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  • Problems with your course

Problems with your course

If your course is not running as smoothly as you'd like, there are procedures in place to help you.

The university recognises that students can come up against unexpected difficulties and hardships during their studies. The Additional Consideration and extensions to deadline processes are designed to help protect students from the impact of unexpected circumstances on their achievement.

You can find information on:

  • Additional Consideration
  • Extension to deadline
  • Errors or queries about your marks, or the assessment process, before an examination board meets
  • Results review
  • Academic appeals
  • Repeating a period of study
  • Placement issues
  • Changing your mode of study
  • Poor academic practice and academic misconduct
  • Making a complaint.

For one-to-one advice about your specific situation please email us: studentservices@brighton.ac.uk.

What to do if you are thinking about withdrawing or transferring

Get support if problems are affecting your work

Additional Consideration

Additional Consideration is a new set of regulations and procedures replacing mitigating circumstances (and generic mitigation and mitigating circumstances for unrepresentative performance). The new regulations and process have been designed in partnership with our student union and follow sector best practice.

If you experience exceptional circumstances which result in non-submission, late submission, unrepresentative performance or failure of an assessment, then you can submit a request for Additional Consideration.

There are two routes for Additional Consideration requests:

Self-Certification for absence from time bound assessment

  • If your difficulties mean you have been absent from a time-bound assessment or assessments (e.g. an exam) for a period of up to and including seven calendar days. Self-certification is not applicable for coursework or attendance at taught sessions.

Full application

  • If your difficulties have led to non-submission, late submission, absence, failure, or unrepresentative performance in any summative assessment. This includes requests which are not eligible for self-certification.

Requests should be submitted as soon as possible after the impacted assessment deadline.

To submit a request for Additional Consideration please first read the full guidance and Student FAQs, before completing the ARGEAR form. The completed form should then be returned to additionalconsideration@brighton.ac.uk.

Requests will be reviewed by an Initial Assessor and, for complex cases, by the university’s Additional Consideration Sub-Committee. If your claim for Additional Consideration is upheld, this decision will be reported to the relevant Course Examination Board who will determine how the Additional Consideration can be taken into account. In most cases, the Examination Board would grant you another opportunity to submit work without penalty (a deferral) during the usual referral (resit) period.

Upcoming Additional Consideration Sub-Committee meeting dates

  • 26 May 2022
  • 7 June 2022
  • 14 June 2022
  • 23 June 2022
  • 13 July 2022
  • 20 July 2022
  • 26 July 2022
  • 12 August 2022
  • 18 August 2022
  • 31 August 2022
  • 9 September 2022
  • 20 September 2022
  • 27 September 2022

Outcome Review

If your full application was not upheld by the Additional Consideration Sub-Committee, you may wish to request an Outcome Review, by completing the Outcome Review Form and submitting this to additionalconsideration@brighton.ac.uk.

Outcome review requests must be submitted within 14 days of being notified of a not upheld decision. Please see the full guidance for further details of the grounds for submitting an outcome review.

Extension to deadline

If your difficulties are short-term and occur close to a coursework submission deadline, you may apply for an extension to deadline.

An extension to deadline grants you extra time to complete your assignment without any negative impact on your marks. Without an extension, a late submission of work (i.e. handing in the work within two weeks after the submission deadline) carries an automatic penalty, and the mark for the work will be capped at the module pass mark of 40% for undergraduate or 50% for postgraduate, so it is imperative that you apply for an extension in advance of the submission deadline.

To request consideration for an extension, you must submit an application form through your  School Administration Office. You should complete the form and submit it along with supporting documentation at least one full day before the published submission deadline. The extension request will be considered by the Designated Signatory (Course Leader or equivalent eg, Deputy Course Leader or Year Tutor).

Where to get help

Your school office will be able to advise you on the extension to deadline process and give you information about how and when decisions are made. In either case, it is better to seek help early so that you can get the support you need. 

If you are experiencing difficulties and would like to discuss this further, we encourage you to reach out to one of our support services, such as your Personal Academic Tutor,  Student Support and Guidance Tutor, the Brighton Students' Union, or your Course/ Module Leader.

If you have a Learning Support Plan you should seek advice from the Disability and Dyslexia Team.

