Withholding awards

The University will deal with allegations of breaches of the Student Conduct Policy through an informal or a formal process.

In cases where you become the subject of a formal allegation of a breach of the Student Conduct Policy, the Student Casework Team Manager will notify the Director of Student and Academic Services. The following process will then happen before the meeting of the relevant Examining Board(s).

If you have outstanding obligations to the University or are subject to student conduct breach allegations, an officer from Student and Academic Services will warn you that:

• your award may be withheld
• you will not be permitted to re-register for the same or another award
• you will not be permitted to enrol on other modules or other study.

If you have outstanding obligations to the University or you are subject to student conduct breach allegations, you will be assessed in the normal way. The Examining Board will not be informed of your status until after the deliberative process is complete.

The Examining Board’s decision will appear on the results list but with an indication that any award you are eligible for will not be conferred until outstanding obligations or allegations have been discharged.

If your outstanding obligation is not discharged or the Student Conduct Policy breach allegation has not been concluded before the next point of re-registration or enrolment, you will be not normally be permitted to:

• re-register for the same or any other programme or award
• enrol for any module or other study.

However, the University may permit re-registration or re-enrolment where your outstanding obligation is a debt at or below a sum to be determined by the Vice-Chancellor or their nominee.

If your outstanding obligation or Student Conduct Policy breach allegation has not been cleared by the meeting of the Examining Board at which eligibility for an award is due to be confirmed, the board will not be informed of your status until after it has concluded its decisions on all candidates.

The Director of Student and Student and Academic Services or designated person will ensure that the secretary to the Examining Board:

• records the academic decision in the normal way
• notifies the Examining Board that the award will be withheld after it has made its decisions on all candidates
• records the student’s name and results on the results list in the normal way but with an annotation to indicate, where appropriate, that an award will not be conferred
• prepares a supplementary results list in the prescribed format showing the academic decision of the Examining Board but with no date of publication
• undertakes the normal checking and approval procedure
• lodges the signed list with the Director of Student and Academic Services.

After the Examining Board, the Director of Student and Academic Services or designated person will ensure that you are notified in writing of the decision to withhold the award.

When the obligation is discharged in full, including clearance of cheque(s), the Head of Financial Services or other appropriate University officer will inform the Director of Student and Academic Services immediately. They will ensure that:

• the supplementary results list is dated, countersigned and authorised for publication by the college
• arrangements are made for the grant of an award for which you have qualified.

When the allegation has been determined and any consequential action completed, the Director of Student and Academic Services will arrange the publication of the Examining Board’s decision.

If the allegation’s outcome is that you are dismissed from the University, the Vice-Chancellor may decide whether the award should be conferred or continue to be withheld for six years from the date of the Examining Board’s decision. After that time, if any obligation outstanding to the University has not been discharged, the Examining Board’s decision will be annulled.