DNS and extenuating circumstances

During the course of your degree programme you might be faced with problems that are outside your control and are negatively affecting your academic performance. Such problems are known as extenuating circumstances and the University has a Policy on this.

Students should submit an extenuating circumstance request if they feel that such problems have negatively affected, or will affect, their ability to complete coursework, to attend classes or to prepare for and/or sit their exams. You are strongly encouraged to discuss any circumstances that are affecting you with your Academic Tutor, your School Director of Academic Tutoring, or the lecturer responsible for your coursework/module.

The Extenuating Circumstances Policy details what is and is not considered extenuating circumstances. Please review this or speak to your Student Support Coordinator if you are unsure.

DNS means 'deemed not to have sat'

The University Standing Committee on Special Cases considers all extenuating circumstance forms (ECFs) submitted by taught students who believe their circumstances have impacted on their ability to study and prepare properly for their exams, and/or finish any outstanding assignments.

A decision by the University Standing Committee on Special Cases could allow a student the opportunity to sit their exams for a further attempt, and their result will therefore be deemed not to have sat (DNS). Assignments and in-class tests may also be deemed not to have sat (DNS).

If you have been offered a DNS in any examinations, it means that you have been given the chance to have a fresh attempt at your examination during the next examination period.

If you have been offered a DNS in any other assessments, such as an essay, a project or dissertation, then you will be given the chance to submit the work by an agreed deadline and this will not count as a further attempt. New deadlines for submission will be set by your School.

Please click the boxes below for more information

Still got questions?

Students can contact the following for advice and help:

Your Student Support Coordinator or relevant support staff in ISLI/HBS
Your Academic Tutor or School Director of Academic Tutoring
RUSU Advice Service
For students on Greenlands-based programmes only - the Greenlands Examinations and Assessment Manager (trudy.shore@henley.ac.uk or 01491 418728)

What do I have to do to accept the DNS?

This depends on whether you are an undergraduate or postgraduate student and on whether the DNS opportunity relates to an examination or not. Postgraduate taught students will normally be re-assessed (excluding examinations) before a final result is available. Therefore, you will have a short period to decide whether to accept the DNS and this will be outlined in the University Standing Committee on Special Cases’ outcome communication.

Undergraduate students are re-assessed (including assessments), during the subsequent examination period, for example, if you are offered a DNS during the academic year, you will submit the assessment or sit the examination during the August examination period.

If you will submit the assessment or sit the examination during the subsequent examination period, you will be asked to confirm if you wish to accept this DNS when your underlying result and marks for the Part (year of study) are available after the Examiners’ meetings, which take place in June or September.

For Finalists, the deadline for confirming if you wish to accept the DNS is very shortly after the examination board meetings to allow students who wish to decline the DNS to graduate; for non-finalists the deadline is mid-July.

What happens if I don’t respond by the deadline?

What happens if I don’t respond by the deadline?

If you do not respond by the deadline the default outcome will be:

a. Undergraduates who have passed the Part or Final Examination will be deemed to have declined the offer of a DNS

b. Undergraduates with a fail or not qualified overall for the Part or Final Examination will be deemed to have accepted the offer of a DNS

c. Postgraduate taught students will be deemed to have accepted the offer of a DNS More information regarding the DNS process is available in this extenuating circumstances guide under Deemed Not to have Sat (DNS).

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