The University of Sussex to implement “no-detriment” policy

Due to the disruption caused by COVID-19, the University of Sussex will be implementing a no-detriment policy to the grading of Semester 2, it has been announced.

In his weekly email to students, Vice-Chancellor Adam Tickell announced the news, telling students: “We believe in fairness when it comes to education.”

“No-detriment” is a policy that has been adopted by universities across the country as a response to the global pandemic. It essentially means your grades cannot be damaged from assessments taken at the end of this year. The Vice-Chancellor’s email explained: “Your Semester 2 passed marks will not be lower than the average mark you achieved in Semester 1.”

However, this does not mean your grades are finalised. It is possible for your grades to go up if your grades for Semester 2 improve despite the disruption.

This decision was made after a petition was set up by students calling for a no-detriment policy to be put in place. The petition amassed over 1000 signatures.

One Sussex student told The Sussex Tab: “It is great to see that Sussex is following other Universities on the no detriment policy. Lots of students are very pleased with a guaranteed safety net after all that’s happened this term!”