Consideration of your claim

Claims are considered by MC panels after all deadlines are passed, and operate confidentially.

Designated administrative colleagues, acting under delegated authority from the School’s Associate Dean for Education and Student Experience, will make decisions on straightforward MC claims. If your claim is not considered to be valid, it may be declined at this stage or you may be asked for further information.

Where a straightforward claim is valid, there are two possible outcomes:

  1. A repeat attempt can be offered. This allows you to resit the assessment either as a repeat first attempt (uncapped) or as a repeat second attempt (capped).
  2. A mark can be input for coursework that you submitted late where the following applies:
    1. You submitted work within the School’s extension period for that assessment and;
    2. You have provided a valid reason why you were unable to request an extension before the original deadline.

You will normally receive a decision within 20 working days of submitting your claim, however your decision may take longer if it is referred to the Schools’ MC panel. Having a claim referred to the panel does not mean that it is less likely to be upheld. Claims are referred when an academic judgement is required on the appropriate outcome or other concerns arise. In this instance, you will be informed within 20 working days of the timescale for receiving your decision.

Membership of Mitigating Circumstances Panels

When a Mitigating Circumstances Panel is convened, it will consist of:

  • At least three internal examiners – one of which will act as chair, and
  • A secretary – who will also be secretary to the associated Programme and/or Review Boards where possible.

The membership of Mitigating Circumstances Panels will be the same for all claims from students in each Part of each Programme.

Confidentiality of your claim

We recognise that the information provided as part of your Mitigating Circumstances (MC) claim can be highly sensitive and therefore access is restricted only to University staff with delegated authority to consider the circumstances of your claim and determine the outcome.

Concerns relating to confidentiality will not normally be considered as a good reason for not submitting your Mitigating Circumstances claim by the disclosed deadline.

If you are worried about confidentiality, please talk to the student support team in your School or Student Wellbeing and Inclusivity (SWAI).