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Progress

Progress is governed by UMP Regulations, which allow an SEC discretion when a student has passed enough modules but not satisfied specific subject requirements.

1. A student is required to pass at least three module credits a year (i.e. in the preceding two semesters) in order to continue with the course.

  1. A student who has not satisfied this requirement may be required to withdraw by UCF, unless one of the following provisions applies. It is important that each case is considered individually.
  2. When a student who has had previously a good record, or who is part-time or where there are exceptional circumstances does not satisfy this requirement, the SEC and UCF Chair may agree to make no recommendation to UCF that the student must withdraw. The student is then allowed to continue.
  3. Where no marks, or only partial marks, are recorded and no information about exceptional circumstances is known, a conditional withdrawal may be agreed (Examination Committee decision - D1). In this case a student is given a specific period (usually three weeks) in which to provide information or explanation which the Chair of UCF judges to be sufficient to stop the student being required to withdraw.
  4. It is not usually in a student’s interest or in the University’s interest for him or her, to remain at Brookes if he or she is unable to progress at this rate.

2. The University is required to report to Student Loans Company (SLC) and other sponsors/funding bodies the progress of any ‘supported’ student.  An adverse report may lead to the suspension of a student’s support.  The revised LA Support Regulations (Sept. 1998 et seq.) requiring many students to pay their own fees make this report applicable only to students receiving partial or complete support for fees.

  1. The University regards this report as being independent of any exceptional circumstances and therefore not a matter for the exercise of discretion. UCF does not, therefore, discuss them.
  2. Exceptional circumstances are for the funding body to consider. If failure arises from medical or similar problems, the University will normally support a request made by the student to the funding body for exceptional treatment.

3. A full-time student may be unable to make normal progress and his or her support may be suspended because he or she has not passed a specific compulsory module by the end of a particular year (or stage or point).

  1. In the case of students moving from Stage I to Stage II, progression rules are implemented which determine if a student has passed the required modules to proceed to Stage II. If the progression rules permit a student may be able to enter Stage II trailing particular Stage I module/s. SECs should have identified their rules/criteria and report decisions on individual students to UCF on that basis. Progression rules are confirmed by each Faculty in March and passed to Student Central.
  2. For Stage I and Foundation Stage students, recommendations to the SEC and UCF are made by Programme Leads and the Chair of UCF to ensure, as far as possible, equity and consistency All students are subject to the same progression rules applied to their subject. As a consequence some recommendations may be challenged at UCF and unless explained on the basis of the progression rule and may not be agreed.
  3. For a student in the Foundation Stage, progression to Stage I is not allowed unless the Foundation Stage has been successfully completed.
  4. Within Stage II a student is normally allowed to continue provided the minimum number of modules has been passed for the year even if the course will need to be extended for him or her to qualify for an award.

4. Once a student whose financial support has been suspended has passed a sufficient number of modules and/or any specific module(s), the University recommends the re-instatement of the support.

  1. The review of student records prior to SEC and UCF identifies most such cases enabling the University to make the recommendation at the start of the following semester (or earlier in September).
  2. These are reported to UCF, but not discussed by UCF.
  3. Neither SEC nor UCF exercise discretion in this decision. It is treated as entirely factual.