When using the online task to submit a Mitigating Circumstances (MC) claim, there are three ‘outcomes’ to choose from. You must select one ‘outcome’ for each assessment task to which your claim relates. The ‘outcome’ is what you want to happen if your claim is accepted. The three options are:
1. Extension
You can only select this option in relation to coursework (coursework is an assessment task that you have to submit by a specific deadline). You cannot select this option in relation to scheduled assessments (eg in-class tests, practicals, presentations, vivas etc) or exams.
If your MC claim is accepted, this option gives you an extension of five working days. This means that you are able to submit your coursework up to five working days after the published deadline, without penalty.
The term ‘working days’ excludes weekends and public holidays. For example, if it is Tuesday today and there are no public holidays this week or next week, the next 5 working days would be Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Monday, Tuesday.
2. Defer Assessment Task
You can select this option in relation to coursework, scheduled assessments, and exams.
If your MC claim is accepted, this option allows (and requires) you to delay taking the assessment until the next available opportunity (that is the next assessment period when that assessment is due or scheduled), without penalty and without further attendance.
For undergraduate students: if your claim is accepted during the academic year or the main assessment period in May, the next available opportunity will be during the Refer/Defer period in July.
If your claim is accepted during the July Refer/Defer period (ie it relates to an assessment which is being taken as a referral or a deferral), the next available opportunity will be in the following academic year, when that module is next delivered. This may prevent you from progressing to the next year of your course (see paragraph 5 of the Framework for undergraduate taught courses for more information on progression requirements). If you are a final-year student it will delay your completion and eligibility to attend a graduation ceremony.
For taught postgraduate students whose MC claim relates to a taught module: the next available opportunity will be during the designated Refer/Defer period (the timing of which will vary depending on the calendar model of your course).
If your claim is accepted during the Refer/Defer period (ie it relates to an assessment which is being taken as a referral or a deferral), the next available opportunity will be in the following academic year, when that module is next delivered. This will delay your completion and may delay your eligibility to attend a graduation ceremony.
For taught postgraduate students whose MC claim relates to a dissertation/project module: the next available opportunity for submission will be in the following academic year during the designated dissertation/project Refer/Defer period (the timing of which will vary depending on the calendar model of your course). This will delay your completion and may delay your eligibility to attend a graduation ceremony.
3. Defer Whole Module
You can select this option when your mitigating circumstances relate to a longer period and have affected your ability to attend sufficient scheduled teaching and submit all the assessment components required.
If your MC claim is accepted, this option allows (and requires) you to take the whole module, without penalty and with full attendance, the following academic year when the module is next delivered, and to take all assessment tasks associated with that module.
If selecting this option, you must select it for all assessment components associated with the module.
For undergraduate students: this may prevent you from progressing to the next year of your course (see paragraph 5 of the Framework for undergraduate taught courses for more information on progression requirements). If you are a final-year student it will delay your completion and eligibility to attend a graduation ceremony.
For taught postgraduate students: this will delay your completion and may delay your eligibility to attend a graduation ceremony.
International students
If you are an international student, any delay to your completion may impact your UK Visa status and eligibility. Note in particular that a deferral of an assessment task does not require or permit further attendance, so it will not be possible for the University to extend your CAS in such circumstances.
Where the Refer/Defer period is after the expiry of your Visa, you may need to return to your home country and submit/undertake your assessment from there. This may also make you ineligible to apply for a Graduate Route Visa, should you wish to do so. However, a deferral of a whole module usually requires further attendance, therefore in such cases, the University may be able to extend your CAS. If in doubt, you should seek advice from the University’s Student Advice Team.
Note that some modules, for example certain dissertation or project modules, do not require any attendance, in which case deferral of the module would not enable a CAS extension. If in doubt, you should check with your Module or Course Leader.
Self-certification
If you are selecting either ‘Defer Assessment Task’ in respect of a Scheduled Assessment or an Exam (but not of Coursework) or ‘Extension’, you may be eligible to apply for self-certification. A self-certification claim does not require evidence. Further information regarding self-certification can be read on the self-certification page.
You should normally receive the decision from the mitigating circumstances board within five working days of the submission of your claim. During busy times of the academic year, you may be notified within ten working days.
If you submit a claim close to the assessment deadline it's possible that you won't receive a decision until after the work was due. However, you should be reassured that if you've submitted a valid claim based on the agreed criteria for mitigating circumstances and provided the required evidence (where needed), the claim will be accepted.
You will receive an email to the contact email address on your mitigating circumstances claim. The email will direct you to your e:Vision Student Portal.
