Help and support

• Your Programme Director
• Your Academic Advisor or BA (Econ) Programme Tutors (if you are on the BA(Econ) programme you can also talk to one of the programme tutors)
• Course Unit Tutor
• Student Support and Development Officer for Student Support and Wellbeing: Dr Ian Fairweather
• Student Support and Wellbeing Team (including DASS Coordinators): soss.wellbeing@manchester.ac.uk
• University Support Services – there are also a number of specialised support services. You will find information about these services in MyManchester.

Our Student Support Hub team is also here to support you via phone, email or in person.

From registration to graduation, the Student Support Hub team will be here at every point to support and guide you through your undergraduate journey at the University of Manchester.

We have an enormous amount of experience so don’t hesitate to contact us. Make us your first port of call for any queries you have regarding your academic progress or personal welfare.

How we can help

• Assessment queries
• Appeals and complaints
• Course unit selection queries
• Coursework submission
• Examination queries
• Feedback
• Interruption queries
• Mitigating circumstances
• Signposting to specialised support
• Timetable queries

Opening times

Academic advising is an efficient way of establishing a personal and motivating relationship with an academic member of staff. Your academic advisor is expected to work with you to build a personal relationship based on matters of academic development and progress.

Topics covered with your academic advisor may include the transition to independent learning in higher education, plagiarism and academic malpractice, essay writing, preparation for exams, and time management. Your academic advisor will be able to write references on request, and to refer you, where necessary, to study clinics and to other support services within the University. Please note, however, that it is your responsibility to engage with your academic advisor in order to realise the intended benefits. If you do not turn up to meetings, it will be that much harder for your academic advisor to write a meaningful reference for you.

You should take note that your academic advisors are not "personal tutors." Pastoral support is provided through a variety of means and your advisor will be able to refer you to these.

• Visit the student support webpages

Schedule of meetings

In general, it is expected that you should have three meetings with your academic advisor in your first year and two meetings in each of your subsequent years. On the timing and purpose of these meetings, please refer to the schedule for meetings with academic advisors. However, you are invited to bring any academic issues of concern to you to your Academic Advisor at any time. 

Matching advisors to advisees

In general we will make every effort to match students with advisors from their subject. This will not always be possible, however. It should be noted that the main function of the academic advisor is to give generic academic advice, and that that function can be provided just as well by somebody from a different discipline.

Students should be aware that they are able to request a change of Academic Advisor at any time. They may do this by contacting soss.hub@manchester.ac.uk. Where a student chooses to change his/her advisor they should also be given the opportunity to provide feedback on why they feel a change of Academic Advisor is necessary.

What are mitigating circumstances?

Mitigating circumstances are normally exceptional, short term, unforeseen and unpreventable events that may have a significantly disruptive effect on your ability to take assessments. These events are over and above the course of everyday life, and normally outside of your control. They may affect your ability to complete coursework or other assessments, and revise for and attend examinations.

Examples of possible mitigating circumstances if they occur immediately prior to or during an assessment period (This list is not exhaustive, and each application will be considered on its own merit):

• significant illness or injury;
• the death or critical/significant illness of a close family member/dependant;
• family crises or major financial problems leading to acute stress;
• absence for jury service or maternity, paternity or adoption leave.

Examples of circumstances which will NOT normally be regarded as grounds for mitigation:
(not exhaustive)

• Holidays and events which were planned or could reasonably have been expected
• Assessments which are scheduled closely together
• Misreading the timetable or misunderstanding the requirements for assessment
• Inadequate planning and time management
• Failure, loss or theft of a computer or printer that prevents submission of work on time: students should back up work regularly and not leave completion and printing so late that they cannot find another computer or printer
• Consequences of paid employment
• Exam stress or panic attacks not diagnosed as illness.

Extensions

Circumstances which will have a short-term impact on your ability to complete written assessments (for example, minor illness) should be covered by an application for an extension to the submission deadline.

You should however bear in mind that you will only be offered an additional 5 working days from the original deadline date to complete and submit the work.

If a longer-term Extension is requested, you will be required to complete a mitigating circumstance submission form.

