Mitigating Circumstances

This is version 1.0 of the combined Mitigating Circumstances Policy and Procedure, which apply from the 2026/27 academic year onwards. This policy and procedure are owned by the Student Curriculum and Operations Directorate. Please contact [email protected] for any matters related to this policy and procedure.

Further information for students, including how to apply for mitigating circumstances, is available on the For Students website.

Mitigating Circumstances (Students Website)

Copies of the policy and procedure from the 2025/26 academic year are available.

2025-26 Mitigating Circumstances Policy (Word)

2025-26 Mitigating Circumstances Procedure (Word)

Mitigating Circumstances Policy and Procedure

Introduction and Purpose
Scope and Definitions
General Principles
Grounds for Mitigation
Types of Additional Consideration
Roles and Responsibilities for Applications
Documentary Supporting Information for Applications
Applications for Extensions to Coursework Deadlines
Applications for Additional Consideration
Consideration by School Special Circumstances Committees
Outcomes of Applications for Mitigating Circumstances

Introduction and Purpose

1. During their studies, students may experience significant events that have an adverse effect on their ability to complete assessments.

2. If significant events are unforeseeable and unpreventable, students can apply for mitigating circumstances. The aim of accepting and applying mitigation is to reduce the adverse effects on a student’s academic performance.

3. The policy and procedure should be applied in the context of the Academic Regulations for Taught Programmes and the Assessment Policy and Procedures.

4. Data is processed in alignment with the Student Privacy Notice.

Scope and Definitions

5. The policy and procedure applies to taught undergraduate and postgraduate students. It will only apply to postgraduate research students when they are studying the taught elements of a doctoral programme of study.

6. Students are expected to comply with the terms of the Student Contract, which includes regular attendance and participation in their studies, including assessment (coursework or examinations). Students are expected to sit and submit all assessments as timetabled unless they have a good reason not to do so.

7. Mitigating circumstances are normally defined as exceptional, short-term, unforeseen and unpreventable events that may have a significantly disruptive effect on a student’s ability to complete assessments. These events are over and above the course of everyday life, and normally outside of a student’s control. They may affect a student’s ability to complete coursework or other assessments, and revise for and attend examinations. Paragraph 11 details the normally accepted grounds for mitigation.

8. The requirements of Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies (PSRBs) or the Skills England which affect how requests for mitigation are considered, will take precedence over the details within the policy and procedure. In these cases, schools must publish the specific arrangements as appropriate.

General Principles

9. Extensions to coursework deadlines for up to 14 calendar days from the original coursework deadline are applicable when circumstances will have a short-term impact on a student’s ability to complete coursework assessments.

1. Students can submit applications for extensions to coursework deadlines up until the original coursework deadline. Applications cannot be submitted after the original coursework deadline.
2. Students can self-certify on medical grounds for a period of up to 7 calendar days from the original coursework deadline for extensions to coursework deadlines. All other applications require supporting information.
3. Students on programmes for which clinical work or placements are integral may be granted extensions to coursework deadlines for up to 28 calendar days from the original coursework deadline. This exception ensures students are not disadvantaged due to clinical shift patterns and/or student access to tutors working in a clinical setting.

10. Additional consideration is applicable when the circumstances cannot be mitigated through an extension to a coursework deadline. Schools must publish their deadlines for applications for additional consideration. Paragraph 16 details the types of additional consideration available.

Grounds for Mitigation

11. Normally accepted mitigating circumstances if they occur immediately prior to or during an assessment include (but are not limited to):

1. The death of someone close, e.g. parent, grandparent, guardian, partner, sibling, child.
2. Serious personal illness or personal injury, or a significant change or deterioration in a long-term condition.
3. Victim of crime (usually with police crime number, or documentary supporting information from University member of staff/professional person to whom the student has confided).
4. Jury service.
5. Involvement in a criminal case/witness.
6. Failure in the provision of reasonable adjustments, or failure in, or inaccessibility of, school-provided equipment.

12. Possible mitigating circumstances include (but are not limited to):

1. Personal problems/trauma/family crisis/domestic issues/unexpected issues with childcare provision.
2. Illness of a close family member.
3. Planned medical operation (if advance notice is provided).
4. Planned hospital tests (if advance notice is provided).
5. Unforeseen consequences of disability that have not been mitigated by agreed reasonable adjustments.
6. Unforeseen accommodation issues, outside of your control (this would not include house moves caused due to the end of a lease).

