Guide
Attendance and your Student visa
Updated on 27 July 2023
This guide aims to outline the attendance requirements for Student visa holders in more depth.
The University has an official attendance and engagement policy which outlines attendance requirements for all students.
Remote Study
Home Office guidance for Student visas states that “all study that is part of the course must take place on your premises”. The only exceptions to this are work placements located off campus and essential study tasks that must be approved by your supervisor and the Immigration Compliance team. This means that remote study is not permitted on a Student visa and you will need to attend all scheduled on-campus requirements. PhD students are required to meet their supervisors in person on campus at least once per month.
Taught Programmes
Students who are on taught programmes (undergraduate and masters) are required to attend all scheduled teaching activity, during semester times this is monitored using SEAtS https://dundee.seats.cloud/#/Student. The University’s attendance requirement is 80%, schools will start to contact students to offer support if attendance drops below this percentage.
The Immigration Compliance team will intervene and contact students once attendance drops below 50% overall or if there is a consistent pattern of missed on campus classes.
Contact will initially be by email as a warning that attendance has reached a threshold that puts their visa at risk and providing an opportunity to discuss issues or barriers to attendance. Attendance will continue to be monitored for two weeks after the initial email, if there is no improvement or contact to provide a reasonable explanation for the Immigration Compliance team to consider the student will be invited to a meeting to discuss their attendance. Non-attendance at this meeting, or lack of improvement to overall attendance after this meeting will result in a second and final meeting being arranged. If this meeting is not attended or there is no significant improvement to attendance, then termination of studies will be requested. We encourage all students to be proactive about resolving any issues with attendance and seeking support. Attendance and engagement with studies are a core visa requirement so failing to meet the requirements has serious consequences.
Research Programmes
Students who are on research programmes have their attendance and engagement monitored through supervisory records of regular meetings. Supervisors are responsible for writing logs of meetings and raising any concerns regarding engagement with the school and the Immigration Compliance team. Non-engagement may lead to visa extension requests being denied or termination of studies.
Self-certified absences and mitigating circumstances
0% attendance by week 3
If your SEAtS record shows that you have not yet attended any classes since starting your studies at the University of Dundee despite completing the registration process then we will urgently contact you. Attendance and engagement with studies is a key requirement of the student visa and students must demonstrate that they are genuine and have intentions to study in the UK. The University has a duty to inform the Home Office of students who are not engaging with studies and must withdraw sponsorship of their visa.
If you have been having difficulties logging your attendance with SEAtS you must contact your School office for advice on potential solutions and alternatives. If you have faced personal circumstances that have prevented you from engaging with studies an opportunity will be provided to speak to a member of the Immigration Compliance team in person about the support that is available and how to re-engage with your studies. This information will be shared with you by email.
After we have contacted you by email your attendance will be reviewed, if you do not reach out to the Immigration Compliance team or if we do not see above 50% attendance and evidence that you have attended on campus classes you will be withdrawn from studies and your Student visa will be cancelled.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is central to the University’s core values of: valuing people; working together; integrity; making a difference; and excellence. It is of critical importance that our students fully engage with the concept of studying with integrity so that it is embedded in their own personal and professional development. Academic integrity means presenting academic work with honesty, properly acknowledging sources and the contribution of others, avoiding practice that gives an unfair advantage over others and working within relevant ethical frameworks.
When recording attendance students are expected to act within this framework and do their best to ensure their attendance is recorded accurately. If any student is found to be dishonest in their attendance record this is an extremely serious offence, and students should be aware of the severe penalties imposed.