Progressing to the Next Level of Study

For a standard full-time undergraduate honours degree you will need to pass 120 credits in each year, which is usually the equivalent of eight 15-credit modules per year. Please consult your Pathway Guide for confirmation of the rules for your course.

I'VE PASSED AT LEAST 90 CREDITS AT MY CURRENT LEVEL OF STUDY. CAN I PROGRESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL OF STUDY?

YES. You must gain 120 credits each year to pass each level and qualify for an honours degree. To progress to the next level, however, you must have passed at least 90 credits, and you must be in a position to recover the remaining 30 credits either by compensation (by gaining #E4 grades) or by taking re-sits and retakes as part of your diet of study. (Please Note - compensation does not apply to Level 3 study, as you must pass all Level 3 modules with grade D5 or above).

So you can progress to the next level of study providing you have passed at least 90 credits at the level below. But you can normally only study a maximum of 120 credits per academic year. Because you will have to retake the remaining 30 credits as part of your diet of study, your date of graduation may be delayed by up to a year, as these retakes will displace modules that you were due to study from the higher level.

For example, Student A passes 90 Level 1 credits at the end of her first year in 2006-07. She will be required to retake the remaining 30 Level 1 credits alongside 90 Level 2 credits in 2007-08. Assuming she passes these, in 2008-09 she will be required to take 30 Level 2 credits and 90 Level 3 credits. Therefore she will be 30 Level 3 credits short by the time she would have ordinarily graduated (September 2009). She will have to take these 30 Level 3 modules in 2009-2010 and therefore she will graduate in September 2010, a year later than she expected at the start of her course.

So in a nut shell - if you need to retake (as opposed to re-sit) modules, your date of graduation will probably be delayed by one year.

I'VE PASSED LESS THAN 90 CREDITS AT MY CURRENT LEVEL OF STUDY. CAN I PROGRESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL OF STUDY?

NO. If you fail to achieve 120 credits, you will normally be required to retrieve the outstanding balance of credit initially through re-sits in July (providing your overall grade for a module isn't F0, in which case you will have to retake the whole module in the next academic year).

You must take re-sits at the next available opportunity. This should be detailed in your module guide or on WOLF, but is normally within the same academic year (July), except sometimes where the assessment is placement-based and needs to be rolled over into the following academic year. If you are in any doubt, check with your module leader.

Any grades for assessment received via a re-sit will be limited to D5, regardless of how well you do. This will not affect any assessment that you may have already passed in the same module.

The main re-sit period will take place week commencing 7th July 2008, although there will be a Semester 1 retrieval opportunity week commencing 10th March 2008.

If you do not pass the re-sits, or if you receive an overall grade of F0 for a module, you must retake the whole module in the following academic year.

I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT I NEED TO ATTEND AS A FULL-TIME STUDENT ON A PART-TIME BASIS NEXT YEAR. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

You will be a 'full-time student attending on a part-time basis' if you have less than 90 credits at Level 1 or Level 2 and therefore need to retake modules. You should still qualify for full-time student financial support and be exempt from Council Tax. You could be charged for retaking modules: 

£157.50 per 15 credits for 2007-08 for UK/EU undergraduate students

£993.75 per 15 credits for 2007-08 for international undergraduate students

£662.55 per 15 credits for 2007-08 for international postgraduate students

If you started your course before September 2006 your LA may cover the cost of fees for up to one extra year, and if you started your course after September 2006 you may be able to apply for an extra tuition fee loan for up to one extra year. Contact your LA to find out more. 

For example, if you have passed 75 Level 1 credits at the end of Year 1 in the academic year 2006-07, you will not be allowed to progress to Level 2 until you have passed at least 90 Level 1 credits. This means that you will have to retake the remaining 45 Level 1 credits in 2007-08 to make up a total of 120 Level 1 credits. You will then automatically be transferred back to a full-time student to progress to Level 2 in 2008-09.

Please note: boards that decide students' progression only meet in June and July. Therefore you cannot transfer back to full-time at the end of Semester 1 (January); you will be a full-time student attending on a part-time basis for the whole academic year. However, if all your retakes fall in Semester 1, the Local Authority will not usually fund you during Semester 2. You will be expected to fund your own living expenses until you progress to the next level of study in the next academic year. 

Attending a full-time course on a part-time basis is different from actually being a part-time student. You are still classed as full-time for funding purposes. For example, part-time students are not entitled to student loans or maintenance grants. But as a student who attends a full-time course on a part-time basis, you will still be entitled to your full-time funding package, i.e. student loans and grants, subject to you being within the Local Authority's funding rules. LAs can normally offer students funding for the length of their course plus one extra year. Sometimes they may use their discretion to provide you with a loan for living costs beyond this period.

PERIOD OF REGISTRATION

Students studying full-time for a standard undergraduate honours degree have five years to complete all their studies, although the standard completion time is three years. Students can, however, take a leave of absence of up to four semesters, which will extend their registration period as appropriate.

See the University's Academic Regulations for further information.