Reasonable adjustments

Reasonable adjustment may apply if you are:

• disabled
• a carer of a disabled person  
• covered by the Student Pregnancy, Maternity, Adoption and Partner policy (PDF)
• impacted by a bereavement.

The University may apply reasonable adjustments to your teaching and learning, professional placements and your exams. You can also request reasonable adjustments to a coursework deadline.

You can see what reasonable adjustments you have in place in MYUWE. If you do not have adjustments in place, read about the types of adjustments we offer and how to apply for them.

How long do reasonable adjustments last?

Your adjustments for teaching and learning and exams will be in place for the duration of your course unless we tell you otherwise. You can check MYUWE at any time to see what reasonable adjustments are in place.

If there are any discrepancies, please contact an Information Point.

Types of adjustments that we can put in place:

• teaching materials in advance 
• permission to record lectures
• additional library support
• transcripts or subtitling
• teaching room layout
• ergonomic furniture in teaching rooms.

Apply for reasonable adjustments to teaching and learning

Please send your evidence to us via our InfoHub enquiry form and we will get in touch with you. Find further information about how to submit your evidence.

There is no deadline for applying but please do this as soon as possible to give us the best chance of getting things in place.

Reasonable adjustments enquiry form (login required)

What happens after you apply

Some reasonable adjustments will be put in place automatically when we have received appropriate evidence from you.

Other non-standard reasonable adjustments may need to be discussed with your College and other UWE Bristol services. We may also need to speak with you about these.

Apply for reasonable adjustments to exams

To apply, contact us as soon as possible:

• Email your evidence to disability@uwe.ac.uk or
• Complete our Enquiry form (InfoHub login required)

Find further information about how to submit your evidence.

Deadlines for requesting reasonable adjustments to exams

The deadlines for submitting your reasonable adjustment request and evidence to Disability Services:

• Friday 21 March 2025 for May/June 2025 exams
• Friday 6 June 2025 for July/August 2025 exams
• Friday 28 November 2025 for January 2026 exams
• Friday 20 March for May/June 2026 exams
• Friday 5 June for July/August 2026 exams 

If you don’t get your evidence to the Disability Service before the relevant deadline, we may not be able to put exam reasonable adjustments in place.

Ad-hoc exams

If you have any exams taking place outside of the standard exam dates mentioned, you must submit your evidence no later than three weeks before the exam date.

Requesting adjustments after the deadline

If you become disabled, receive a diagnosis after the exam deadlines or you need emergency additional support arrangements because you are injured or have a serious infectious illness, the University will make every effort to make adjustments. Contact us with your urgent need and evidence as soon as possible: 

• Email disability@uwe.ac.uk or
• Complete our Enquiry form (InfoHub login required)

Checking your exam reasonable adjustments

You can check if you have reasonable adjustments in place for your exams in Your info in MYUWE. Extra time does not show on exam timetables but if it's in MYUWE you should expect to receive it.

If you have questions about your adjustments

If you have concerns about being able to access the assessment that are put in place, please liaise with the academic team to explore whether there is an appropriate alternative.

If you are unable to find a solution, your teaching team can contact the Disability Service or you can make a Disability Advice appointment via an Information Point.

Further information

• Reasonable adjustments policy (PDF)
• Exams reasonable adjustment factsheet (PDF)

You may be eligible for a reasonable adjustment to deadline for coursework submissions if you meet any of the following criteria:

• you are a disabled student with reasonable adjustments in place
• you are providing regular, unpaid and ongoing care to an ill or disabled family member, cohabiting partner, friend or neighbour and have engaged with UWE Cares
• the Student Pregnancy, Maternity, Adoption and Partner policy (PDF) applies to you and you have engaged with the Student Support Advisers
• you are impacted by a bereavement.

Postgraduate researchers

If you are a postgraduate researcher (PhD, DPhil, MPhil) requesting a reasonable adjustment to deadline, please use the request form.

If you want to discuss a reasonable adjustment to a progress review or final assessment, please contact the Doctoral Academy at doctoralacademy@uwe.ac.uk.

What extra time is available?

A reasonable adjustment will provide:

• An additional seven days from the original deadline in which to submit your work
• For resits - an additional five calendar days from the original deadline

There is no late submission window beyond your adjusted assignment deadline.

Coursework not eligible for extra time

You will not be able to use the reasonable adjustment to deadline for the following types of work:

• group work
• assessments submitted for marking in a studio by a group of staff at a fixed time (including work for an end of term degree show)
• practice elements of professional practice modules
• practical skills-based work
• where assessments are set up as timed assignments, for example computer-based examinations
• any assessments contributing to the Graduate Diploma in Law
• any assessments contributing to the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship, Diploma (PCEP) and (DHEP) (72-hour grace period available)
• assessments limited by logistical constraints such as assessments to be completed whilst on a field trip
• assessments with a submission date which falls after the Friday before the relevant Field Board (you can view the field board dates on the academic year calendar).

There may be other cases where a reasonable adjustment cannot be accommodated due to the nature of an assignment. You can check whether your assignment is exempt on the module Blackboard page or the assignment brief.

Requesting the reasonable adjustment to coursework deadline

You must request a reasonable adjustment to deadline for each coursework submission.

Please complete the request form at least 48 hours before your assignment submission date. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to process requests that come in later than this by the deadline.

Coursework reasonable adjustments request form (InfoHub login required)

If your request is denied

Please double check that you meet the eligibility criteria and have engaged with the relevant service.

If you have only recently become eligible, the system may not have been updated in time for your request. In this case, please contact the relevant service:

• Disability Service
• UWE Cares
• Student Support Advisers

If you don’t meet the criteria

There are other options if you do not meet the above criteria but have experienced something significant that affects your ability to submit a piece of coursework. Find out more about the available assessment support options.

If you are on a Health or Education programme that has a professional placement element and you are a disabled student or the primary carer of a disabled person, support is available.

If you have a Specific Learning Difference (SpLD), read our SpLD placement guidance: SpLD placement guidance

If you are concerned about your mental health on placement, please find advice and strategies in our wellbeing placement guidance: Wellbeing placement guidance

Access to placement plans

If you need bespoke reasonable adjustments to access your placement, please speak to your tutor to request an Access to Placement Plan. They will have a detailed conversation with you to discuss any barriers.

The Disability Service will review the suggested reasonable adjustments and will create an Access to Placement Plan report.

In some instances, we may arrange a meeting with a Disability Adviser to discuss the adjustments in more detail. You will need to share the final report with each placement to discuss the adjustments needed.