An exceptional circumstance is a circumstance which is outside of your control and which negatively affects your performance. It is important you describe the impact these circumstances have had on your studies as part of your request. 

For further information, including a list of what the University considers to be exceptional circumstances please see section 8 of the Exceptional Circumstances Policy. Please note: This list included in the policy is not exhaustive – other reasons will be considered. If your circumstance is not on the list please talk to your Student Support Coordinator, School or Department Director of Academic Tutor. The Support Centres (or Henley Helpdesk or ILSI Admin Office) can provide further advice and assistance. 

Please also refer to the policy for information about what is not considered exceptional circumstances and where you find support for such matters.

Although we have been living with the COVID-19 pandemic for many months, it is accepted that its impact on individual students’ may still be unforeseen and unpredictable. Examples of additional valid exceptional circumstances that relate specifically to the ongoing pandemic are as follows:

• illness with symptoms of COVID-19 (or similar symptoms) - if you are claiming exceptional circumstances due to a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, you should also notify the University that you have tested positive through the online form; 
• unexpectedly challenging circumstances in a student’s domestic situation that could not reasonably have been anticipated or prevented – for example, member(s) of their family are ill or self-isolating and they have consequent caring responsibility;
• circumstances are such that access to reliable internet and/or required technology (for revision, or reliable submission of assessments) is unexpectedly unavailable during the course of the assessment; 
• other severe impacts of COVID-19 (such as impact on mental health, implications on or exacerbation of existing disability, etc.).

In a normal year, students are always required to submit evidence to support an Exceptional Circumstances request. We recognise that in the current context there are situations where it may be impossible or very difficult to obtain evidence, and we have therefore agreed to relax the requirement for evidence where it cannot be obtained. This is effective from 4 January 2021. 
 
You can apply for exceptional circumstances in the usual way using the existing Exceptional Circumstances form and should continue to provide evidence where at all possible. 

You must:
• either provide evidence, or clearly explain why you are unable to provide evidence (in section 10a);
• provide a description of your circumstances; and 
• describe the impact that your circumstances are having on your assessments.

Please note, if you do not provide enough explanation as outlined in the three bullet points above your request may be rejected. Providing a detailed explanation will help your School to understand how you have been affected when assessing your case, and to decide what mitigation is appropriate or if we can provide other support. So please, for example, tell us more than just ‘COVID-related’.

Below are some examples of supporting evidence which may be acceptable for short-term illness, issues arising from COVID-19, or IT issues if you are unable to access campus. This list is non-exhaustive and illustrative only; each case will be considered on its own merits.  If necessary, you can attach a Word document to your request with more details.

Reason	Example evidence
Shielding	A letter from the NHS or from your GP identifying you or someone you care for as clinically extremely vulnerable.
Unexpected childcare issues	A Personal statement (supported where possible by email notification from/to the school/nursery/childcare provider highlighting the reason the child cannot attend school/nursery/childcare provision)
24hr illness (e.g. vomiting/diarrhoea/migraine)	A copy of your communication with the relevant lecturer/module convenor or the Support Centre, at the time of your illness, which states the reason for your absence.
Covid like symptoms and/or diagnosis	A screenshot showing registration for a Covid test booking or Covid test result. This needs to show the time and date of the test or result. Information provided to the Uni (e.g. reporting self-isolating: online form if in private accommodation; home at halls app report if in UPP hall; positive test results: Uni online report form). If you do not have a COVID test/result confirmation, then you can provide evidence of reporting this to the University. Examples include - online form if in private accommodation; home at halls app report if in UPP hall;
Self-Isolating (no symptoms)	Confirmation from NHS Test and Trace or from the University Covid case management team that isolation is required. If you are in halls, please provide a screenshot of confirmation of isolation from the UPP app If you are self-isolating due to infected household member, please explain in the form
IT access and connectivity issues	Connectivity issues Provide details of an outage from your Internet Service Provider (ISP) OR evidence of communication with your ISP to resolve the issue. This should include a screen shot of any error code on the computer (if unable to screen shot, take picture on the phone), including the date and time. OR IT helpdesk ticket number and details reporting the issue

The information which you provide on your Exceptional Circumstances form will normally be held confidentially and will only be shared with those who need to see it. 

If you are uncomfortable with disclosing information about your circumstances, please do discuss the matter with a member of staff (ideally your Academic Tutor or Student Support Coordinator) or a RUSU adviser.

Requests will be considered where:

   • your studies have been impaired by circumstances; 
   • the circumstances were beyond your control; 
   • your request is supported by appropriate evidence (where possible – see note below).

If you need medical evidence a Medical Confirmation Form completed by your GP may be acceptable. For students registered with the University Medical Practice please use the form on their website. For students registered with other GP practices please use this form. For a positive COVID-19 diagnosis resulting in 10-day isolation your NHS message will be sufficient.

If you have previously agreed reasonable adjustments to your assessments (via the Disability Advisory Service - DAS) but these have not been put in place, please do not submit an Exceptional Circumstance request. Please contact your Support Centre (or Henley Helpdesk or ILSI Admin Office) for resolving the matter.

For UK-based undergraduate and postgraduate taught students, this short video will take you through the online process for submitting an exceptional circumstance request. You will need to do the following: 

• Login to the RISIS Portal
• Open the ‘Actions’ tab, then select ‘Exceptional Circumstances' from the list.
• Please read the guidance and complete the online form, following the instructions provided
• The status/outcome of your request will be displayed on RISIS

If you are a postgraduate research, Malaysia, Study Abroad or Greenlands student please contact your support staff or school for information on how to submit an exceptional circumstance request.

