If you have are experiencing difficulties that cover a period longer than 7 days and an extension to your deadline is not going to be enough for you, you need to submit an additional consideration application. It can be used for unavoidable and unforeseen issues which limit your ability to study and affect your performance in any type of assessment.

You will need to request 'Additional Consideration' for every assessment you feel has been affected, this means you may need to make multiple applications throughout the year.

If you apply for assessments in semester 1, and your problems continue into semester 2, you will need to submit another claim to cover the next assessment period. Referral (or ‘resit assessment’) during the summer referral period is not covered by any previous request. You must make a new request for each assessment.

Remember that each application must be within 14 days of the assessment deadline for Full Consideration, and 7 days for Self Certification. Whether you use Full or Self-Certification will depend on the type of assessment.

For more information see our FAQs on Additional Consideration.

An extension is useful if you have a short-term problem that will cause you to miss a deadline. If you have an unexpected situation that you think will be resolved relatively quickly, but it is stopping you from completing or handing in your work by the published deadline, you can apply for an extension. For more information see here.

For long term issues such as on-going health problem, caring responsibilities, maternity or a personal situation, you may need to take a Break in Study (known as intermission or intercalating). You may also be considering time away from your studies for other reasons, but regardless of your motive it is a good idea to discuss the matter with the Students’ Union Support team or your School Student Support and Guidance Tutor (SSGT) or your School Operations and Support, where you can access one-to-one advice and support.

To take a break and spend time away from your studies, you must submit a request to your Course Leader, explaining your reasons for the request.

The length of your period of Intermission will vary according to your individual needs, course and stage of study. The start and end date will be decided by your Course Leader and will take into account the requirements of your course. 

"Intermission is not a student right and is permitted only at an appropriate stage of the course as determined by the Course Leader, normally at the end of a given semester, term or stage of study i.e., after completion of all assessment(s) in a module(s)" (GEAR Section A11.2).

What happens next?

During Intermission, your studies will be suspended, and you will be de-registered from the course for the determined period. You cannot undertake assessments during this time. When your time away from university is coming to a close, someone from your school should contact you with details of how to re-start your course and details of how to re-activate your Student Central account. You will then need to activate your account and re-enrol with the university via Student Central.

It is important to be aware of the Maximum Period of Registration on your course. This is the maximum length of time a student may take to complete a course. A period of Intermission does not ‘stop the clock’, so a long break can potentially cause you to exceed this period. More information about the maximum period of registration can be found in the University’s General Examination & Assessment Regulations (GEAR), Section D.

You also need to be aware of the possible impact on your student funding. If you need to take a break, you or the University will need to contact Student Finance England. You may be in receipt of overpayments. You should talk to the university’s Student Money Advice team  to discuss the effects on your student finance.

If you are an International Student on a Tier 4 visa, a break in study may not be possible, or you may need to apply for a new visa - seek advice from the International Student Support Team. If you are an International Student on a Tier 4 visa, a break in study may not be possible, or you may need to apply for a new visa.

Further information on Intermission can be found the university’s website.

When your time away from University is coming to a close, your school will contact you with details of how to re-start your course, confirmation of your end-of-year results and details of how to access My Studies. You will need to activate your account and enrol with the University via student central.

If yours is a long-term health issue or disability and you can continue with your studies, it is advisable to request a Learning Support Plan. This will help you get the appropriate on-going support you need to succeed at university. You can contact the university’s Disability and Leaning Support team for help with this. See also the university’s web pages for more information.

If your course requires you to attend placement, you will need to consider whether you wish to share information about the learning support you require with the placement provider. The University does not normally share this information with third parties; therefore you should discuss your needs with the university’s Disability team and your course leader before undertaking your placement. If you require additional learning support for a condition that you’ve not declared, or because your needs have changed, you should speak to the Disability & Learnig Support team to have your needs re-assessed.