The University has a ‘fit to sit’ policy, which means that if you take an assessment or submit work, you're declaring yourself fit to do so.
If you choose to submit work after making a claim for mitigating circumstances, the mark for the assessment will be applied.
If you complete and submit an assessment after having already claimed for mitigating circumstances via the self-certification route, the claim cannot be retracted and it would therefore be counted towards the two opportunities available to you for submitting a self-certifcation claim.
If your claim is approved, you'll receive a five-working-day extension, and you won't receive a lateness penalty. You should submit the work as soon as you can within five working days of the original submission deadline. If you submit the work after the mitigating circumstances extension ends, but within 24 hours of the extended deadline, will have 10 marks deducted from the original mark, to a minimum of the pass mark (40% at undergraduate level, 50% at postgraduate level). For example, a piece of assessment awarded a mark of 70% would be reduced to 60% as a penalty for late submission.
Coursework submitted more than 24 hours late after the extended deadline will be given a mark of zero.
(Please note: if you're applying for the Stage 1 Practical Legal Research Skills module LGPR011W, you must submit your work within three working days).
Reasonable adjustment
If you've been given a coursework deadline extension as a reasonable adjustment following assessment by Disability Learning Support (DLS), the late submission penalties will be applied to the DLS extended deadline. If an additional five-working-day extension over and above the extended deadline has been granted following a successful Mitigating Circumstances claim, the late submission penalties will be applied after the 10-day extended deadline.
Penalties for the late submission of coursework will be applied to confirmed results and not to provisional results published on Blackboard.
If your claim is approved you won't receive a lateness penalty, but if you fail to submit your work by the extension deadline, the late submission penalties will be applied after the extended deadline.
If you are unable to submit your coursework within five working days of the deadline for valid reasons, you should submit a further claim for mitigating circumstances and apply for a deferral - see our Evidenced claims page.
Penalties for the late submission of coursework will be applied to confirmed results and not to provisional results published on Blackboard.
If you're unable to submit your work within five working days, you cannot submit another claim for late submission for the same assessment. If your reasons are valid, you should submit a new evidenced claim for mitigating circumstances and apply for a deferral.
If your claim is rejected you can submit a second claim. The submission of a second claim should normally be made within one month following the outcome of the first claim and must be based on new additional evidence. You are limited to a maximum of two claims per assessment.
You can find guidance on what evidence you need for different circumstances on our Evidenced claims page. You should also check the Evidence section of the Mitigating circumstances regulations:
It's important that you provide as much evidence and information as possible to support your claim.
Where evidence is not presented in English, it is your responsibility to have it independently translated by an accredited translator, prior to submission.
Please note that you may be asked to provide your original documents in hardcopy by your Campus Registry office.
If you're not eligible to submit a self-certification claim, your claim will be rejected if it doesn't have supporting evidence.
The exception to this would be if your claim refers to University, School or site-wide IT failure. If you experience difficulties in obtaining evidence to support your claim, please explain why when you complete the online MC task for the University to review.
You can enter the details of your claim and save it for later if you don't yet have your evidence.
You must upload your evidence within ten working days of submitting your claim. If you do not complete your claim within this time it will be automatically deleted.
If your evidence is particularly sensitive or confidential and you don't wish to upload it, you may submit your evidence to the Library and Student Centre directly in a sealed envelope who will pass it on to those assessing your claim for review.
You must still complete your claim online, and you'll need to note this in Step 3 of the task.
Please contact the Library and Student Centre if you're having difficulties uploading your evidence.
If you submit a claim requesting a deferral during the academic year (October to May) and your claim is accepted, in most cases the next available opportunity to attempt the assessment component will be in July (the reassessment period).
This does not apply to:
- The Legal Practice Course (LPC) – re-assessment may take place at other times
- Postgraduate courses within the School of Life Sciences – the reassessment period will be in August
If you submit a claim requesting a deferral in July and your claim is accepted, the next available opportunity to attempt the assessment will be when the module runs again during the following academic year. This may affect your eligibility to progress or graduate on time. Please refer to the answer below for further information.
If you're an undergraduate student and you defer an assessment to the following year, this may mean you won't complete the minimum number of modules/credits to progress to the next level. You may have to return as a part-time or ‘assessment only’ student for up to one year to complete any outstanding assessments. For further information on progression requirements, see paragraph 5 of the Framework for Undergraduate Taught Courses.
Section 17 Undergraduate Framework (PDF)207.59 KB
If you're a final year student and you defer your assessment, you may not be able to complete your degree award this academic year.