Further information can be found in the regulations section of the Student Contract – see GEAR section B4: Extension to deadline.

Errors or queries about your marks, or the assessment process, before an Examination Board meets

At any point during the academic year and up to the time that an Examination Board meets, you are encouraged to speak to your Course Leader, School Quality Lead or school office to discuss your concerns regarding a provisional mark (ie a mark that has not been approved and confirmed by an Examination Board) including where you feel that this has been incorrectly recorded.

Where such a concern arises, the Course Leader or School Quality Lead will undertake such actions as to check the provisional assessment outcome and notify the student of their findings. Students should note that marking errors (eg ‘slips’ such as transposition or arithmetic errors) may be rectified prior to an Examination Board if an error is acknowledged by the academic school.

Results review

If you have any queries relating to your results, once your marks have been ratified (i.e. confirmed by the Course Examination Board), you have up to 14 calendar days from receipt of your results to contact your school office and request a Results Review.

You should state clearly why you have a concern and what you expect the outcome to be. If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the Results Review, you will have a further 21 calendar days to submit a formal Stage 1 Appeal.

Academic appeals

An academic appeal is a formal request to the university to ask an Examination Board to look again at its decision about your progression or award. This might concern your degree classification or your ‘progression’, which means a decision about whether you continue to the next stage of your degree, are asked to repeat a module, or are asked to leave the university.

Read our regulations on Academic Appeals in Section H of GEAR.

If you are considering making an academic appeal, the Brighton Students’ Union can offer advice and guidance. Please contact them at bsusupportservice@brighton.ac.uk or telephone 01273 642876 for a confidential conversation about your options. This does not commit you to bringing an appeal unless you decide to go ahead.

Appeal documents

  • Academic appeals (Section H of GEAR)
  • Stage 1 Academic Appeal Form (.docx)
  • Stage 2 Academic Appeal Form (.docx)
  • Stage 1 formal appeal guidance (pdf)
  • Stage 2 appeal outcome review guidance (pdf)

How do I appeal?

You must use the Stage 1 Form and accompanying guidance provided for this purpose, which you can download here or obtain from the BSU. You must appeal within 21 calendar days from receipt of your Course Examination Board results, or within 21 calendar days of the conclusion of your school’s Results Review. You need to follow the guidance instructions carefully and you must attach evidence in support of your appeal, including an attached copy of your results notification email. If you are still awaiting evidence and cannot provide this within the deadline of 21 calendar days, you should submit your appeal form together with a rationale explaining why you have not been able to submit on time and a note explaining what further evidence is awaited and when it will be received. You have a maximum of 14 calendar days to submit this evidence.

What if I am not satistifed with the outcome of the Stage 1 Formal Academic Appeal?

If you believe that the outcome is incorrect, you should read the Academic Appeals Regulations Section H of GEAR carefully and seek advice from the BSU to see whether to request a Stage 2 Appeal Outcome Review. To do this, you will need to complete the Stage 2 Acadmic Appeal Form, referring to the accompanying guidance and submit to academicappeals@brighton.ac.uk within 14 days of your stage 1 Academic Appeal outcome.

Academic Appeal Panel meeting dates

  • 17th January 2022
  • 22nd March 2022
  • 28th April 2022

What if I am not satisfied with the outcome of the Stage 2 Appeal Outcome Review?

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of the Stage 2 Review of Appeal Decision, you have the right to submit a complaint to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (‘OIA’), the time limit for so doing, and further advice and support may be obtained from the Brighton Students’ Union.

Problems that should be raised as a Complaint and not an Academic Appeal

If you have a problem with the service delivery of the university, whether this relates to quality of teaching and course materials, supervision or if you think you are a victim of bias or prejudice, you should raise the issue via the Complaints Resolution Procedure, which will enable a proper investigation to be carried out. You should raise this in the first instance with one of your school Complaints Officers, but if the matter cannot be resolved to your satisfaction within 7-14 days, you should bring a formal Stage 1 Complaint.

See the section below: How to make a complaint.

Contact details

Students’ Union website

Please note that both Stage 1 Formal Appeal and Stage 2 Appeal Outcome Review forms should be submitted directly to academicappeals@brighton.ac.uk.

