It’s important that you complete your assessments, including exams, on time and there is a wide range of support available to help you to do so.
However, if you experience unexpected short-term personal difficulties, you may be able to request a coursework extension or a further chance to take an exam or time-constrained assessment.
It could also affect your ability to complete your studies, or start your next year of study, on time.
In a minority of cases, it might result in a delay in the release of your student finance for your next year of study.
We understand that your ability to meet your deadlines can be sometimes impacted by exceptional events which are short-term in nature (i.e. lasting 1-2 weeks) and beyond your control.
In such situations, students on all taught courses (including those studying at a partner institution) are able to use the exceptional circumstances process (previously know as the extenuating circumstances process) to:
However, please note you can't use exceptional circumstances to:
If you are on a research course, you should check your Blackboard or contact graduatecollege@canterbury.ac.uk for information on extension processes.
The University will only approve an exceptional circumstances request if it's in response to a situation which is unexpected, beyond your control and short-term in nature (i.e. lasting 1-2 weeks).
See below reasons that are not eligible/ eligible for evidence-based extensions and impaired performance requests.
There are three types of exceptional circumstances request. Each has a different purpose and criteria, and it's important you choose the right one for your situation. If you're not sure which request to make, seek advice from either your Personal Academic Tutor (PAT), Course Director or a Student Support Adviser.
Unfortunately, late requests can't be considered for any of the three.
|
Self-certification |
Evidence-based extension |
Impaired performance |
What’s it for? |
To request a 7 calendar day extension to a coursework deadline or defer your exam to the next assessment point for your course. |
To request a 7 or 14 calendar day extension to a coursework deadline or to defer an exam to the next assessment point for your course. |
To ask to re-take an exam or other type of time-constrained assessment (e.g. live performance or practical session) if you feel your difficulties affected your performance on your first attempt. |
What are the terms and conditions? |
Only two self-certification requests will be approved per academic year. If you are studying Combined Honours, this limit applies to your whole course of study, not per subject. You can't use a self-certification request to further extend a deadline that has already been extended via a self-certification or evidence-based request or as a result of a Temporary Learning Agreement or Learning Support Plan. |
For coursework, the maximum extension through the exceptional circumstances process is 14 calendar days from your original deadline. Therefore, you won’t be eligible for an evidence-based extension if you've already been granted an extension due to a Temporary Learning Agreement or Learning Support Plan. If you’ve already had a 7 day extension through self-certification, an evidence-based request will only gain you another 7 days (14 days in total from your original deadline). If you still need more time, and you don't already have a Temporary Learning Agreement, you should contact your PAT to discuss if you are eligible for one. |
If your impaired performance request is approved, your original attempt will be dis-counted and you'll reattempt your exam at the next assessment point for your course. When you receive confirmation that your request has been successful, you'll also find out when you'll re-take the exam, which is normally in the next assessment period for your Academic Calendar. (See here for the University's academic year dates.) |
Do you need evidence? |
No |
Yes - this must be submitted with your request form. |
Yes - this must be submitted with the request form. |
When can you make this request? |
Up to 14 calendar days before your deadline, but no later; or before the scheduled start time for exams (including take-home exams). |
Up to 14 calendar days before your deadline; and no later than 7 days afterwards. |
On the day of the exam, and for up to 7 calendar days afterwards. |
How long until you get a decision? |
Your request will be considered by your Course team, so you should normally receive a decision within 3 working days. |
Your request will be considered by your Course team, so you should normally receive a decision within 3 working days. |
Your request will be considered by your Faculty Panel, so you should normally receive a decision within 21 working days. |
Please note: when we say 'calendar days', this includes Saturdays and Sundays but excludes Bank Holidays. By 'working days', we mean Monday-Friday but excluding Bank Holiday and periods of University closure.
Exceptional circumstances requests are made via an online form. Click here for further instructions and to complete the form that's right for your particular situation.
If you need further advice on making an exceptional circumstances request, or if you need a different type of support because you have a longer-term problem, speak to your Personal Academic Tutor, Course Administrator/Support Officer or Student Wellbeing Adviser.
If you study a research degree course you should check your Blackboard for information on extension processes or contact graduatecollege@canterbury.ac.uk.
The University only approves exceptional circumstances requests in cases that are genuinely beyond the student's control. This is because it’s important for you to complete your assessments on time, and there's a wide range of support available to you throughout the year to help you do so.