13. Not normally accepted mitigating circumstances include (but are not limited to):

1. Short-term minor ailments (e.g. coughs, colds.).
2. Late submission of coursework without good reason (or where you could reasonably have been expected to apply for an extension).
3. Pressures of academic work, i.e. multiple deadlines, time mismanagement, non-availability of high demand books and other resources (except disability-related resource outside of your control).
4. Lost or not backed-up coursework, or other computer failure.
5. Financial problems, even if this is a change of circumstances (other than cases of extreme hardship).
6. Domestic events such as house moves, family celebrations, holidays, weddings or other such events where you have control over the date or can choose not to attend.
7. Normal academic work commitments.
8. Appointments that could be rearranged (or advance notification given to the School).
9. Mistaking a deadline, misreading the examination timetable or submitting the wrong assignment in error.
10. Transport difficulties (i.e. strikes, traffic jams, delayed trains).
11. Illness for which no contemporaneous documentary supporting information is available (i.e. documentary supporting information that demonstrates you sought medical advice or intervention at the time of the illness, or are under the care of a medical practitioner).
12. Examination nerves, feeling generally anxious, suffering from low mood, stress or panic attacks (where no diagnosis of a mental health condition has been made).
13. Ignorance of the regulations or examination or assessment arrangements.

14. Pregnancy itself is not normally accepted as mitigating circumstances. Students should discuss and agree in advance any required adjustments to assessments as appropriate with their parent School. Applications related to unexpected difficulties, impact of unplanned pregnancy, or health issues may however be considered.

15. Ongoing circumstances and long-term health conditions are not normally accepted as mitigating circumstances. Students should discuss the impact of ongoing circumstances and long-term health conditions on their academic performance with their parent School and access available support.

16. The University will take action to apply mitigation if there are unanticipated circumstances that have an impact on all students, or specific groups of students. Students who feel the action taken has not mitigated their circumstances should apply for further mitigation in the normal way.

Types of Additional Consideration

17. Types of additional consideration available include:

1. Further attempt at the next available resit opportunity either as a first attempt (uncapped mark) or a resit attempt (capped mark).
2. Removal of penalties for late submission or exceeding the word count.
3. Further attempt for an uncapped mark at a module or component of a module where passed, if it is accepted that mitigating circumstances may have affected a student’s academic performance.
4. Discounting of low weighted components of a module mark if learning outcomes are assessed in other components.
5. Opportunity to retake all or part of an academic session, with first attempts or resit attempts at assessments, including attending teaching.

Roles and Responsibilities for Applications

18. Students are responsible for applying for mitigating circumstances if they experience significant events which may have an adverse effect on their ability to complete assessments. Students requiring an adjustment to the process due to disability or accessibility needs should contact their parent School.

19. Parent schools are responsible for considering the student’s grounds for mitigating circumstances and the documentary supporting information provided.

20. Parent schools are responsible for considering applications, with input from teaching schools, where extensions to coursework deadlines are requested.

21. Teaching schools are responsible for considering coursework extension requests in terms of pedagogic viability. Teaching schools can only decline an application when it is not pedagogically viable.

22. Parent School Special Circumstances Committees are responsible for considering applications for additional consideration.

Documentary Supporting Information for Applications

23. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain documentary supporting information in support of their application. The University is unable to obtain medical, or other, documentary supporting information on the student’s behalf.

24. All documentary supporting information must be provided in English. It is the student’s responsibility to provide translations of any non-English documentation, and any documents not in English or without translation will not be accepted as documentary supporting information. The translation must be certified as accurate by a Public Notary or translated by an accredited translator.

25. The disclosure of data relating to a third party to support a mitigating circumstances application is only permissible with the consent of the third party.

26. Annex 1 provides guidance on the types of documentary supporting information that the University would normally expect to be provided to support an application for mitigating circumstances.

Applications for Extensions to Coursework Deadlines

27. Students apply for extensions to coursework deadlines using an online Microsoft Form.

28. Schools will accept applications for extensions to coursework deadlines up to the original coursework deadline.

29. Retrospective extensions will not be granted if an application is made after the published original coursework deadline.

