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Extenuating Circumstances

Part of the Extenuating Circumstances Policy

Table of Contents

What are Extenuating Circumstances?

Extenuating Circumstances (ECs) are unforeseen issues beyond your control that affect your ability to complete an assessment, attend an exam, or submit your work. The EC process ensures you get the right support when your circumstances affect your performance. To be considered your circumstances should be unexpected, outside your control, and have affected your ability to complete an assessment.

Unforeseen does not mean it has never happened before. If you live with an ongoing situation, such as a long-term health condition or caring for someone, a worsening, recurrence, or crisis can still be unforeseen.

Examples include:

  • serious or incapacitating illness, injury, or medical condition;
  • significant short-term mental ill health;
  • a long-term condition, physical or mental, that was significantly worse than usual while you were preparing for or completing the assessment;
  • bereavement or serious illness affecting someone close to you, including the loss of a service animal;
  • pregnancy loss, whether your own or your partner's;
  • a crisis in your caring responsibilities, for example the person you care for is hospitalised or their care arrangements break down;
  • being a victim of crime, including sexual violence, domestic abuse, or hate crime;
  • being required to attend court, for example as a witness;
  • a financial or housing crisis, for example temporary homelessness or eviction;
  • being immediately affected by military conflict, geopolitical events, or natural disaster;
  • an unexpected delay or refusal in a visa or travel document application that stops you reaching an assessment, where you applied in good time;
  • extreme, unforeseen travel disruption on the way to an on-campus exam (you are expected to allow for ordinary cancellations and delays);
  • serious IT failure by the University during an online exam, where you took reasonable steps to prepare and contacted the IT Helpdesk.

This list is not exhaustive. If you are experiencing serious difficulties beyond your control and you are not sure of your options, then submit the claim or contact the Wellbeing Team for advice. You will not be penalised for making a claim, even if it is not accepted.

If you have a disability or long-term health condition, contact the Disability Service so that support and reasonable adjustments can be put in place. If you are already registered and your condition has changed, request a review of your adjustments and submit an EC claim: do not delay a claim while you are waiting for an appointment.

If you are called for jury service during teaching or exams, speak to your Adviser of Studies or Programme Lead first: they can write a letter requesting excusal. If an excusal is refused, submit an EC claim for the affected assessments.

What would not normally be accepted as ECs

You are expected to plan for normal day-to-day challenges, including minor illnesses. You should plan your work and have it ready in advance of a deadline in case of normal life events getting in the way.

The following would not normally be considered Extenuating Circumstances:

  • competing demands and general exam or study stress (Student Learning Development, Wellbeing resources and the Student Success Team can help with managing everyday pressure);
  • a minor short-term illness that would not seriously affect your assessment;
  • personal events you could have planned around, such as weddings or holidays;
  • a long-term condition that was no worse than usual, where your agreed adjustments were in place and working (the Disability Service is the right route for ongoing adjustments);
  • general financial worry over time (see the University's Cost of Living Support pages);
  • poor time management or misunderstanding of deadlines or assessment instructions;
  • academic issues such as delayed supervisor contact, a change in supervisor, or a delay in ethical approval (contact your Course Convenor or Programme Lead);
  • routine or predictable commitments to paid or voluntary work that you knew about when the deadline was published;
  • failure, theft, or malfunction of your own computer, internet connection or equipment, including not backing up work or uploading an incorrect file (the University’s IT pages and our facilities on campus provide you with access to IT equipment and internet access).

If you are unsure whether your circumstances qualify, submit a claim and we will assess it.

If the problem was caused by the University

If your assessment has been affected by a University error, such as invigilation problems, incorrect information, reasonable adjustments not being provided, or another type of administrative error, do not submit an EC claim. You should instead contact your School or the Wellbeing Team. The university will investigate and tell you how the issue will be resolved.

How to apply for Extenuating Circumstances

Submit your claim through the Extenuating Circumstances Portal.

Provide clear details about your circumstances and what support you need. If your assessment is due in the next few days, make this clear at the start of the claim.

One EC claim can cover several assessments, and your circumstances do not need to be over before you claim. You will receive a confirmation email, and you can track your claim in the Portal. Your outcome will be sent to your University email address.

When to apply

Submit your claim within five working days of the assessment date.

For coursework, the assessment date is your deadline including any DAP extension or adjusted deadline. If you already know you will not be able to complete the assessment by that date, you can submit an EC claim in advance.

Working days are Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays and days when the University is closed. The five day submission period starts on the first working day after the assessment date.

When you claim

What happens

Within five working days of the assessment date

Your claim will be considered.

Six or more working days after, but before grades are released

Your claim will be considered if you explain why you could not claim earlier.

After grades for the assessment are released

Use the process in If your grades have already been released.