You should submit an Exceptional Circumstances form before the deadline for submission of coursework.

Separate deadlines apply to end of part examinations which are centrally organised and to in-class tests administered locally by Schools/Departments. For:

       • in-class tests you should submit an Exceptional Circumstances form before the date of the in-class test and within five working days of the date of the test. If you expect to be absent from an in-class test you must inform the relevant lecturer and Support Centre (or Henley Helpdesk or ILSI Admin Office) in advance of the test, if possible. 

       • end of part examinations the specified deadline dates will be published in April/May; please check back for updates.

Due to the pandemic, we recognise that you may find it very difficult/impossible to obtain evidence for certain situations and we have therefore agreed to relax the requirement for external evidence where it cannot be obtained. You will need to make a clear case yourself explaining the circumstances and impact. 

If you are unable to provide evidence on the Exceptional Circumstances form you must:

     • clearly explain why you are unable to provide evidence (in section 10a);
     • provide a description of your circumstances; and 
     • describe the impact that your circumstances are having on your assessments. 

This will help your School to understand how you have been affected when assessing your case, and decide what mitigation is appropriate or if we can provide other support. Please note, if you do not provide enough explanation of the circumstance or why mitigation is needed, your request may be rejected. 

If you have an existing Exceptional Circumstances request, please contact your Support Centre (or Henley Helpdesk or ISLI Admin Office) for advice about the next steps and any evidence you may be asked for or provide an explanation of why evidence is currently unobtainable. 

No, the new rules come into effect for assignments due from 4th January 2021 onwards. There has been no change in the guidance on when you can submit an Exceptional Circumstances form.

If you are granted a DNS in the Summer Term or Resit Period examinations, it means that you have been given the chance to have a fresh attempt at your examination during the next examination period. 

DNS is not usually granted for other assessments. Outcomes such as extension, alternative assessment or rearrangement are more suitable. However, 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. 

Undergraduate students are re-assessed, including DNS assessments, during the subsequent examination period.

During the examination period, the University has set deadlines by which students must submit their Exceptional Circumstances forms to their Support Centre (or Henley Helpdesk or ILSI Admin Office). 

Forms submitted after the specified deadlines will only be considered if significant circumstances prevented you from submitting the form on time (for example, hospitalisation, or major physical or mental incapacity). You will have to provide a statement explaining in full the reasons for late submission.

We hope the introduction of post-results Exceptional Circumstances requests (see below ) gives you the confidence to take your exams as planned; however, if you are considering requesting a delay, you must first seek advice from your School or Support Centre (or Henley Helpdesk or ILSI Admin Office), because it is important that you understand the implications of delaying your exams. 

We understand that you will be better able to evaluate the impact any adverse circumstances have had on your exam performance after the publication of your results. Therefore, if you believe that your performance in examinations has been affected by an exceptional circumstance in the Summer Term or Resit Period or if you have missed one or more examinations due to an exceptional circumstance you are then able to submit an Exceptional Circumstances form following publication of results.

If you are granted post-results exceptional circumstances, you will be allowed to take the exam again. If you were taking the exam for the first time, when you take the exam again it will be considered a ‘first attempt’ (also known as DNS - ‘Deemed Not to have Sat’) and your original attempt will not be considered. In some cases the mode of assessment may be different. You must seek advice from your School before requesting a ‘Deemed Not to have Sat’, as there are some important implications to consider. The mark for your original attempt will be cancelled, pending the next attempt, which means your overall classification or result for your relevant Part is also cancelled until your new result is published.

Once your results are published on RISIS, you will have five working days to submit a post-results Exceptional Circumstances request for our consideration. Evidence should be submitted at the same time, or within ten working days of the publication of results if this is not possible. Any evidence presented after this date will be considered but may not be processed in time for you to resit exams in the August/September period. If you cannot provide evidence, you will have the opportunity to explain this on the form.

Please do not submit an Exceptional Circumstances form for issues relating to exam performance until you have received your results and read the important advice to consider which will soon be published on Essentials, along with the full policy.

You have the right to appeal against a School-level or University Standing Committee on Special Cases decision in respect of an Exceptional Circumstances request.

Please carefully review the grounds for appeal detailed in the Exceptional Circumstances outcome appeal form. You are strongly encouraged to seek advice from the RUSU Advisers in your Students’ Union. They are professional RUSU staff with knowledge and experience of the University’s procedures who can offer confidential, independent advice and support you throughout the process. You can find out how to contact a RUSU Adviser.

     • Submit any appeal before the deadline for appeal. The deadline to appeal is within five working days from the date you were sent the notification outcome of your Exceptional Circumstances request. The only exception to this deadline is if you are notified of your outcome during the Summer term examination period. 

     • In this circumstance, the deadline for you to appeal is whichever is later:
                   - five working days from the date the outcome of your Exceptional Circumstances request is made available to you, 
                   - the next working day following the final day of the relevant exam period. The dates for exam periods are published online.

     • Download and complete the Exceptional Circumstances outcome appeal form Word version | pdf version

     • Get any official documents or paperwork that you need to support your appeal.

     • Send the form and the documents the Student Appeals and Academic Misconduct Officer ecfappeals@reading.ac.uk before the deadline for appeal.

If you have other questions not covered in this page about making a request, you can contact the following people for advice:

-  Your Student Support Coordinator or relevant support staff in ISLI/HBS

-  Your Academic Tutor or the School Director Academic Tutoring

-  The Advice Service at RUSU: email advice@rusu.co.uk or call 0118 378 4100

-  For students on Greenlands-based programmes contact your Programme Administrator.