Mitigation

Sometimes whilst at Uni things don’t go to plan. Our Mitigation process is here to support you through unexpected situations that affect your ability to complete an assessment or exam - such as illness or a family crisis.

Mitigation works by giving you extra time to complete your assignment, or the chance to take your exam later in the year.

If you are a Cedar student, click here to find out more about your mitigation process.

Talk it through 

Before you decide to apply for Mitigation, where possible we encourage you to talk it through with someone:

• Academic tutor
• Hub/Info point
• Friend/loved one
• Students’ Guild or Students’ Union advice teams
• University Wellbeing team

Our Mitigation process is designed to support you, but you need to think carefully about the impacts of delaying assessments or exams (particularly if you do this more than once).

International Students

If you have a Student/Tier 4 visa be aware that deferring your assessments might have immigration implications. Please read the advice here or contact International Student Support for guidance.

Types of extension

1. Evidence-free extensions (coursework assignments only)

For coursework assignments (not exams or short duration coursework/timed assessments), you can have an evidence-free extension of 72 hours (3 days).

This option is available once per assessment. You can use it up to four times during the academic year; any further extensions required after this must be applied for through the evidence-based process detailed below.

You may add an evidence-free extension before, or up to 24 hours after the submission deadline. You do this within ELE2 yourself.** Watch this video for guidance on how to add an evidence-free extension.  

Please check ELE2 for your new submission date. ELE2 will also keep a record of how many evidence-free extensions you have remaining.

**Should you change your mind about the extension and submit your assignment before the original deadline, you have up to 3 working days after that deadline to withdraw it – otherwise it will count as having used 1 of your 4 extensions. To do this please contact your Hub.

The ‘add extension’ button will not appear if:

• The deadline is more than 1 month in the future
• The deadline passed more than 24 hours ago
• The assessment is an exam or group work or other assessment where specified by your Faculty
• You have already received an evidence-based extension

2. Evidence-based Mitigation

If you need an assessment extension of more than 72 hours and/or if you’ve used all four evidence-free extensions, you need to apply for evidence-based Mitigation.

If you wish to postpone an exam you will need to apply for evidence-based Mitigation.

The two main types of evidence-based Mitigation are:

• A standard extension is up to one or two weeks (with three weeks only being granted in exceptional circumstances) extra time to complete a coursework assessment. If you have already used a 72-hour extension, this will be included within a standard extension time.

•  A deferral is when an assessment or exam is delayed and rescheduled to the next time it takes place.  

Want to apply for evidence-based mitigation? Follow these steps:

A. Apply

You need to complete the Mitigation form; you can download a copy here.

You have up to 24 hours after your assessment deadline to apply for Mitigation.  

You should use one form to apply for as many assessment deferrals or extensions as you need. Difficulty filling out the form? Your Hub/Info point or your Students’ Guild or Students’ Union advice teams can help. 

Send the completed form directly to your Hub/Info Point using the Mitigation email addresses here. 

You should also send in evidence, which can be verified. This needs to be dated within one month of the assessment deadline. You can submit this evidence with your application or up to 10 working days after the deadline but note that applications cannot be processed until the relevant evidence is provided. You can find a list of appropriate evidence examples here. 

Please make sure both your application form and evidence are submitted to the relevant Hub team in a readable format, either a Word document or pdf, and are not password protected. The Hub teams must receive a readable version within the relevant timeframe, or your application/evidence will be regarded as late.

We recognise that the cost of living crisis this year may cause difficulties for some students. We’ve worked with the Students’ Guild and Students’ Union to change our policy, so that we can include financial circumstances as a reason you can apply for mitigation, this year.

Support from Wellbeing Services

If you are currently or have recently received support from any area of Wellbeing Services, they may be able to support your mitigation application. In order to request mitigation support from Wellbeing Services, please read the FAQ’s and complete a short mitigation support form via the Wellbeing mitigation webpage. A member of the Wellbeing team will then make contact with you via email in the first instance. Please note, in addition to  completing the mitigation supporting evidence form for Wellbeing, you must also complete the mitigation application form and send it to the relevant hub, within the required timeframes.

Support from your Doctor

If you are seeking mitigation support from your Doctor, please make contact with their reception team to enquire about individual processes. The process for individual Doctors surgeries may differ.

B. Outcome

You should normally receive a decision within 5 working days (longer during busy periods). We understand that waiting can be stressful, but please don’t contact your Hub/Info Point for an update as this slows down the process for you and your fellow students.

Once a decision is made and if your application is successful, you should start preparing your assessment work for the next deadline or exam period .

Do be aware that a deferred assessment might not take the same format as the original one. 

If Mitigation is declined and you disagree with the decision, you can appeal.