Registry

If you hold a Student Visa or Tier 4 Visa, it is a legal requirement for you to engage with and participate in all areas of your programme of study. As a condition of the University's Student Sponsor Licence, we are required by law to monitor your attendance and engagement. We are also required to notify the Home Office if you withdraw from your programme of study or fail to attend and engage to a satisfactory level.

Engaging with your studies means:

• Attending lessons, lectures, tutorials, labs and seminars
• Sitting tests, exams and assessments
• Meeting your supervisor(s) and/or Academic Advisor
• Submitting your coursework, reports and dissertation

You must evidence your attendance at, and engagement with, your studies throughout your time with us. For undergraduate and postgraduate taught students, this will be done via attendance recording using an app called the SafeZone app.

For postgraduate research students and for postgraduate taught students during the dissertation/project, this will be done using a UofG HelpDesk Engagement form.

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For Undergraduate students

If you are an Undergraduate student who is unable to attend a timetabled activity for any reason (eg illness), please see the Student Absence Policy. If you have an issue that may prevent you from engaging with your studies for a longer period, it is very important that you discuss this with your School.

Undergraduate students are not usually required to attend or engage with their studies over the summer holiday period. Please see the University's Academic Policy & Governance webpages for more information on session dates.

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For Postgraduate Taught students

If you are a Postgraduate Taught student who is unable to attend a timetabled activity for any reason (eg illness), please see the Student Absence Policy. If you have an issue that may prevent you from engaging with your studies for a longer period, it is very important that you discuss this with your School.

If you are studying a one-year Master's programme on a Student Visa, your Visa will usually be sponsored for study in the UK for the full 12 months of the programme, including the summer period where you will work on your dissertation/project. During this period, you are still classed as a full-time student, and your Visa requires you to remain in Glasgow, study on campus, and continue to engage with your studies as such.

If you wish to have a short holiday of up to 3 weeks away from Glasgow, you are not required to seek permission from your School, provided that you are not required to attend any meetings or preparatory sessions during this time. If you require a longer period of absence from Glasgow, you must seek permission from your School. Please note that such requests may or may not be approved.

If you wish to write and submit your dissertation/project from outside the UK, you must consult with your School first. If you are granted permission, the University will inform UKVI that they are no longer sponsoring your Student Visa, and your Visa will be curtailed. This will not prevent you from completing your programme remotely.

If you are interested in applying for the Graduate Visa, please note that you will be required to study the full 12 months of your programme inside the UK, with the exception the 3-week short holidays mentioned above.

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For Postgraduate Research students

If you are Postgraduate Research student, you are required to engage with your studies full time throughout the academic year, with the exception of any brief periods of annual leave.

> Log your meetings via the Helpdesk

Annual leave arranged with the agreement of your supervisors and graduate school will not impact your visa sponsorship. However, if you require a long period of absence, please see below section for how this may impact your visa If you need to leave the UK for personal reasons or for research, please see PGR policy, strategy & support or contact your Graduate School.

For you, engagement also entails:

• Meeting with your supervisor(s)
• Attending research-method or research-panel meetings
• Writing-up seminars or doctoral workshops
• Sitting an oral examination/Viva
• Submitting chapters, research plans, or a full thesis

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For All Students: Suspension of Study & Long Periods of Absence

You may need to suspend your studies due to personal, medical, financial, or other reasons.

Suspensions of 60 days or less: If your School or College gives you approval to be absent for a period of 60 days or less, your Visa sponsorship will continue, and your Student or Tier 4 Visa will allow you to stay in or re-enter the UK to resume your studies later.

Suspensions of more than 60 days: If your School or College gives you approval to be absent for more than 60 days, the University is required to withdraw sponsorship of your Visa. If you are in the UK, you will need to leave the UK and apply for a new Visa when you are ready to return to resume your studies. This also applies to suspensions of study requested for maternity leave.

If you are considering suspending or deferring your studies, please contact International Student Support.

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FAQs

Where do I download the app?

• University of Glasgow apps

Will the app work on my device?

The app will work on iPhones (iOS v13+) and Android phones (Android v7+).

How often do I check in?

Every time you attend a class.

What happens if I forget to check in?

Individual gaps aren’t a problem, just make sure that you check in for your next class.

What if the building I was in had really bad wi-fi, and I wasn’t able to check in?

Individual gaps aren’t a problem, just make sure that you check in for your next class.

Do I need to check out after class?

You will automatically be checked out when you leave the area you checked in to.

There’s no requirement to do this manually, but you can if you wish.

What do I do if my next class is in the same building?

You may find that you are still checked in from your previous class. Simply tap ‘Check Out’ and then ‘Check In’ at the start of your next class to create a new, separate entry for your next class.

Will the app drain my battery?

No, the app is designed to be non-intensive with regards to battery usage.

What happens if I am unwell?

If you are unwell for seven consecutive days, you should record this on MyCampus as per the current student absence policy.

Is this process only for student visa holders?

At the moment, yes.

Do I still need to check in to register my attendance on Moodle?

You may be asked to registered attendance at your class by your lecturers. At the moment, you will need to register attendance on the SafeZone app for UKVI purposes and separately for your class lecturer/tutor.

Where is the data about my attendance stored?

