<<Back to Academic Support

What is a mitigating circumstance?

A mitigating circumstance is sometimes called an exceptional personal circumstance or a technical error. It's when something has gone wrong that you didn't have any control over and has impacted your work. You can request extensions for mitigating circumstances on the grounds of personal circumstances (such as illness) or technical errors (such as being told two different deadlines). 

How do I do a mitigating circumstances application?

There are two types of mitigating circumstance. If you need a short-term extension for any reason, you can apply for a self-certification. If you need a longer extension (over 5 days), you need to do standard mitigating circumstances. These are explained further below.

1. Self Certification Extensions

Up to  twice per academic year you can apply for a self-certified extension. This is when you yourself tell the university that you need some extra time (up to 5 working days) to complete your assessment. You can find the self-certification form on your moodle. To successfully get a self-certification you need to:

- Apply no more than 5 working days in advance of your deadline (not inclusive of the day of submission) of the day of submission.

- Apply no later than 1 minute before your deadline

- Identify the correct modules with the module codes 

- Only apply for assessments that are not formal exams 

There is often confusion around when to apply, so please consider the following example. If your deadline is Friday 10th February at 2pm, you need to apply no earlier than Friday 3rd February at 2.01pm, and no later than Friday 10th February at 1.59pm. 

You do not need to explain why you are asking for the extension if you do a self-cert, and you do not need to provide evidence for it. You simply send the form and if you are on time and you are eligible for it, then it will automatically be granted

2. Standard Mitigating Circumstances

For every other situation, such as if you need more than 5 days or you have already used your self-certification, then you need to do a standard mitigating circumstances application. Again, you should do this on moodle if you are able. 

When you do a mitigating circumstances form you'll have the option to submit for a non-attempt or a late submission. Do not submit a non-attempt without speaking to your lecturers first. 

To apply for a late submission, you need to do the following:

- Write a statement that explains your situation clearly 

- Provide evidence that backs up what you're saying

When you go to the mitigating circumstances form, you'll have a space to write a short statement. This usually isn't enough words or characters, so don't write anything here, and instead write 'see student statement'. Write your statement in a Word document or similar, and attach it in the evidence section. You can see example statements below.

Sample statements:

The sample statements provided by the Students’ Union Advice Team below are intended to demonstrate how you may wish to write a statement to explain an application for mitigating circumstances.

There is no guarantee that writing a statement using these as a template will ensure that your application for mitigating circumstances is accepted. They are only here to serve as an explanation of how we think a statement should be written to make it clear and easy to understand.

These letters don’t cover every version of events, and some situations may be much more complicated, but a statement that answers the following questions will usually serve you well:

1. What happened?
2. When did it happen?
3. When was your deadline?
4. Why do you need an extension/why did you miss your deadline?

If you need any further support or guidance on how to write a statement for mitigating circumstances, contact us.