Problems affecting Studies
If you are experiencing personal difficulty/family problems/an illness which is affecting your ability to study you should contact;
- Student Services - your circumstances can be logged (and in some cases communicated to the School) and appropriate support and advice will be offered.
- Your School/s - staff can provide advice on academic matters.
- If you have been absent, view Absence reporting.
It is better to notify the University as soon as you experience difficulties. It may then be possible to arrange deferred or alternative assessment. It is much more difficult to arrange allowances later in the module or after the module mark has been reported.
You should contact Student Services as soon as possible as they can help with the process. For example, if you need to return home immediately, Student Services can contact the people who need to know in your School or University Residence. When you are able, you should also notify the School, who can then arrange deferred, extended or alternative assessments. Any documentation that you are able to source should be provided to Student Services. This information will be considered when Schools decide whether to grant extensions, to withdraw late penalty marks, to grant an application for s-coding, and whilst considering appeals. The information will not be considered during assessment of work/exams.
If you are unsure as to whether your circumstances are serious enough for the School to offer you an extension, you should email the School or speak to the member of staff who set the work. You could also speak to Student Services about it to see if they can offer any support/advice.
If you have recently suffered an injury (for example a broken limb), have recently been diagnosed with a mental health or ongoing medical condition, or think you may have a Learning Disability, it is important that you contact Student Services immediately at theasc@st-andrews.ac.uk.
A range of support is available depending on your needs, and as everyone is different, it is important that you meet with Student Services to discuss your personal support package.
Depending on your circumstances, the support may include:
- Loaning of equipment such as laptops, dictaphones, ergonomic chairs and tables.
- Temporary personal support such as scribes, note takes and non-medical personal helpers.
- Teaching and exam arrangements such as extra time on exams and flexible deadlines.