Extensions and Mitigating Circumstances Procedures

From time-to-time you may encounter difficulties that affect your studies. If this is the case, we strongly recommend that you contact your Academic Centre Administrator to discuss all the options open to you.

Extensions Procedure

If you are facing short-term exceptional circumstances, you may request an extension to your assignment submission deadline from your Course Director and Head of Academic Centre Administration. An extension can normally be granted for a period of up to two weeks.

Examples of exceptional circumstances include:

• illness of self or dependents;
• unanticipated changes in personal circumstances;
• unexpectedly heavy work demands.

The following reasons would not normally be accepted as valid reasons for a short-term extension:

• holiday arrangements;
• social commitments;
• normal work pressures;
• religious festivals;
• technical software, hardware, network or internet problems.

You can download a copy of the Extension Request Form or your Academic Centre Administrator can provide you with a copy and guide you through the process.

Regardless of the nature of your extension request you will be asked to provide documentary evidence to support your application.

The exact evidence will depend on the nature of the claim but may include: a medical letter from your GP or hospital, a letter from your employer or legal documents. Any evidence provided must be time-relevant to the period you are making a claim for.

Once complete, the form and documentary evidence should be sent to your Academic Centre Administrator to process. All documentation will be treated confidentially within ICE and will only be viewed by those necessary in the decision making process.

If an extension is granted, you would be expected to meet the agreed deadline. A request for a second extension cannot normally be considered.

Additional information

Extensions Quick Guide

Mitigating Circumstances Procedure

The mitigating circumstances process is intended to help those facing severe and/or unexpected difficulties. Students may request an extension to their assignment submission deadline (over two weeks), request late penalties be deducted from their work or that they resubmit their work.

For the Mitigating Circumstances Procedure please click here.

You should complete a Mitigating Circumstances Form as soon as you can for each unit where your work or performance has been adversely affected by significant events. Please note that the deadline for the submission of this form for each unit is below: 

• Unit 1 (Michaelmas 2020): 22 January 2021 
• Unit 2 (Lent 2021): 16 April 2021 
• Unit 3 (Easter 2021): 21 June 2021 

If you are studying a course which did not start in October please discuss the appropriate date to submit your claim with your Academic Centre Administrator.

For the Mitigating Circumstances Quick Guide click here.