If you're a final year student and you have outstanding assessment component(s) to complete in July, you won't be eligible to attend the July ceremony.
Once your results are confirmed at the end of July, you'll be invited to attend the next available graduation ceremony if space is available.
If you're a continuing undergraduate student and you do not have a minimum of 100 credits* passed at the end of July you will not be permitted to progress to the next level.
*Please check your Course Handbook for course-specific regulations which may apply.
See our Mitigating circumstances claims page for further information.
Final deadlines for claims with supporting evidence are detailed on our Evidenced claims page.
Late claims will not normally be considered, other than in highly exceptional circumstances, where the problems encountered also justify the lateness of the claim itself.
Please contact the Library and Student Centre if you do not understand the outcome of your claim.
If you require adjustments to an assessment due to any circumstances arising from a disability, contact Disability Learning Support – this is not part of the mitigating circumstances process. You cannot use your evidence of a disability in support of a claim for mitigating circumstances. The Disability Learning Support team will assess whether you may have extensions applied to assessment submission deadlines or reasonable adjustments made to other assessment events for all modules affected by your condition, without having to claim mitigating circumstances each time.
You are eligible to apply for an additional five-working-day extension in addition to the extension given as a part of your Reasonable Adjustment Form. You must note this in the explanation of your circumstances section of your online submission.
Please submit documents as a PDF or jpg. The maximum size limit is 4,000 KB.
The evidence you submit will be seen by members of the Mitigating Circumstances Board only and solely for the purpose of processing your claim.
Please state the correct submission date for your assessment in the explanation of your circumstances in Step 2 of the task.
Your original document must be uploaded as well as a translation in English provided by an authorised translator.
All students involved in a piece of group work who have been affected by the circumstances must submit a MC claim. You must provide a full explanation in the details of your circumstances section of the online form.
Any documentary evidence you upload to support your MC claim will be permanently deleted from the student record system once you have graduated.
If you are applying to defer an entire module and request to retake the module with attendance in the following academic year, you will need to tick the box to defer module in Step 2 of the task.
Details can be found on our Registry offices page.
For advice and support on completing your claim you can contact the Students' Union Advice Team.
Alternative assessments may not be listed as an assessment option when submitting your MC claim. If so you should select the non-submission option for the formal exam assessment that your alternative assessment replaces. In the text box underneath, please advise that your claim is for an alternative assessment and state the assessment submission deadline and the date it was actually submitted (depending on whether the alternative assessment was submitted or not).
Submitting a Mitigating Circumstances (MC) claim may affect your current Student Visa as well as your future eligibility for the Graduate Route Visa.
Your student visa may be cancelled, or a further extension of your visa may not be possible if your MC claim leads to:
- no requirement to attend timetabled lectures/seminars
- final results being released after your current student visa expiry date
- deferral of a dissertation, full semester or year
It is important that you read our information on Repeat Study and the Graduate Route Visa when considering applying for MCs. You may also book an appointment with Student Advice to discuss your situation.
Please familiarise yourself with the Religion, belief and study policy for students, particularly section 9 on Teaching and Assessment.
Formal scheduled examinations
The University tries to avoid setting any formal examinations on religious observance dates as identified in the Religious observance calendar. However, there may be other religious commitments (such as observance of the Sabbath) which may prevent you from attending scheduled assessments at certain times. If this is the case, please complete the form below and submit it to the Student Centre so that we may consider your request and accommodate alternative arrangements where possible.
Other scheduled assessment events
Many courses and modules include summative scheduled assessments which are undertaken outside the formal examination periods, including in-class tests, lab tests, presentations, practicals, vivas, performances etc. Assessment dates will be published at the start of the module and if there is a clash with your religious observance requirement, complete the form below and submit it to your Module Leaders(s) so that they can consider if alternative arrangements are possible.
Where it is not possible for the scheduled assessment to be held other than on a religious observance date, and/or you are unable to attend University as a result of religious observance, you should submit a Mitigating Circumstances claim in accordance with the requirements of the Mitigating Circumstances Policy and regulations. You will be offered a deferral to the next available opportunity, except where the Faith and Spirituality team is unable to confirm that the scheduled assessment coincides with a day of religious observance, as published in the Religious Observance Calendar.
Self-certification for a mitigating circumstances claim is only permitted twice in one academic year. Third and subsequent claims in any one academic year will require supporting documentary evidence. Self-certification is also limited to when students realise that they will miss an examination, in-class test or presentation, or if they will miss an assignment deadline by up to 5 days due to an unforeseen short-term illness, for which it is not appropriate, to obtain contemporaneous medical advice or evidence.