If you miss the five day window, for example if you have been in hospital or dealing with an emergency, submit as soon as you can and explain why your claim is delayed. A friend or family member can also contact us on your behalf, or submit a claim for you, by emailing extenuatingcircumstances@glasgow.ac.uk.

If you submit a claim in advance but then sit the exam or submit the assessment, that attempt stands and your advance EC claim is closed.

You can withdraw an EC claim by emailing extenuatingcircumstances@glasgow.ac.uk, up to five working days after the assessment date or before your results are published, whichever comes first, provided no decision has been issued. After that, a claim cannot be withdrawn and you cannot choose to keep an original grade.

While your EC claim is being considered

Submitting an EC claim does not automatically change your deadline.

For coursework: Continue to submit whatever work you can while your claim is being considered. If your claim is accepted, any late penalty applied in the meantime will be removed.

For exams: if you have claimed because you cannot sit an exam, do not sit the exam while waiting for a decision. If you do, the attempt will stand and your advance claim will be closed.

Most claims are processed within seven working days although some can take longer. If more time is needed, your School will tell you when to expect an outcome.

Evidence

Evidence or supporting documentation is requested with each EC claim. If you are waiting for a document, for example a medical letter, tell us in your claim what is coming and when.

Students registered with the Disability Service who are submitting a disability-related claim are not required to submit additional evidence.   

For minor matters that did not need medical advice or treatment you should use a Delayed Assessment Permit.

Your situation

What to provide

Notes

Serious illness, injury or physical health

A note or letter from a health professional, for example your GP, a hospital, a nurse or a pharmacist

Should cover the dates of the affected assessments.

Mental ill health

A note from a GP, hospital, counsellor or therapist

If you have an ongoing condition, we need to know it was significantly worse than usual at the time; tell us in your own words what changed. If you cannot get a note in time, see If you cannot get evidence below and submit anyway.

Bereavement

Self certification form: no medical or other documents needed

Download the Self-Certification Form and upload it with your claim. Covers the death of someone close to you. Up to two self certified claims per year: see below.

Pregnancy loss

Self certification form: no medical or other documents needed

Download the Self-Certification Form and upload it with your claim. Covers your own pregnancy or your partner's. Up to two self certified claims per year: see below.

Family emergency or significant personal issue

A letter or document from an independent person or organisation

For example a social worker, care agency, hospital letter about the person you care for, a school or nursery, the police, a solicitor, or a University staff member aware at the time. If no professional is involved in the care you give, tell us in your own words what happened and who else knew at the time.

Emergency in home country due to serious geopolitical events

Self certification form: no medical or other documents needed

Download the Self-Certification Form and upload it with your claim. Up to 2 self certified claims per year: see below.

Victim of crime, including sexual violence or domestic abuse

See the note on sensitive circumstances below

You can choose how much information to share in your claim. You do not need to describe events in detail. If you have already discussed this with a staff member, you can use the Self-Certification Form and upload it with your claim and the name of the staff member you have spoken to (see below).

Disability-related claim

If you are registered with the Disability Service, no additional evidence of your disability is needed

If you have not previously told us about your disability, you will be asked for supporting evidence.

Serious IT failure on the University’s side in an online exam

Your report to the IT Helpdesk at the time

Keep any error messages or screenshots.

Evidence must include your name (or the name of the person your claim relates to) and cover the dates of the affected assessments. It should come from an independent professional who knew about your circumstances at the time your studies were affected. A remote or video consultation with a registered clinician counts in the same way as a face to face one, but we cannot accept documents issued without any assessment or consultation. We expect all information and evidence submitted to be accurate. (Knowingly giving false information, or submitting altered evidence, is dealt with under the Code of Student Conduct.)

If your documents are not in English, upload the original and tell us what language it is in. We will tell you if a translation is needed and how to arrange one.

If you cannot get evidence, for example because you are not registered with a GP, cannot get an appointment, or no professional was involved in what happened, submit your claim anyway and tell us about the situation.

Sensitive circumstances. If your situation involves sexual violence, domestic abuse, or anything else that is difficult to discuss, you can speak to the Wellbeing Team, Safeguarding, Counselling, or the Disability Service. If you have already discussed your circumstances with staff in one of these roles, you do not need to upload evidence: use the Self-Certification Form and include their email address in your claim. We will ask them to confirm only that significant circumstances were discussed; we will not ask them for details, and you will not need to repeat your account.

Self certification is available for bereavement, pregnancy loss, sensitive circumstances, and humanitarian emergencies, for up to two claims per academic session. If you need to self certify a third time, we will ask you to have a conversation with the Wellbeing Team first, so we can make sure you have appropriate support. We keep the scope of self certification under review, and this page always shows the current position.You can access the Self-Certification Form. 

Repeated claims. Making more than one claim in a year does not count against you. If you make several claims in the same academic year and do not have a study support plan, we may ask for additional evidence, or offer a conversation with the Wellbeing Team to make sure you are getting the help you need. 

