Mitigating Circumstances
Guidance
What are ‘mitigating circumstances’ ?
Events that have significantly disrupted your studies. They must be:
•
serious or acute
•
beyond your ability to foresee and control
When can you apply for mitigating circumstances to be
considered ?
If you are unable to attend an examination, or to submit coursework
assessment, perhaps because you are ill, or if you have a personal
issue which prevents you from engaging with the work, you should
complete and submit the form at the back of this guide. You must
remember to include independent evidence (e.g. a hospital
appointment letter or a copy of a prescription) with your application:
it is your responsibility to collect this evidence. It will normally assist
your case if you also include support from your Personal Tutor.
Remember that in the case of first submission opportunities you can
request a short extension (up to two weeks) on your coursework
deadline from your module tutor: this does not apply to second
(‘resit’) opportunities.
What outcome can you expect if you apply for mitigating
circumstances ?
There are a number of issues that cannot be addressed through the
submission of a mitigating circumstances application:
1. Under no circumstances will grades awarded to your work be
changed. All work is graded upon its own merits and no allowance
will be made for mitigating circumstances. A mitigating
circumstances application for work you have submitted will not be
considered.
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2. Only in very exceptional cases will applications be accepted for
mitigating circumstances after the set deadline for handing in the
work (or the examination date) has passed. If you do apply late
you must explain why.
3. A known disability is not per se a reason to submit a mitigating
circumstance application, although (for example) unforeseen illness
resulting from a disability may be. Reasonable adjustments to
assessments and examinations will normally be made as required to
support students with a disability. Requests for such adjustments
should be discussed with the Access Ability Team (contactable via the
Student Centre) well in advance of assessment deadlines and/or
examination.
4. In accordance with the University’s Assessment Regulations, students
are offered a maximum of two opportunities to submit coursework
assignments or to take examinations.
If you miss the first opportunity

Even if you have successfully applied for mitigating circumstances, you
will have ‘used up’ that first opportunity and you will have only one
further chance to submit.

You will normally be offered a second opportunity (unless there is
evidence that you have not engaged with the module). If you have
successfully applied for mitigating circumstances, your work will be
awarded the full grade it deserves; otherwise, grades for work
submitted at the second opportunity are capped at a maximum bare
pass.
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If you miss the second (final) opportunity

Even if you have successfully applied for mitigating circumstances, you
will have ‘used up’ both opportunities and (if you are allowed by the
Assessment Board) you will need to repeat the module. A tuition fee
will be levied by the University for repeat modules.

If you have successfully applied for mitigating circumstances for either
the first or second opportunity, there may be a proportionate fee
remission for the repeat module (you should contact the Finance
Department for information on this).

If you have made a successful mitigating circumstances application for
either opportunity and you subsequently fail that module, the credits
associated with the failed module concerned will not be included in your
‘accumulated failure’ count.

5.
There are no third opportunities.
If you make an application for mitigating circumstances and you
subsequently submit your work by the original deadline then your
application will be discarded: you will have declared yourself ‘fit to
sit’.
Other sources of information
See the full Mitigating Circumstances Policy on the University website
(www.northampton.ac.uk/student - search on ‘Mitigating
Circumstances’).
If you have any uncertainties about the information contained in this
Guide you should consult an Academic Advisor (contactable via the
Student Help Desks located in both of the Student Centres at Park and
Avenue Campus or studentservices@northampton.ac.uk ).
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FAQ’s -
What should I do if:
I’ve just missed a deadline for an assignment ?
If it is the first opportunity then you can submit the work up to one week late,
but you can only get a maximum ‘bare pass’; alternatively the Module Tutor can
give you up to two weeks extension. If it is the second opportunity then no
extensions are available.
I’m ill and an assignment is due ?
You can apply to your tutor for an extension of up to two weeks. You may
need to provide evidence. As above, an extension may not apply to a second
opportunity.
I’m ill on the day of an examination ?
If you are too ill to start the examination then you need to let your Module
Tutor and the Examinations Office know this as soon as possible; you then
need to submit an application for mitigating circumstances.
If you become ill during an examination then you need to let the Invigilator
know, so that it can be included in the invigilator’s report. You can then
apply for mitigating circumstances and this will be approved provided that
the invigilator can confirm your claim.
I can’t possibly complete my dissertation, even if I was given an
extension. What can I do ?
Provided this is your first opportunity, you can apply through mitigating
circumstances to defer your submission to the second (final) opportunity. If it is
your second opportunity and you do not submit then you will need to consider
whether to apply for mitigating circumstances (read pages 1 & 2, above), and
then wait to see whether the Assessment Board will offer you a chance to repeat
the module. A tuition fee is levied for repeat modules.
I’ve become ill and will not be well enough to continue my studies for some time.
Submit a mitigating circumstances now for all assessments due in the reasonably
near future (e.g. within one month); also submit an application to suspend your
studies until such time as you are able to continue. (Those on student visas who
suspend their studies will need to leave the UK for the period they are not engaged
with their programme.)
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MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES APPLICATION
Your details:
Name: ..................................................
Student Number: ............................
Tel. ......................................................
Email: ...........................................
Award/Course: ......................................
Stage/Level/Year: ...........................
Personal Tutor: .....................................
Part-time or Full-time? ....................
REPEAT YEAR: I am applying for a repeat year
Please tick
Work Affected by Mitigating Circumstances
Module
Assessment Item
Number
Original Handin/Exam Date
If required, please continue on a separate sheet.
For Office Use:
Date Form passed to AA:
Filter:
1
2
3
Chair’s Action: ……………………………………………………………………………………… Date: ……………………
Decision:
Upheld
□
Declined
□
Student Status:
Reason for decision:
SAT: Log IN
□
Letter
□
Log Outcome
□
5
H grade
□
Exams/Module Leader
□
Your Mitigating Circumstances (You must provide precise dates of any illness or
other circumstances and state how your studies are affected and what steps you took to
recover the situation.)
Declaration
I declare that the details included in this application, including any appended
statements, are true and that I have read and understand the foregoing Mitigating
Circumstances Guide.
Signed:
……………………………………………………………………………………….Date:…………………………………….
PLEASE EITHER TAKE THIS FORM TO THE
STUDENT DESK IN THE STUDENT CENTRE OR
EMAIL IT TO: studentforms@northampton.ac.uk
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MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES – SUPPORTING STATEMENT
Statement by Personal Tutor, Other Appropriate Academic or Employer
You are advised to discuss your situation with a member of the academic staff
before submitting this application - under most circumstances this will be your
Personal Tutor. The member of staff concerned may use this part of the form to
indicate that whether s/he supports your application. If your application relates
to employment based difficulties then your employer should provide this
supporting statement.
You should note that lack of academic or employer support does not
prevent you from applying.
Statement by Personal Tutor, other Appropriate Academic, or Employer
I confirm that I have/have not* been kept informed of these circumstances.
*Please delete as applicable
Comments relating to this application:
Name: ……………………………………. Signature: ………………………….. Date: …………………..
Employers only:
Company Name: …………………………………………………….. Position: …………………………….
Revised March 2012
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