Reasons to submit a claim

• Sudden short-term mental or physical illness or injury.
• Unpredictable flare-ups of long-term health conditions or disabilities (physical or mental health) regardless of adjustments already made.
• Bereavement of a close relation or friend.
• Absence from an examination or scheduled assessment(s) due to attendance at the funeral of a close relation or friend that is happening on the same day.
• Adverse personal and/or family circumstances including divorce and serious illness of a close relation.
• Subject of or impacted by crime or hate incidents including racist incidents, homophobic or transphobic incidents, sexual or domestic violence or other sensitive personal and family circumstances.
• Affected by global events, either through direct experience or through family members associated with the regions of the world where they are taking place.
• Exceptional travel circumstances beyond your control that prevented you from attending an examination or other scheduled assessment(s).
• For part-time students only, claims referring to employment where exceptional circumstances can be demonstrated, and evidence provided by your employer.
• There have been exceptional circumstances that did not allow for a group working issue to be reported to the module leader in accordance with the University Policy Statement on Group Working.

Claims based on the following would not normally be considered as eligible reasons to submit a Mitigating Circumstances (MC) claim (the list is not exhaustive):

• Claims referring to minor sickness such as colds, headaches and stomach upsets, where you feel well enough to attempt the assessment/exam.
• Claims referring to a long-term illness or disability, where the University has already put in place reasonable adjustments for assessments or where such arrangements could have been made if the University had been made aware of the situation in a timely manner.
• Claims arising from poor time management or personal organisation (for example, failure to plan for foreseeable last-minute emergencies such as computer crashes, printing or travel problems resulting in late submission of coursework; misreading the examination timetable).
• Claims related to sporting activities at the highest level (normally, representing your country will be dealt with outside of the Mitigating Circumstances process – make sure to consult your School in advance).
• Claims that do not state clearly how you feel your performance in a specific assessment has been affected.
• Claims referring to ‘bunching’ of examinations or coursework deadlines.
• Claims where your circumstance(s) has been fully addressed by the granting of an extension to the deadline.
• Claims where the circumstance is caused by English being an additional language – in such circumstances, you should seek advice from Student Services.
• Claims referring to circumstances within your control (for example, family wedding or holiday; getting a cheaper flight; choosing to miss an assessment or coursework deadline for something considered more important).
• Claims referring to missing an assessment or coursework deadline due to attending a job or placement interview.
• For full-time students, claims referring to paid employment.
• Claims relating to group coursework if they have not been previously reported to the module leader in accordance with the University Policy Statement on Group Working and where they could reasonably have been reported.
• Claims relating to a religious event beyond your control, such as a requirement to observe certain dates by attendance at collective worship or some form of abstinence or ritual (note: the University has an Assessment Flexibility (Religious Observance) Policy).