How your EC claim is reviewed

Your claim is reviewed in two stages.

Stage 1: Wellbeing and Evidence Check

The Wellbeing Team reviews your circumstances, checks any supporting evidence and confirms whether you meet the EC criteria (including that the circumstances were outside your control, that the information and evidence are credible and cover the relevant dates, and that the circumstances could reasonably have had a serious effect on your assessment). They will also identify any support you may need. This stage usually takes up to two working days.

Stage 2: School Review

Your School receives only the information required to make an academic decision, not the full details of your circumstances. Your School will decide the academic outcome: an extension, a deferred assessment, removal of late penalties, or another appropriate adjustment (see below). The aim is to ensure you have an opportunity to complete your assessment. Sometimes not all outcomes can be available for every assessment. The outcome will be confirmed to you by email.

Because your circumstances are not shared with your School, then if you want them to know what you are going through you will have to let them know separately. (If you are on a clinical professional programme like medicine or nursing, some staff members in your School may see the full details of your claim.) 

Possible outcomes and what they mean

Outcome

What it means

Is this regarded as your first attempt?

Effect on your grades

Extension

A new submission date for coursework (if there’s enough time before answers or feedback is released to the class)

Yes

None: marked normally.

Deferred assessment

A fresh chance to take a missed or cancelled assessment, normally at the next diet

Yes

No course grade cap: the grade counts in full.

Removal of late penalties

A late penalty is removed or reduced

Not applicable

Marked as if on time.

A grade of ECC is awarded

You may be given credit for the course but there is not enough assessment submitted to receive a course grade

Not applicable

If you have enough credit elsewhere in the academic year, the course is left out of your grade point average (GPA) calculation.

What this means for your degree. A deferred assessment is a first attempt taken later. It counts towards your degree classification, or towards Merit or Distinction on a Masters, exactly as the original would have. A deferred exam is usually taken at the next exam period: for many courses this is the exam period in August. For coursework your School sets a new date and will confirm it in writing. An EC claim cannot increase the grade for work you have completed: we can never re-mark work because of your circumstances.

If your deferred assessment is also affected by illness or other circumstances, you can submit a new EC claim. A second deferral is not always possible: where it is not, your School will consider other options.

If you are in your final year and have work you cannot complete during the normal assessment periods, this may affect your graduation. Where Extenuating Circumstances are accepted and an assessment cannot reasonably be completed or repeated, a limited number of courses may be set aside, so that you can still be classified on the rest of your courses, up to a maximum number of credits depending on your other grades. Where this applies, your Adviser of Studies or Programme Lead will talk you through the options.

For dissertations and research projects, if difficulties arise close to your submission date, you can use a DAP for five working days or submit an EC claim for a longer extension. Let your Supervisor or Course Convenor know as soon as possible. You usually have a long time to plan and write and submit your dissertation, and so a short period or periods of illness earlier in the dissertation period will not be accepted as a reason to ask for an extension on submission of the dissertation.

For final-year undergraduate students, let your Supervisor or Honours Convenor know as soon as difficulties arise so they can advise you. Your extension options may be limited by graduation deadlines. In some cases, you may have to undertake assessment over the summer, resulting in a winter graduation.

For postgraduate taught students undertaking a dissertation, if your dissertation deadline is deferred, your School will confirm the new deadline in writing, and you remain a student with supervision and access to University facilities for the deferral period. 

If you sat an exam when you were unwell (cancel-and-retake)

  • If your circumstances mean you were not fit to take your exam, you can submit an EC claim within 5 working days and ask for your attempt to be cancelled.
  • Submit your claim within 5 working days and provide any supporting evidence. If you became unwell during the exam and told an invigilator, say so in your claim.
  • If your claim is approved, you will normally be granted a new attempt at the next available opportunity. This is a first attempt, not a retake.
  • Where the exam cannot be run again, for example if you are close to graduation, your School may instead set the assessment aside and record the course as ECC (see What the outcomes mean). Your School will explain the effect to you before the outcome is issued
  • Once your School has issued the outcome the cancellation cannot be reversed: you cannot choose to keep the original exam attempt. 

Confidentiality

Your EC information is handled sensitively and stored securely. The Wellbeing Team sees the full details of your claim. Your School receives only the information needed to make an academic decision, not details of your personal circumstances (except on some professional clinical programmes).

Senate Assessors act as a point of escalation, for example where you have asked for your claim to be reviewed. They will see claims that are referred to them.

We do not share full details of your claim with your lecturers, or anyone else involved in teaching you.

The Wellbeing Team may contact you to discuss your claim and make a referral for wellbeing support. Declining wellbeing support does not affect your claim.

Approval, Amendments and Reviews

This policy applies to assessments from 18 August 2026 and replaces all previous Extenuating Circumstances guidance. Version 1.0, published 16/08/2026; next review July 2027.