Watch our video to find out about the Education Welfare team (Exeter).
Find out about the Education Welfare team (Cornwall).
Attendance and Engagement
Attendance and Engagement
Maintaining satisfactory attendance and engagement is an important requirement of your Tier 4/Student visa.This requirement is laid out in the University regulations and this Attendance and Engagement policy document.
The Home Office requires the University to monitor the attendance and engagement of all Tier 4/Student visa holders and to provide this data when requested. It is critical that you complete your digital check-ins regularly so that we can demonstrate that you are fulfilling your visa requirements. Consistent poor attendance or failure to engage with your programme could lead to you being withdrawn from the University and your visa being cancelled.
We understand that health or personal problems can sometimes have an impact on your attendance levels and how you engage with your programme. If you feel your studies are impacted by personal, health or wellbeing difficulties, contact the Education Welfare Team for your Info Point here. The team will provide confidential advice and support.
Check the information relevant to your level of study below to find out how we monitor your attendance and engagement.
Communications
You will always receive emails notifying you if your attendance or engagement is below what it should be. If you receive one of these emails it is important that you read the information in it carefully and follow the advice provided. This will include sources of advice and support for you to access if you are experiencing any difficulties affecting your regular attendance at scheduled teaching sessions. If you do have any ongoing health or personal problems which are impacting upon your studies, it is important that you make the University aware of these so that you can be offered appropriate support.
Monitoring Attendance and Engagement
The way in which your attendance and engagement is monitored will differ depending on your level of study:
We collect data on use of online learning materials and sessions, and also through submission of assessments and exams.From September 2023, you will also be required to record your attendance at timetabled teaching sessions using the new University of Exeter app. You can find technical guidance to help you complete digital check-in here.
If you study in the Medical School on the Nursing or BMBS programmesand have a student visa, you must complete digital check-in using a One Time Code (OTC). This is available as a tile on the iExeter app. Information on how to use One Time Code check-in is available here.
Absence
There will be times when you have to miss a teaching event due to, for example, illness. If you are going to be absent you should make sure that you report this through the absence reporting function in iExeter (under the Teaching & Learning Tools tile).You do not need to worry about using digital check-in if you have reported your absence through iExeter.
During placements
As the University continues to act as Student/Tier 4 sponsor during periods of study abroad or industrial placement, we are also required to continue monitoring your attendance during this time. Please make sure you maintain good attendance while you are studying overseas or are on industrial placement, and also respond to emails from your placement coordinator.
Attendance of postgraduate research students is monitored through the monthly supervisor contacts in MyPGR. Please make sure that you submit these each month as soon as possible after the meeting with your supervisor has occurred.
Frequently asked questions
As part of our system for monitoring attendance and engagement on academic programmes, during the academic year 2023/2024, Tier 4/Student visa holders must check in to all timetabled teaching sessionsusing the new University of Exeter app. The exception is students in the Medical School on the Nursing or BMBS programmes who need to use iExeter to check-in.
All Tier 4/Student visa holders need to complete the digital check-in process.
Maintaining satisfactory attendance and engagement is an important requirement of your Tier 4/Student visa. The Home Office requires the University to monitor the attendance and engagement of all Tier 4/Student visa holders and to provide this data when requested. It is critical that you complete your digital check-ins regularly so that we can demonstrate that you are fulfilling your visa requirements.
To support you in upholding your visa requirements, we will monitor your attendance check-ins anddirect you to sources of support if you miss them.
If you have any questions about your visa requirements you can check the information above, or contact immigrationcompliance@exeter.ac.uk
Students with Student visas (except those studying Nursing or BMBS programmes) can log in via the University’s web app and select the ‘check-in’ feature. This will then locate you and show nearby teaching spaces (lecture theatre, seminar room, lab, etc.). Pick the correct one; you will then see confirmation that your digital check-in was successful. We recommend using a phone, but you can also use a laptop or tablet.
Information on how to use check-in is available here including a short demonstration video.
Medical School students on the Nursing or BMBS programmes with Student visas, must complete digital check-in using a One Time Code (OTC). This is available as a tile on the iExeter app. Information on how to use One Time Code check-in is available here. This is because students on these medical school programmes must also supply attendance records to meet the requirements of the General Medical Council (GMC) as well as the Home Office.
If you are going to be absent you should make sure that you report this through the absence reporting function in iExeter (under the Teaching & Learning Tools tile). You do not need to worry about using digital check-in if you have reported your absence through iExeter.
To support you to uphold your visa requirements, we will monitor your attendance check-ins and will direct you to sources of support if you miss them. This is because they are an essential condition of your visa.
The University uses your check-in data to confirm to the Home Office that you are attending your programme of study at the University, which is an essential condition of your visa. We do not use the data for any other purpose and the University’s personal data policies on why and how we collect this data apply.
Using your phone, you can log in via the University’s web app. This will then locate you and show teaching spaces nearby. You can also use your laptop or tablet if you prefer. However, phones are more accurate because they use GPS and other data sources. You can then check-in to the teaching space, and your successful check-in will then appear on the app. This is then recorded, and the data is automatically reviewed and passed to the University’s Immigration Compliance Unitto ensure you meet your student visa requirements. The Home Office will periodically request access to this data.
We will be sharing a link to the new app via email, so please check your inbox in the week beginning 18 September.
No, your location and distance to a teaching space are only recorded when using the check-in feature and not at any other time. At no time is your location tracked.
If you have no electronic device (tablet, laptop, mobile phone), please get in touch with the University of Exeter compliance team, who can discuss your situation.
If you forget to check in to an individual teaching session or have a temporary problem with your device and cannot check-in for an individual teaching session, you do not need to worry. There will not be any negative consequences. However, please make sure you remember to check-in regularly.
If you do not check-in to teaching sessions on multiple occasions, you may receive a notification from the University's Immigration Compliance team reminding you of the importance of recording your attendance and advising you of sources of support if you are struggling.
If you have questions about attendance and engagement rules as required by the Home Office please contact the University’s Immigration Compliance team.
If you have general questions about your visa status or the visa process, then please contact the International Student Support team.