Extension to dissertation submission deadline - for postgraduate taught students

Please complete Sections One, Two and Three of the below form, providing as much detail as possible, and submit to your School/Department office.

Following a consideration of the information (and documentary evidence provided - for more guidance on this, see below) a School/Department representative will either decide to approve or reject your application. In some circumstances, you may be asked to provice further information/documentary evidence before a final decision.

Once your application has been approved by your School/Department, it is your responsibility to ensure that your form is sent to the Taught Student Administration Team in Registry:

Email:

tsa@contacts.bham.ac.uk

In person/Post: 

Student Information team C/O Taught Student Administration
Student Hub, Aston Webb C Block
The University of Birmingham
Birmingham
B15 2TT

Taught Student Administration will amend the central database as appropriate and you will be notified of this by email.

You should give as much detail as possible about your reasons for requesting an extension to your dissertation submission deadline.

Each School/Department have clear procedures for granting extensions, including guidance on circumstances that will and will not be considered acceptable. However examples of generally acceptable/unacceptable reasons are as follows:

Acceptable reasons

• Major computer problems (eg failure of University networks)
• Significant medical problems
• Personal problems
• Compassionate (eg family bereavement)

Unacceptable reasons

• Minor computer problems (eg lost or damaged disks, printer breakdown)
• Lost assignments
• Desired books not in library
• Unverifiable travel difficulties
• Not realising deadline imminent

You must include appropriate documentary evidence to support your reasons for requesting an extension. Some examples of appropriate supporting evidence are:

• Medical certificate – if you were ill or had to take care of someone who was ill
• Death certificate – if you have suffered a bereavement
• Supporting letter from your employer – if you had work-related difficulties
• Bank statements, payslips – if you had financial difficulties
• Supporting letter from your School

If you are not sure what evidence to provide, please email the Taught Student Administration Team.

If you request an extension that will mean you will exceed the maximum period of registration for your programme of study, you will need to apply for an extension to maximum period of registration.

If your request for an extension is not approved, your original submission date will apply.

If you have not made sufficient progress with your dissertation to submit by this deadline, your School will need to make a recommendation for you at the next Board of Examiners meeting. If it is your first attempt at the dissertation, you will have the right to re-submit to a deadline agreed by the School, and your dissertation mark will then be capped at 50% for the purposes of classifying your final degree classification. If it is your second attempt at the dissertation, the Board of Examiners will make a recommendation based on the marks for modules that you have already completed. This will normally mean the award of an alternative qualification.