If you need to apply for a short extension to a piece of coursework/written assessment, you now need to apply using this form:

• This form will only allow you to apply for extendable assessments. If the assessment is not listed, you will not be able to apply for an extension* however you may be able to apply for Mitigating Circumstances.
• This form will allow you to apply for five additional working days from your submission deadline.
• You will not be required to submit supporting evidence with this application however you are expected to provide specific details of how the circumstances are impacting your ability to meet the deadline. If the circumstances do not meet the criteria or there is not sufficient information provided the application will be rejected.
• The Student Support and Wellbeing Team will review the circumstances and if they meet the criteria for mitigation your application will be approved and a five-day extension to your deadline will be permitted.
• The Student Support and Wellbeing Team will email you to confirm your extension has been approved along with the new submission date.

*If you are requesting a short extension for assessments belonging to another school this will need to be made via the Mitigating Circumstances Submission Form, and in this situation, evidence will not be required.

All other Mitigating Circumstances

If you wish to apply for any other mitigation, you will need to apply using the Mitigating Circumstances Submission Form:

• This form has a list of all extendable and non-extendable assessments.
• If your circumstances mean that a short extension (generally 5 days) is not sufficient to submit the work then you would need to complete this form (supporting evidence will be required).
• You should complete this form if the assessment is not extendable, e.g. exams, presentations.
• Supporting evidence is required and should be uploaded to the Mitigating Circumstances Submission form.
• If supporting evidence is not available when completing the form you will be required to send it as an email attachment within 14 days to soss.mitcircs@manchester.ac.uk.
• Applications for mitigation for assessments belonging to other schools should also be made via the Mitigation Circumstances Submission form, and evidence will be required.
• If you are carrying a unit from another level and you need to apply for mitigation it can be done via the Mitigating Circumstances Submission Form.
• The Student Support and Wellbeing team will review the application and evidence to assess if it meets the criteria for mitigation. You will then be notified by the Student Support and Wellbeing of the outcome (accepted or rejected) and if accepted the Exam Board will confirm the specific outcome e.g. First Sit

Deadlines for submitting Mitigating Circumstances applications

Mitigating circumstances and extension applications would normally be submitted at the point you have been impacted by exceptional, short term, unforeseen and unpreventable events. Therefore, it is expected that you submit your application close to, or if necessary, immediately after an affected assessment deadline or examination unless there are exceptional circumstances that require you to submit much earlier for example planned medical treatment during an assessment period, notice of jury service etc.

Applications will be reviewed and if submitted significantly far in advance of the assessment deadline or examination the team may not consider your application until a later date and Wellbeing support provided in the interim.

In addition, if you cannot submit your application before, or immediately after an affected assessment then you should explain the reasons why you were unable to do so, and the team will decide if the circumstances warrant the consideration of a late application.

Please read our detailed guidance to find out more about the application process and what to expect.

If you have any questions, please email soss.mitcircs@manchester.ac.uk.

• Regulation XX:  monitoring attendance and wellbeing of students
• Policy on Recording and Monitoring Attendance

This policy applies to all students undertaking taught programmes both undergraduate and postgraduate.

Attendance at lectures is not compulsory and is therefore not formally recorded.  However regular attendance at lectures is highly recommended so that students may take full advantage of the benefits of actively engaging in all aspects of the learning experience. 

Attendance at tutorials, seminars and workshops is compulsory and is monitored via Blackboard.  Where a student is unable to attend a tutorial or seminar they should (and wherever possible in advance) inform the tutor or programme administrator of the reasons for their absence. 

Programme Administrators review attendance patterns on a monthly basis and will contact, by email, students who have had two consecutive absences in a course unit, to seek out the reason for non-attendance.

If the absence persists, students will be asked to meet with their Academic Advisor, Programme Tutor or Programme Director according to the pastoral care arrangements for their particular programme.  The purpose of such meetings will be to establish whether or not there is an underlying reason for the unacceptable attendance and whether or not the student is in need of further pastoral, welfare or academic support. 

If following these supportive interventions, attendance levels remain unacceptable, the School reserves the right to invoke the formal warnings procedures set out in Regulation XX which may ultimately result in the exclusion of a student.

It’s never too early to start thinking about your career options.

Each subject area arranges events throughout the year that focus on the skills you will be developing through your degree, and how you can use your degree to move forward in planning for a successful career. 

• View all upcoming events in the School

Careers Service

The Careers Service will be in the Common Room of the Arthur Lewis Building every Tuesday 1-2pm to support social science students and answer any careers related questions. They can help with CV’s and applications for internships, graduate schemes or part time jobs. 

• Visit the Careers Service website