Owner:
Version number:
Effective date:
Head of Admissions
2.1
September 2015
This document is part of a revised series of Academic Regulations, Policies and Procedures which
govern the University’s academic provision. Each document has a unique document number to indicate
which section of the series it belongs to.
3J – Academic Progression (International Admissions): Procedure
1.
SCOPE AND PURPOSE
1.1
These procedures are for BU admissions staff assessing applications for those requiring a Tier 4
(General) Student Visa who are applying for full time postgraduate taught programmes at BU. It may
also be applicable to a small number of full time undergraduate applicants also requiring visas (4.34.5).
1.2
These procedures are required to ensure that BU applicants studying a second course of the same
level in the UK fulfil the Home Office’s requirement for demonstrating ‘academic progression’ (AP),
and will receive the correct documents to ensure that their Tier 4 (General) Student Visa is not
refused.
1.3
The risk of not applying this process is that the applicant’s Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies
(CAS) may carry incorrect wording, and a visa processing officer will refuse the visa application on the
basis of not demonstrating academic progression. Such refusals reflect badly on both the applicant
and the University. Large numbers of refusals may also affect BU’s ability to recruit students from
outside of the EU in the future.
2.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
2.1
International Admissions Team (IAT) or admissions administrators in Faculties/Schools dealing with
overseas (i.e. non-UK, non-EU) applicants requiring a Tier 4 (General) Student Visa. Their
responsibility is to identify where the Academic Progression Form (APF – Appendix 2) should be
completed by an applicant. Referred to henceforth as ‘the administrator’.
2.2
Head of Admissions is responsible to make the decisions on AP based on the content of the APF.
Referred to henceforth as ‘the assessor’. In the absence of the Head of Admissions, the Head of
International Marketing & Student Recruitment (supported by the Manager, International Admissions)
will assess academic progression.
2.3
Programme Leader provides academic judgement on borderline cases referred by the Head of
Admissions.
3.
LINKS TO OTHER BU DOCUMENTS
3.1
Other documents with direct relevance to this one are:
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3B Admissions (Taught Programmes): Policy and Procedure
3C Corporate Recruitment: Procedure
3D Fraudulent Application: Procedure
3H Standards of English for International Students and English Language Qualifications
3L Fees status: Guidelines
3T Admissions Appeals and Complaints: Procedure
3J - Academic Progression (International Admissions): Procedure
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4. RATIONALE
4.1
Since 4 July 2011, if an applicant is assigned a CAS to a Tier 4 (General) student to take a course in
the UK after they have finished another course in the UK under Tier 4 (General) or as a Student prior
to the introduction of the Points Based System, it must represent academic progression from the
previous course. This applies whether the student is applying from overseas or in the UK. To show
academic progression the student’s new course should normally be above the level of the previous
course for which we gave them permission to stay in the UK as a student. However, academic
progression may involve further study at the same level. In these cases, you must confirm that the
new course complements the previous course.
Extracted from Tier 4 of the Points Based System – Policy Guidance, 1 October 2013 Academic Progression p.
59
4.2
Although in most cases the administrator should be able to ascertain whether a student is affected by
the paragraph above by looking at the ‘previous qualifications’ section of an application form, there is
a risk that an applicant may accidentally or deliberately omit detail on previous studies to ensure a
successful visa application.
4.3
The majority of the risk lies with postgraduate applicants looking to complete a second masters in the
UK. The BU application form and online applications system (OLA) will explicitly question whether an
applicant has studied in the UK on a Tier 4 (General) Student Visa in the past, and request all relevant
details.
4.4
Home Office policy as of 6th April 2012 prevents applicants from obtaining a Tier 4 (General) Student
Visa for more than 5 years (6 in some cases), meaning it is unlikely that applicants who have already
studied at undergraduate level in the UK would submit an application for further undergraduate level
study. Top up applicants may however be affected by the new Home Office guidance, and hence this
procedure.
Example: An applicant already having completed a BA (Hons) Commerce from London Metropolitan University
(duration three years), applying for a BA (Hons) Business & Management (Top Up). The entire duration of their
studies would be less than 5 years, but as they had already completed Level H study, their Visa application will
be refused.
4.5
This procedure will not apply to applicants of pre-sessional courses at BU (such as the BUIC Presessional English for University Study Programme). BU will not offer pre-sessional places to
applicants requiring a visa who have completed a previous pre-sessional course in the UK on a Tier 4
(General) Student Visa, as current Home Office guidance does not support such pre-sessional
courses in its acceptable examples of academic progression provided in the guidance.
5.
PROCEDURE
5.1
When it is identified that an applicant has studied on a Tier 4 (General) Student Visa in the UK before,
the administrator must ensure that their proposed course is at a higher level than the study already
completed, using the table provided in Appendix 2. If the level of the proposed course is the same or
lower than study completed on a Tier 4 (General) Student Visa in the past, the APF form in Appendix
1, or equivalent online process via the applicant portal, must be provided to the applicant for them to
complete.
5.2
The ‘Academic Progression’ User Event/Clearance Check is to be applied to the applicant’s student
record at this stage. This is required to ensure that corporate conventions for recording application to
offer turnaround time may be accurately monitored. 3C Corporate Recruitment Guidelines are linked
to in Section 3.1 of this document.
5.3
Once all information is received, the administrator should forward directly to the assessor. A decision
or request for further information will be provided to the administrator within 5 (five) working days.
5.4
On receipt of the information, the assessor will review the relevant detail. It may be necessary to
obtain an academic opinion in particular cases, and the assessor will make the decision on who best
to obtain such an opinion as cases require.
