Progress support process
Your supervisors will offer guidance on your research and progress during your regular supervision meetings. As part of the normal supervisory process, they will provide feedback on your work and discuss any concerns they may have about your academic progress. Appropriate academic support, milestones and clear expectations should be agreed as part of the supervisory meetings.
Any issues that affect your progress or engagement should be addressed at the time they arise, so that you can be supported as needed. Delays can turn relatively simple challenges into much more complex ones and can prevent you from getting crucial and timely assistance.
Help is available if you’re having a tough time. You can find more information on the Support and Wellbeing pages. If something unexpected happens while you’re studying, you may need to take a break, get more time, or make other changes. Read Taking time out of your research degree for further guidance. Your Director of Postgraduate Research Studies (DPGRS) and your Graduate School can help you figure out what to do and can work with other services, like Disability Services and Student Counselling, to make sure you get the right help.
If there are concerns about your progress, the University might start the Progress Support Process (PSP).
The PSP is there to help you get back on track and aims to help you to continue your studies. The PSP is a way to let you know the risks to your studies and how to address these risks so you can continue and complete your studies.
It includes advice and support with:
- academic progress
- university regulations
- health considerations
- personal/family considerations
- immigration advice
- compliance with Home Office regulations
- financial considerations (including effects on any sponsorship)
The PSP will involve meetings between you, your supervisors and your DPGRS to understand any circumstances that are impacting your academic progress and agree the support and actions needed to help get you back on track with your research and successfully complete your studies.
The process can lead to a more formal review stage with the possibility of withdrawal or transfer to a lower degree, however the intention of the PSP is to provide additional academic and pastoral support to get you back on track before this happens.
You can read the full details about the PSP policy in the Progress support procedure guidance (PDF).