Mitigating circumstances

Find out how to apply for mitigating circumstances, such as a coursework extension, if an unexpected event disrupts your ability to complete an assessment.

Mitigating circumstances are short-term, unpredictable and unpreventable events such as illness, bereavement or a personal or family problem. General university pressures, such as high workloads and conflicting deadlines, are not considered mitigating circumstances.

This process is for taught undergraduate and postgraduate students. If you’re a postgraduate researcher, please go to the taking time out of your research page instead.

Apply for mitigating circumstances

Before you apply, please read the following:

Which events or circumstances are eligible in the Mitigating Circumstances Policy (Word).
The types of supporting information you may need to provide, detailed on the final pages of the Mitigating Circumstances Procedure (Word). This document also explains what to expect from the process.
- You can provide the supporting information at any point within 14 days of submitting your application.
- In some circumstances, you may be able to request supporting information from the Student Counselling and Wellbeing service, if you have been attending appointments.
Your privacy: your information will be stored securely and confidentially.

Coursework extensions

You can apply for an extension of up to 14 days on the deadline for your coursework or 28 days if your course includes a clinical placement.
If you are applying on medical grounds, you can apply for an extension for up to seven days without providing supporting information.
Deadline: you can apply up to the date of the original coursework deadline.

Apply for a coursework extension

Additional consideration

You can apply for additional consideration if you need considerations such as an exam resit or removal of a penalty.
Deadline: contact your school to find out the deadline to apply.

Apply for additional consideration

What happens after you apply

Your parent school will contact you with the decision regarding your application.
If you’ve applied for a coursework extension, you can normally expect to receive the decision from your school within three working days.
If you’ve applied for additional consideration, these are reviewed at various intervals throughout the year. Your parent school can advise when you can expect to receive a decision.

Support contacts

We encourage you to get support if you need it. There are lots of services that can support you at the University.

Speak to your School support team or academic personal tutor.
Register with Disability Services if your disability or long-term health condition (of 12 months or more) impacts your daily studies. Disability Services will advise on support and reasonable adjustments. Disabilities include specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia and dyspraxia, and diagnosed mental health conditions.
Access health and wellbeing support.
You might also find this list of University support services helpful.
Visit our Skills Development pages for services and resources to help build your study skills and confidence. Skills@Library can help you develop your academic and digital skills.

Getting supporting information from the Student Counselling and Wellbeing service

If you have been accessing appointments at the Student Counselling and Wellbeing service, you may be able to ask them to provide supporting information.

You will need to have been accessing appointments at the time of the circumstances you are seeking mitigation for.
The service is not able to provide psychological or medical assessments. If you need medical evidence, you will need a letter from your GP or hospital consultant.
No information is given about a student without their consent.
To speak to the service about getting supporting information, email the Student Counselling and Wellbeing team at scw@leeds.ac.uk.