Extenuating Circumstances

EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES, TRIMESTER 1 (Autumn) of 2024-25

Extenuating circumstances are serious unforeseen circumstances beyond your control which may prevent you from meeting the requirements of your programme at a particular point in time.

Typical grounds for applying include documented mental or physical illness, hospitalisation, accident, family illness or bereavement or other serious personal or emotional circumstances relating to you or direct dependents you care for. Supporting evidence is required.

Situations not usually covered include sporting or working commitments, misreading the exam timetable, travel or personal arrangements. If you encounter technical issues on the day of an exam, please take a time stamped screenshot and contact your module coordinator in the first instance for advice. And remember to always back up your work as you go along. You can also contact the (opens in a new window)IT Helpdesk for support.

All students with a disability or significant ongoing illness in UCD have the opportunity to receive relevant reasonable accommodations or supports via the Disability Support Unit.

If you are not sure whether your situation is covered by the policy, please talk to us or one of our Student Advisers.

IN-TRIMESTER

If your extenuating circumstances relate to missed in-trimester assessments or attendance, (mid-terms, tutorials etc.), local arrangements may be possible and you should contact the module coordinator as soon as possible and within ten days of the due date of any assessment.

If you know in advance that you are not going to meet a submission deadline, the Late Submission of Coursework Policy applies. You can download and fill out a Late Submission of Coursework Policy Form and submit it to your module coordinator. The application should be made prior to the due date, and granting an extension is at the discretion of the Module Coordinator.

If a local solution is not possible, contact the Arts and Humanities Desk to submit a formal Extenuating Circumstances application.

EXAMS/FINAL ASSESSMENT

If local accommodations cannot be made or if your circumstances affect end-of-trimester assessments/exams, your application should be submitted as soon as possible and before the final deadline. Supporting evidence is required.

Trimester 1 (Autumn) 2024/2025 application deadline: Tuesday, 07 January 2025.

Applications should be submitted online via the Programme Services tab in SISWeb before this deadline and as close as possible to the time the circumstances occurred.

Module withdrawal

If you find that circumstances are prolonged and affect your attendance and engagement for most of the teaching term, you can withdraw from a module before the end of week 12 of a trimester, or before the last day of the teaching term.

An automatic withdrawn grade (WN) will go onto your record should you withdraw from the module after Week 8. The module fee will be retained, however, no additional fee and no academic penalties will apply when you retake the same module in future.

Potential progression issues may arise, however, so please talk to us and seek appropriate advise.

The deadline to withdraw from modules is the end of week 12 of a trimester.

Registration Support

To request changes to your registration, please complete our Manual Registration form, or if you need information or support, contact the Art & Humanities Connector.

FURTHER INFORMATION AND SUPPORT 

For information on Assessment and Exams please see the EXAMS FAQS

For full information see Extenuating Circumstances Policy.

Please remember – your Arts & Humanities Desk staff are here to listen and offer advice. If you are experiencing personal difficulties, you may prefer to talk in private to one of your .