Resits, resubmissions and repeats

Resits and repeats

If you need to repeat parts of your course your Student visa may be affected. This is more likely if the resit dates fall out with the standard exam times. Student visa rules require the University to withdraw sponsorship if you do not participate in studies for 60 days. If we withdraw sponsorship the Home Office will cancel your Student visa. 

It may be possible to complete resubmissions or repeats within your current Student visa period.  Due to marking and moderation timelines eligibility for the Graduate Route may still be affected. The University aims to confirm students are eligible before their visa expiry wherever possible.

If your course end date is extended beyond your visa expiry date you are not guaranteed a visa extension. You may need to complete your studies from home. Eligibility for a visa extension depends on several factors:

• How long the extension is
• How many credits you are completing
• If there are any on-campus requirements

You may need to apply for a further Student visa outside the UK.

Additional time – requesting a new CAS

The University expects you will complete your course within the dates on your CAS. If you need more time to complete your studies, you will need to request a new CAS to apply for a further Student visa. If you prefer to complete your studies from home, you will need approval from your School. Students completing from home need to provide confirmation of exit from the UK. This must be before visa expiry to avoid interruptions to study.

The Immigration Compliance team will contact you 3 months before your visa expires if we think you need longer to complete your studies. If you have not heard from the team email [email protected] to request a CAS. All CAS requests will be assessed against UKVI requirements. You should be aware that some circumstances may require a visa application to be made outside of the UK.

Any CAS request must be submitted at least 3 weeks before visa expiry to extend your visa from inside the UK. Late requests mean you will be advised to travel outside the UK before your CAS can be issued.

PhD students

If you add a writing up year to your studies, the team will email you 3 months before your visa expires. You will be asked about your visa plans e.g. if you will request a new CAS or return home. 

If your course requires an ATAS statement you must apply for this within 28 days of your course end date extension. You should contact the Immigration Compliance team as soon as possible to request a new ATAS statement. The team will then follow up with you about your CAS request.

Repeat Years and EDP “Extended Due Performance”

If you do not pass enough modules to progress into the next year you may be allowed to repeat your modules. This could be on campus or, if there is no attendance requirement, you could be placed on a status called EDP (extended due performance).  

You need to take at least 80 credits with on-campus attendance to be full-time and maintain a Student visa. Repeating a year full time may have fee implications. If you do repeat a year, you are likely to need a visa extension. The Immigration Compliance team will email you 3 months before your Student visa expires to start this process. If you have not been contacted and think you need a visa extension, or have questions about this process email [email protected].

Some students may be able to complete all the modules needed to pass a repeat year in one semester. If your School confirms this is an option you should seek advice from the Immigration Compliance team. If you have a break in studies for a semester the University will have to withdraw visa sponsorship. You may be able to hold a Student visa for the semester you are studying.

EDP lets you resit individual modules from home so you can rejoin your course the next academic year. Students on EDP do not meet the requirements for a Student visa. Time spent on EDP should not count towards the 5-year undergraduate study cap. This is because your visa will be cancelled during your EDP year. When you are informed of your visa withdrawal you will be given advice on how to request a new CAS. You will need this to apply for a new Student visa to return to your studies on campus.

Undergraduate students who need to repeat more than 1 year may be affected by UKVI’s 5 year cap on study at that level. This can impact your ability to complete your studies as intended. If a repeat year will take you over 5 years of study, you may need to consider alternatives e.g. no honours year.