Extenuating Circumstances: When Things Don't Go Your Way

With exam season wrapping up, we know that this is a stressful time for a lot of students. You might have experienced difficult or unexpected circumstances during the academic year that impacted on your studies. Extenuating circumstances (ECs) are circumstances which are outside of a student’s control and have a significant impact on their ability to complete coursework, exams or other forms of assessments to the standard normally expected. For this reason, during third term, the Advice Centre has been holding ECs drop-ins, leading up to the deadline for ECs, which is on Tuesday 29 May at 12pm.

ECs can cover a whole range issues, including; bereavement, illness, hospitalisation, acute personal circumstances, adverse family circumstances etc. Not everything can be considered as an EC though; exam stress, computer/tech failure, minor short-term illness and the like won’t count. Please remember that this is not an exhaustive list, each student’s circumstances are unique so it’s worth seeking advice to find out if you can apply for ECs. Through our ECs drop-in service we have been able to help 17 students with their ECs application. Our academic advisor has advised students on; how to fill in their forms, what key information to include and the type of evidence they need to submit with their form.

If you have any questions about your ECs form or want help with filling it in, then please email Remember, we’re here to help you, so don’t be afraid to give us a shout when you need us.