Study at Home / Working

Extensions, deferrals and knowing what is available

Most providers have provisions people never use.

Providers generally have arrangements for illness, family crisis and other circumstances, and part-time students are markedly less likely to use them than full-time students, partly because they are less connected to the institution and partly because they feel the difficulty is of their own making.

It is worth finding out what exists at the start rather than during a crisis: what the grounds are, what evidence is required, what the deadline for applying is, and who to contact. Ten minutes at enrolment, and the information is there when it is needed.

The most common error is applying too late. Provisions usually require a request before the due date, and somebody who works through the crisis, misses the deadline and then explains is frequently outside the arrangement.

Deferring a unit is a legitimate outcome and is far better than failing one. It costs time and preserves the enrolment, and students who take a planned break more often complete than those who push through a period they had no capacity for.

It is worth adding that the question is often better sent to a fellow student first. Most confusions are ordinary and somebody else in the cohort has already resolved them, and the exchange costs nothing and builds the contact that isolation otherwise prevents.