30. Students can self-certify on medical grounds for a period of up to 7 calendar days for extensions to original coursework deadlines. All other applications require supporting information.

31. Supporting information must be submitted with the application or within 14 calendar days of the application being submitted. Applications may be considered pending receipt of supporting information, but recommended decisions will not normally be confirmed until supporting information has been received.

32. Applications for extensions to coursework deadlines are considered at the time of application. Students can normally expect to receive a decision within 3 calendar days (excluding weekends and University closed days).

33. The authority to consider applications for extensions to coursework deadlines and to grant coursework extensions for a period of up to 14 calendar days is devolved by School Special Circumstances Committees to appropriately trained colleagues within the Student Education and Experience directorate. All decisions must be ratified by the relevant School Special Circumstances Committee.

34. In determining the outcome of an application, the following will be considered.

1. Whether the circumstances cited are acceptable grounds to grant mitigation.
2. The documentary supporting information provided to support the application (if required).

35. Schools may request additional documentary supporting information from a student to further understand the circumstances.

36. The length of any coursework deadline extension will be proportionate to the impact of the circumstances on the student’s ability to complete the coursework.

37. If an extension is not possible for pedagogical reasons, schools may propose that the student be exempt from the assessment if appropriate.

38. Requests for coursework extensions are not granted automatically, and it may be decided that there are insufficient grounds to award an extension.

39. If an extension to a coursework deadline is refused and coursework is submitted after the deadline, penalties for late submission will be incurred in line with the Assessment Policy and Procedures.

Applications for Additional Consideration

40. Students apply for additional consideration using an online Microsoft Form.

41. Supporting information must be submitted with the application or within 14 calendar days of the application being submitted. Applications may be considered pending receipt of supporting information, but recommended decisions will not normally be confirmed until supporting information has been received.

42. The deadline(s) for applications for additional consideration will be determined and publicised by the parent School.

43. Applications for additional consideration are considered by School Special Circumstances Committees. The relevant Progression and Awards Board will decide and ratify the outcome for applications for additional consideration.

44. Parent schools will advise students on the expected decision timeframe for their applications for additional considerations. Students will normally be advised of confirmed outcomes for applications for additional consideration after the relevant Progression and Awards Board.

Consideration by School Special Circumstances Committees

45. School Special Circumstances Committees are responsible to the relevant Progression and Awards Board for matters relating to students’ requests for consideration of mitigating circumstances.

46. School Special Circumstances Committees are normally held following each of the Semester 1, Semester 2 and reassessment examination periods. Further meetings of School Special Circumstances Committees are held as required.

47. Chairs of School Special Circumstances Committee are authorised to approve applications for mitigating circumstances outside formal meetings in exceptional circumstances where the application is clearly supported.

48. In determining the recommended outcome of an application, the following will be considered by the relevant School Special Circumstances Committee.

1. Whether the circumstances cited are acceptable grounds to grant mitigation.
2. Whether the circumstances were beyond the student’s control or ability to foresee.
3. The nature of the circumstances disclosed.
4. How the event or circumstance impacted the student’s ability to complete assessment(s).
5. The proximity of the circumstance to the assessment(s).
6. The documentary supporting information provided to support the application (if required).

49. In advance of the relevant Progression and Awards Board, the following will be completed by the relevant School Special Circumstances Committee.

1. Consider the details of applications for mitigating circumstances and recommend outcomes for each application. The Committee should act without any reference to marks/grades.
2. Record all discussions and recommendations taking care to ensure that records of the recommendations made maintain individuals’ confidentiality.
3. Endorse and maintain an overview of extensions to coursework submission deadlines for monitoring purposes.
4. Provide a report summarising the conclusions and recommendations to the Progression and Awards Board. Details of individual cases remain confidential to the School Special Circumstances Committee.

Outcomes of Applications for Mitigating Circumstances

50. Parent schools are responsible for informing students of the outcome of any applications for mitigating circumstances and any action required by the student.

51. Students who are not satisfied with the outcome of their application, including if the application was not approved, should contact their parent School in the first instance.

52. Students who remain dissatisfied with the outcome of their application following discussion with their parent School may appeal the decision once the Progression and Awards Board has met to confirm academic results using the Academic Appeals Procedure.