Repeating a period of study

If you have failed all or part of the academic year, you may not have to leave the university. Instead, you may be able to repeat a period of study.

Repeat study opportunities are offered at the discretion of the examination board. You will need to discuss your individual situation with your personal tutor or course leader.

Bear in mind that repeat study funding, including bursaries, is a complex issue, and we recommend that you see a student adviser to ensure that you will be able to successfully fund your repeated year.

Placement issues

If you experience issues while you are on a placement, contact your placement officer. You can also contact your personal tutor, course leader or student support and guidance tutor (SSGT) if your school has one.

If you find yourself without the contact details you need, call the main switchboard on 01273 600900 and ask to be put through to a member of staff from your area.

Changing your mode of study

Overview

Changing your mode of study means changing from full-time to part-time or vice versa. This option is only available on some courses and can depend on the timing of modules and on individual circumstances.

Make sure that you carefully consider any effects that changing mode could have upon your student finance. If you started your course before 2012, changing your mode of study will mean that you are liable to pay the higher fees that were introduced by the government in 2012. If you started your course in 2012, however, changing mode will mean that your tuition fees will vary depending on how many modules you take in a given year.

If you do eventually make the decision to change mode, you need to work with your course leader, who will help you to inform the Academic Registry Student Administration team and your school office.

Student finance

If you plan to study on the same course but change your mode of study to part-time, you are eligible to apply for full funding from Student Finance England, as long as the change is agreed by your academic school. However, unless you have compelling personal reasons for doing so, you will only be entitled to the standard number of years of tuition fee loan and maintenance grant or special support grant for your course. This equates to the standard length of your course plus one year.

If you change course, you will be classed as a new student and your fees and funding will be set at the current level.

If you decide to change your mode of study you will not be eligible to receive a University of Brighton bursary unless you are liable to pay the full tuition fee.

International students

International students with a student visa must study full-time courses and are not permitted to change their mode of study to part-time. There are two exceptions:

  • International students can study on a part-time basis to re-take modules or re-sit exams.
  • Postgraduate research students (MPhil/PhD) who are writing up a thesis may also be permitted to study part-time.

We recommend speaking to an international student adviser for further information on this issue.

Poor academic practice and academic misconduct

If you have received a letter accusing you of poor academic practice or academic misconduct, it can be confusing and upsetting. Academic misconduct is taken seriously by the university and can lead to disciplinary action.

The letter you receive will indicate whether yours is considered to be a case of 'poor academic practice' or 'academic misconduct' and will give you a date for an academic practice review meeting with the Head of School or nominee or an Investigating Panel for cases of academic misconduct.

We advise you to contact the Students' Union support service for advice and support with the process as soon as possible. The Students' Union is there to make sure you are treated fairly throughout the process and to advise you on your options.

How to make a complaint

What is a complaint?

While the university aims to provide the best possible educational experience for you, sometimes you may feel the service you have received was unsatisfactory. We have produced a How to Complain guide to help you.

Where can I obtain advice and support?

If you are considering making a complaint, the Students’ Union can offer advice and guidance (issuu). Please contact them at bsusupportservice@brighton.ac.uk or telephone 01273 642876 for a confidential conversation about your options. This does not commit you to bringing a complaint.

Advisers from the Students’ Union can provide you with advice and support relevant to your individual circumstances, including helping you complete a Stage 2 Formal Complaint Form and accompanying you at meetings. You are encouraged to contact a Students’ Union Adviser before submitting your complaint.

What can I complain about?

  • Failure by the university to provide a satisfactory service.
  • The quality of facilities or learning resources.
  • Misleading or incorrect information in prospectuses or promotional material and other information provided by the university.
  • Concerns about the delivery of a programme, teaching or administration including, where applicable, that provided by a partner college.
  • Poor quality of facilities, learning resources or services provided directly by the university.
  • Complaints involving other organisations or contractors providing a service on behalf of the university.

Complaint documents

  • Complaints resolution procedure (pdf)
  • Complaints guide for students (Powerpoint)
  • Stage 2 Complaint Form (.docx)
  • Stage 3 Complaint Form (.docx)
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