group teachings
• Benefit from more personal teaching and engage with teaching staff closely through small class sizes

About our courses

How will i study.

We use a variety of teaching methods to provide you with a diverse learning experience. Topics are introduced through lectures and explored in more depth through seminars and practical classes.

Small-group teaching is also used to maximise your time with lecturers and give you an opportunity to discuss the subject with your peers. Theory is put into practice through laboratory classes and field-based practical classes.You will study in the Medical School, Faculty of Engineering and the  David Ross Sports Village . 

When you start the course you will be assigned a personal tutor who will provide academic and pastoral support throughout the course.  

Employability

Sport and exercise science graduates will be well prepared for a number of careers in sectors including professional sports clubs, the health service, education and clinical research. 

Due to our enhanced scientific content, you will also be in a good position to undertake further study such as an MSc or PhD in human health and disease and a number of allied topics. Graduate entry medicine (GEM) is an additional option. 

Study abroad

There may be Erasmus or Universitas 21 opportunities in your second year.

Study abroad opportunities

No matter your course, the majority of University of Nottingham students have the opportunity to have an international experience during their university career.

Nottingham has 200 university partners in 40 different countries spanning six different continents across three different exchange programmes. These include Inter-campus exchange, International exchange and International summer schools.

Discover more about our university-wide study abroad options .

Please note: In order to study abroad you will need to achieve the relevant academic requirements as set by the university and meet the selection criteria of both the university and the partner institution. The partner institution is under no obligation to accept you even if you do meet the relevant criteria. 

Application and interview

Offers are usually made without interview. Please note that students with non-standard entry qualifications, including mature students, may be invited for an interview.

We follow the university's flexible admissions policy and take educational and personal circumstances into consideration. Further details are available on our applying pages.

Watch the video below:

Join us and be guided by our Admissions Manager, Maryam. With her expert guidance, you'll discover some common myths we hear from potential students. From your reference worries to your predicted grades, and everything in between, Maryam clears up some key points you need to know to start your university experience.

Alternative Entry Qualifications

Those who wish to apply for this course, but do not meet the entry requirements or have alternative qualifications to A-Levels, should consider applying for the  Science Foundation Year .  This additional year will give you the necessary academic knowledge to progress onto a science course of your choosing, including Sport and Exercise Science BSc.

Our courses

Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

3 years full-time

Sport and Exercise Science BSc Hons

Qualification BSc Hons

Entry requirements AAA

UCAS code C600

Related articles

School of Life Sciences

Learn from the sport and exercise science experts

Conducting research into the latest issues is at the forefront of our course. With us, you’ll benefit from the expertise of our leading researchers and academics  

What is it really like to study sport and exercise science? 

Follow Luke as he takes you around our campus, including our state-of-the-art David Ross Sports Village, practical lab sessions and his favourite study spaces.

Help and support

If you’re looking for more information, please head to our help and support hub, where you can find frequently asked questions or details of how to make an enquiry.

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Sport (level 1  introductory certificate) ( 14  –  16 ), course outline.

This course is perfect if you are aged 14-16 and interested in pursuing further studies in sport and a career in the sporting sector.

During the course you will learn about the human body and how our body works to help us reach peak performance.

A passion for sport and an interest in exploring the different areas of sport including health, fitness, performance, coaching and sports science is essential

If you are ready to progress quickly to further sports studies and thrive in a fast-paced environment, then this course could be for you.

You will learn about different aspects of the sports industry, from fitness training, understanding how the body works and preparing to coach a range of sports activities.

You can expect to study sport in a vocational setting where your study combines classroom based learning with practical consolidation. You will develop transferable and sector-related skills, covering communication, working with others, problem solving, managing information and self-management and development, as well as sector-related functional skills.

How to apply for this course

Apply online to start in 2025/26.

Want to find out more first?

Get in touch by hitting the button below and filling out our enquiry form.