Thousands of Edinburgh Uni students denied special circumstances and extensions

Data retrieved by The Tab through a freedom of information request reveals that over the past two years thousands of students have seen their requested extensions or special circumstances rejected.

Over four thousand requests for special circumstances were not approved by the University of Edinburgh. A further five thousand extensions were not approved.

In 2022/23, 46,392 extensions were approved, while 52,338 were applied for. In 2023/24, 43,554 extensions were requested, while 38,161 were approved.

The figures remain consistent for special circumstances requests with 20,545 applications in 2022/23 and 21,653 in 2023/24. 16,269 and 17,398 requests were validated by the university respectively.

The figures mean that around 20 per cent of applications for special circumstances were denied in both years.

The university explains: “Reasons for coursework extensions are unexpected short-term circumstances that are exceptional and beyond your control, and which may have an adverse impact on your ability to complete the assessment on time.”

Special circumstances “seek to take account of illness, accident or other circumstances which are exceptional for the individual student, beyond that student’s control, and for which there is sufficient evidence to show that the circumstances had a significant adverse impact on the student’s performance in an assessment, or resulted in non-attendance or a non-submission for a scheduled assessment.”

Out of the extensions requested in 2023/2024, 13,942 were requested on mental health grounds. Of these, 12,387 (89 per cent) were approved. 7,265 special circumstances were requested on the same grounds, 6,106 (84 per cent) were approved.

Prior to the start of the 2024/25 academic year, the university announced an overhaul to the coursework and special circumstances policies. It said: “Over the past few years, schools across the university have seen steep rises in the number of extensions requested and accepted on assessments, delaying substantial volumes of coursework for marking and moderation, alongside other complex issues. This was under the old Coursework Extensions and Special Circumstances Policy.”

The new policy replaces the previous system and means “students can now apply for self-certified extensions (and other options) with evidence, providing the support they need during exceptional circumstances.”.

The new policy was created due to an increasing number of extensions, with some courses seeing “60 per cent of the cohort” receiving extensions, “leading to severe consequences on marking and moderation”.

A University of Edinburgh spokesperson said: “The university has robust academic policies and procedures in place to support students and ensure that assessment practices are fair. Our exceptional circumstances application process is designed to be straightforward and user-friendly for students to apply for help on the occasion where something unexpected happens that may impact on their ability to meet their assessment deadlines.”

Information on how students can apply for exceptional circumstances – including guidance on what situations qualify for this – can be found on the university website.

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