3J - Academic Progression (International Admissions): Procedure
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5.5
The assessor will review the documentation in line with current Home Office guidance, currently that
the new course complements the previous course. To determine if applicant meets AP, the assessor
will take into account their previous course, new course (and differences between), career goals (how
the new course aligns, how the previous did not), and personal statement. A determination of
academic progression will fall into one of the following categories:

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AP evidenced through advancement from Masters to MBA for greater specialisation in general
management and in preparation for ultimate career goal.
AP evidenced by progression to a course which provides greater/new specialisation in <insert
area of study> which supports the applicant’s career goals.
AP approved as specific requirements of future career in applicant’s home country require two
Masters Degrees.
AP evidenced by progression to a course which provides greater specialisation in <insert area of
study> which supports the applicant’s career goals; the applicant did not complete previous
Masters.
AP evidenced through advancement from PG Cert to Masters and further specialisation in <insert
area of study>.
The last two scenarios could be for when a student has experienced a ‘false start’ in their previous
study. In the case of academic failure the assessor may seek the opinion of academic staff to advise
if the reason for failure is a fundamental issue which will impact all disciplines or if it is more likely to
be discipline specific.
5.6
It is the responsibility of the relevant administrator to communicate the decision or request further
detail from the applicant, and close the Academic Progression User Event/Clearance Check to
indicate that the decision on whether to offer is no longer being postponed due to AP considerations
as appropriate.
5.7
If the decision is successful, the administrator should continue to process the file to ensure the
applicant’s academic and English language suitability for an offer. If the decision is unsuccessful, the
administrator should apply a ‘Reject’ decision to the application, recording the reason ‘Academic
Profile – Predicted Grades’ and putting a brief description in the notes section. An example text:
‘Applicant failed to meet requirement to demonstrate academic progression from previous studies’.
5.8
A copy of the signed APF form must be kept on the student’s file. If possible, attach any
accompanying email evidence from the assessor to the APF form. An email confirming/denying AP
that is not accompanied by an APF is not acceptable evidence.
5.9
Academic Progression must be outlined on a student’s CAS where it is identified. Details are provided
in the CAS Procedures Document, outlined in Section 3.2. Failure to disclose this detail will form the
basis for the CAS holder’s visa application being refused, BU may be held liable for costs associated
with an unsuccessful visa application if the result of BU omission.
5.10
If an applicant wishes to appeal the decision made in their AP assessment, they may do so according
to the Admissions Appeals and Complaints Procedure. Note that appeals against academic
judgement (i.e. whether the student has demonstrated that their enrolment in another programme of
the same or lower level than one they’ve already completed represents clear academic progression
when reasonably considering their aspirations and other pertinent detail) can only be made if the
process of decision making in respect of an application did not follow the University’s prescribed
procedures, or if pertinent new information is available which was not included in the original
application.
3J - Academic Progression (International Admissions): Procedure
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6.
REFERENCES AND FURTHER INFORMATION
6.1
Qualifications: ‘What the Different Levels Mean’ Directgov.co.uk March 2012
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/QualificationsExplained/DG_10039017
6.2
‘Tier 4 of the Points Based System – Policy Guidance” (Version 10/13)
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/employersandsponsors/pbsguidance/guidancefrom31
mar09/sponsor-guidance-t4.pdf?view=Binaryf
7.
APPENDICES
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
- Academic Progression Form
- Table to compare Qualification Levels inc. FHEQ, QCF and NCF.
3J - Academic Progression (International Admissions): Procedure
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APPENDIX 1
3J - Academic Progression (International Admissions): Procedure
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APPENDIX 2
Comparison of the (graduating) level of different qualifications for use when performing an assessment on
Academic Progression.
Typical higher education
qualifications within each level
(FHEQ)
Qualification
Level (on
completion)
Doctoral degrees (eg, PhD/Dphil)
Master's degrees (Meng, MA, MSc)
Postgraduate Certificate / Diploma
8
7
7
Graduate Certificate / Diploma
6
Bachelor's degrees with or without
honours (eg, BA/BSc Hons) Complete Level H
Higher National Diplomas (HND)
Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE)
6
5
5
Completion of Level I Studies
(typically Year 2 Bachelor Degree)
Higher National Certificates (HNC)
5
4
Certificate of Higher Ed. (CertHE)
4
Higher National Certificates (HNC)
BTEC Professional Diplomas /
Certificates / Awards at Level 4
4
3
3
3
A Levels
* Foundation Certificates
International Baccalaureate
3
BTEC Awards, Certificates, and Diplomas
at Level 3
Completion of Level C Studies
(typically Year 1 Bachelor Degree)
Typical secondary / further education
qualifications within each level - QCF /
NQF
Higher National Diplomas (HND)
* Only Foundation Certificates previously agreed by BU to
fulfil the Academic Entry requirement to Level C Study.
Qualifications delivered by Higher Education providers have their levels assessed under The framework for
higher education qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. (FHEQ). The FHEQ has five levels,
three of which are undergraduate and two are postgraduate. These are numbered 4-8, succeeding levels 1-3
which precede higher education in The National Qualifications Framework and The Qualifications and Credit
Framework (NQF / QCF).
An applicant for a course which is at the same or lower level to one they have already completed on a Student
Visa in the UK must complete the form in Appendix 1 of this document to clearly demonstrate their intended
study outcomes, how these were not met by the previous course of study, and how the programme which they
are applying for through BU will meet them better.
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