Your data is processed securely by University staff in the United Kingdom. SafeZone app information is handled and stored by CriticalArc (the SafeZone app provider).

Will you share my attendance data with anyone else?

Your data will be shared with relevant University staff, CriticalArc (the SafeZone app provider), and UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).

What are the attendance and engagement requirements for UG and PGT students during teaching time?

Aligned to the University About the SafeZone app, all UG and PGT students are expected to attend all timetabled classes and examinations contributing to summative assessment.

Student visa holders are expected to document their attendance at all timetabled teaching events to ensure we have all the information needed for engagement monitoring. The minimum requirement is to document attendance for at least 1 contact point per week during teaching time.

Engagement is measured through recording any of the following contact points:

1. A lesson, lecture, tutorial, lab, or seminar
2. A test, examination or assessment
3. Submitting formative or summative coursework
4. Submitting coursework or a (section of a) dissertation for formative feedback

What if my phone doesn’t support SafeZone or I don’t have a mobile phone? 

We can, in some cases, help you to purchase a new mobile phone.  

This will be done using the Financial Support Fund: https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/registry/finance/funds/finsupfund/  

This fund is available to help cover the costs of purchasing a mobile phone, but is limited and will require an application process.  

What is changing for the engagement monitoring of sponsored visa students?

All students will continue to have their engagement monitored through the usual local process, which can include displaying QR codes in class meetings.

Additionally, UG and PGT student visa holders must download the SafeZone App and login using their student/@glasgow.ac.uk email address and ‘check in’ during their timetabled teaching events. A student is not able to ‘check in’ from social spaces on campus. Therefore, all student visa holders must check in during the time of their class (10 minutes before and up to 10 minutes after the end of their class) from the building where they are scheduled to attend.

 

 

Postgraduate taught (PGT) students during the dissertation/project period/ Postgraduate research (PGR) students

What is changing regarding engagement monitoring for PGR students and PGT students during the dissertation/project period?

From January 2025, PGR students and PGT students during the dissertation/project period the dissertation/project period will be required to fill in a new engagement form in UofG Helpdesk on a monthly basis, which will be approved by the supervisor.

The form should be used by all PGR students and PGT students during the dissertation/project period. This must be used instead of any other forms of documenting engagement and interaction with supervisors.

What types of engagement can be documented through the engagement form?

The engagement form can be used for the following types of engagement, which can be selected from the type of meeting drop-down:

• Supervisor/ Tutor Meeting
• Seminar/ Workshop/ Event (which includes PGR development and training events, seminars, workshops and annual progress reviews (APRs))
• Coursework submission (which includes submitting a [section of a] dissertation for formative feedback)

Where can I find the engagement form?

Students can access the form by searching ‘engagement form’ in UofG Helpdesk.

What is the frequency of engagement that students need to evidence?

Monthly engagements need to be documented via the engagement form. This includes at least a monthly meeting with the supervisor during the research, dissertation/project phases.

Is there a time limit for submitting the engagement form after the meeting?

Yes, students should submit the engagement form on UofG HelpDesk within 5 working days of the engagement taking place. Supervisors then have 15 working days to approve the form.

What contact type would I use for a draft chapter submission?

For this please use the Coursework submission option.

Can my supervisor raise the engagement form on my behalf?

Yes, both students and supervisors can initiate the engagement form.

What happens if the supervisor does not confirm the details of the engagement?

If the supervisor doesn’t confirm the meeting, they will receive reminders to do so. If the supervisor denies the record, this will be escalated to the School/College to investigate.

What are the engagement requirements for PGR and PGT students writing up their final thesis/dissertation/project who choose not to stay in Glasgow?

If the student chooses to write up and submit their final thesis/dissertation/project away from Glasgow, from their home country or elsewhere, they need to request permission from their school. Student visa holders whose request has been granted will no longer require their Student Visa and the University must inform UKVI that we are withdrawing visa sponsorship.

The student would need to leave the UK (if they have not already), and the engagement monitoring requirements that apply to visa holders would no longer apply.

What does a PGR/PGT student need to do in case of an absence?

PGR/PGT students should record absences in MyCampus (). If students are not able to submit a monthly engagement form due to being absent,Immigration Compliance will check if there is any record of approved absence. Students should submit an engagement form as soon as possible after their absence.

What are the engagement requirements for students who have sanctioned reasons to be away from Glasgow? (e.g. field work, research placements)

Schools/RIs remain responsible for ensuring that students on placement continue to engage remotely. To satisfy this requirement, students must continue to meet monthly with their supervisor and submit engagement forms as usual. These meetings can be virtual for Research Furth of Glasgow placements (those allowed to conduct research at institutions outside the University of Glasgow).

If my first supervisor is not available for an entire month, who can I engage with for validating the engagement form?

The secondary supervisor can also validate the form in case the first supervisor is not available.

Do students receive a reminder when it’s time to submit the engagement form?

No, the engagement form needs to be initiated by the student or the supervisor. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that they document a monthly contact point.

Can I have continued access to the contents of the engagement forms once I have submitted it? Is there space on the form for the supervisor to add comments?

Previously submitted engagement forms can be accessed in MyItems in UofG helpdesk. The supervisor can add comments when responding to the student-initiated form.

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