Unsatisfactory work, attendance and engagement
Getting the most from your university experience means engaging fully with your studies.
We understand life can present unexpected challenges, but continual failure to submit assignments or attend university means action will be taken, and you may risk being withdrawn from the University. Here’s how the process works, and how to let us know about your circumstances so we can support you.
Contacting your school about your attendance or engagement
If you are unable to attend University or engage with your studies, it is very important you let your school know as soon as you can by contacting them directly.
You can notify your school that you will be absent from a session via the Student Services Absence Self-Certification process in Minerva.
If your school is concerned about your attendance or engagement
If your school has concerns that you are not engaging with your studies, or that your attendance is unsatisfactory, they will contact you to find out the reasons for your absence and to help you access support.
It is very important that you respond to correspondence from your school and let them know what is happening.
Unsatisfactory attendance and engagement procedure
If your attendance or engagement does not improve, you will then receive a formal written warning from the head of your school that you may be withdrawn.
If there is no improvement, a second formal warning will be given. You will then have an interview with the Student Cases team. Based on the information you provide, the Head of Student Cases will decide what happens next.
This will normally be one of the following:
- your case will be submitted to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Student Education with a recommendation that you are permanently excluded from the University, or
- another formal warning will be issued, with a final warning that if you do not make a serious attempt to improve your position, your case will proceed to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor with a recommendation for exclusion.
When a case proceeds to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, their decision is final and cannot be reversed.
Read more about the unsatisfactory student procedure on the Secretariat website.
Presumed withdrawal
In the following scenarios, the University will presume that you are withdrawing from your studies:
- If you are currently registered as a student, but have not attended, or engaged with your studies for four weeks or more, and have not responded to school contact.
- If you were on temporary leave and have not returned to study by your expected return date and have not been in contact with your school in the month before your expected return.
In both cases, your school will notify the programmes and assessment office, who will contact you to confirm they are withdrawing you from the University.
If you are an international student who is presumed withdrawn, you should seek immigration advice immediately. Contact the Student Visa Advice team.
Legal responsibility to inform UK Visas and Immigration
The University has a legal responsibility to report any serious case of non-attendance by an international student with a student visa to the UK government, as it may break the visa rules.
If you are an international student with a student visa who is currently going through the unsatisfactory attendance and engagement procedure detailed in the previous section, once you have received your final notification the University will have ten days to notify UK Visas and Immigration that you are a presumed leaver.
During this time, the University will make a final check with your school to make sure all information is up to date and to confirm you are leaving.