Academic Rights

If you have a disability, health condition or specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia, you may need certain facilities, assistive technology or support services to enable you to make the most of your studies or training. This can include alternative exams or assessment arrangements. The arrangements that the University makes to meet these needs are called ‘reasonable adjustments' (Equality Act 2010).

These adjustments will be outlined in a student's Disability Access Plan, more commonly known as DAP (Disabled Students Policy). Disability Rights UK has examples of general adjustments and general access arrangements.

You have the legal right to be treated equally including in all decisions regarding assessments, learning conditions and progression regardless of any protected characteristic you may identify with (Equality Act 2010). The protected characteristics are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, being pregnant or on maternity leave, race (including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin), religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. At no point at University should you feel disadvantaged or discriminated against due to your identity.

If at any time during your time at Bath, you believe you have been treated differently due to your identity, you have many options. You can make a report via the University’s Support and Report tool and you can access advice and support from Student Support.

If you are an undergraduate or postgraduate-taught student you can suspend your studies for several reasons, including:

• academic reasons (suspend and retrieve)
• financial difficulties
• health difficulties
• family reasons
• immigration matters
• changing programme of study, or considering it
• sporting commitments
• maternity, paternity or adoption

If you would like some advice on whether suspending your studies is the right decision for you, speak with your Academic Advisor. You can also visit the University webpage to find out more.

All taught students should be allocated an Academic Advisor (previously called 'Personal Tutors') who is a member of academic staff (QA33). Our Education Officer, Amber, has created a plain English guide for Academic Advisors which you can access here.

Individual Mitigating Circumstances (IMCs) are conditions which temporarily prevent you from undertaking an assessment or significantly impair your performance in that assessment. It is a way the University supports students experiencing disruption to their studies. Your reason for applying should fall into at least one of these categories:

• something unexpected and significant has happened or is happening to you

• something unexpected and significant has happened or is happening to someone else in your life which is impacting on you

• a significant event outside of your control

The University outlines the principles and procedures of Individual Mitigating Circumstances and Assessment in this document. A simpler version can be found on the university website.

If you would like some support in making an IMC request, you can find out more about the process and receive advice from our SU Advice Team.

If you find that your circumstances are such that you are struggling to complete your coursework assessment on time, you can apply for an extension to your submission deadline. Your reason for applying should fall into at least one of these categories:

• something unexpected and significant has happened or is happening to you

• something unexpected and significant has happened or is happening to someone else in your life which is impacting on you

• a significant event outside of your control

You can speak to your Academic Advisor, Student Experience Officer or Director of Studies on the best course of action. You can find out more about extensions on the University website.

Assessment is an essential part of education as well as providing opportunities for dialogic feedback to enhance learning.

Provisional unit marks for assessments should be released to students within five weeks of the relevant assessment period (QA16).

Departments have separate and distinct assessment feedback policies, however, they should all be based on a pedagogical rationale that is relevant to the discipline concerned.

You can challenge or request reconsideration of a decision on academic progress, assessment, and awards (Regulation 17). 

You must have evidence for one or more of the following reasons for appealing:

• The Board of Examiners were unaware of circumstances which affected your performance, and you could not disclose these to your Director of Studies earlier, for example, because you were too unwell or were distracted by the circumstances.
• There were irregularities in the procedure of the exams or assessments which are likely to have affected the decision of the Board of Examiners.
• The examiner’s decision was influenced by prejudice, bias or inadequate assessment.

If you can’t evidence one of these situations (for example, because you’re just dissatisfied with your marks) it’s very unlikely your appeal will be considered.

The SU Advice Team can provide support with the process of applying for an appeal, by helping you understand the process and possible outcomes. You can find out more about SU Advice's support on our appeals webpage.

Your course may require you to pay additional course costs, these may be mandatory for you to successfully complete your course or they could be optional. Examples include supplies and materials, workshop fees, and field trips. You have the right to know about these costs before you begin your course.

If you are asked to pay any additional course costs that weren’t communicated to you in advance of starting your course, contact your Education Officer.

This includes the learning outcomes, assessment methods, any prerequisites or core modules as well as any changes to your course. You should also have access to the assessment criteria and marking schemes, allowing you to understand how your work will be evaluated (Consumer Rights Act 2015).

The Academic Registry team aims to publish the final draft in early September for the Semester 1 teaching timetable and December for the Semester 2 teaching timetable (Timetabling Statement).

Universities are responsible for upholding a respectful and transparent process for all interactions and grievances, whether formal or informal.

Students may be accompanied by a Students’ Union representative, a friend, family member or advisor when asked to attend meetings with University staff. This includes meetings with Board of Studies Chair regarding academic appeals (Regulation 17), during all stages of a disciplinary process (Disciplinary Policy & Procedure) or a Board of Inquiry for an examination or assessment offence (QA53), as well as informal interactions with the Dignity and Respect Liaison Officer.

The SU Advice Team can provide support with assessment offences, disciplinaries, and appeals processes, from helping you understand how they work to explaining possible outcomes. You can find out more about SU Advice's support on our web pages.

A complaint can arise if one or more students have a specific concern about an action or lack of action by the University, the standard of a service provided by or on behalf of the University, or matters that affect the quality of the learning opportunities (Consumer Rights Act 2015).

The University has a Student Complaints Policy and Procedure that aims to ensure there is a clear, fair, and effective process to handle student complaints. The SU Advice Team can provide support with the complaints procedure, from helping you understand how the process to explaining possible outcomes. You can find out more about SU Advice's support on our complaints web pages.