Authorised Interruption of Study

The College is committed to giving students a fair and equitable opportunity to achieve the best academic outcomes they are capable of. Concessions to programme rules and University regulations help students reach this potential when unforeseeable circumstances in life arise that would otherwise prevent them from doing so.

College and University regulations and guidance exists to ensure that the needs of students are met while ensuring the academic quality and integrity of our programmes is maintained, and to ensure that decisions are made in a manner that is consistent and fair to all students.

The UoE Authorised Interruption of Study Policy can be found here:

https://www.ed.ac.uk/students/academic-life/study-interruption

​ Students are expected to approach their supervisor or personal tutor about a concession as soon as an issue, or potential issue, arises. The sooner the School and College are aware of an issue the more options there are available for supporting the student.

Students should complete and submit this Interruption of Study request form to their Principal Supervisor as soon as possible:

If the School and the supervisor do NOT want to support the case and assess that it does not meet the necessary criteria, they should advise the student they will not be supporting the case.

Concession requests from supervisors and personal tutors should be presented to the School Postgraduate Director before being forwarded to College for consideration.

• Student requests for Authorised Interruptions of Study should be made on the prescribed College Concession Request Form found below to the Principal Supervisor or personal Tutor
• Concession requests should be processed as soon as possible following request by the student.
• If supported, Supervisors or personal tutors should submit the request on the Online Concession System found on the College Sharepoint page: PG Research Student Office (sharepoint.com)
• Concession requests should describe the broad circumstances and the impact on the student's ability to study, as well as the expected duration of the circumstances.
• Requests for Authorised Interruptions of Study should identify the grounds on which the request is being made.
• Requests should be accompanied with relevant supporting documentation.
• Requests for Authorised Interruptions of Study should demonstrate the relationship of the circumstances to the length of the concession requested.

INTERRUPTION TO STUDY FORM

PLEASE NOTE

Students are responsible for managing the implications a concession may have on fee liability, funding and Visa status. The Fees Office and the Student Immigration Service can provide advice to students on the impact of a given concession.

AHRC, ESRC and similarly funded students should be aware that approval for a concession by the College does not imply approval from the funding body. All funded students must see the additional information here:  Information for Funded Students and Scholarship Holders | The University of Edinburgh

All information collected will be kept confidential and accessible only by those who require the documentation to make a decision, and only for the purpose of making the decision except where the School or College has statutory obligations to the contrary.

​ The approving authority for PGR Concessions is the College Postgraduate Education Committee (CPEC). The Committee may delegate decision making authority to a suitable nominee within the College.

The University expects that concessions are made only in exceptional circumstances where a reasonable and supported case can be made. When considering a concession request the Committee or nominee should consider;

• The needs of the student making the request
• The impact and duration of the circumstances surrounding the request
• Whether the circumstances were foreseeable or otherwise reasonably managed
• Whether the supporting documentation is relevant and consistent with the request
• Whether timelines for completion given are reasonable and achievable
• Whether previous requests from the same student were effective
• The best interests of the student making the request, which may not always be aligned with their preferred outcome
• Other support services or mechanisms which may be appropriate
• Overall fairness of the decision across the entire student cohort

The committee or nominee must make decisions in accordance with;

• The relevant University regulations and policies
• This College guidance
• Principles of consistency, equity, transparency and fairness in decision-making
• Duty of care obligations, privacy considerations and legislative responsibilities.

The committee or nominee may seek further information or clarification from the School in order to make a justified and informed decision. The College will normally communicate with the School rather than directly with student.

Where the regulations governing a concession provides a maximum length, this is not be considered as an entitlement or allowance to be used at the student or School's discretion but rather defines the limits of what College may approve.

The approving authority or nominee may approve the request as presented, decline the request, or put reasonable conditions or limitations on an approved request such as a reduced period, additional progression points or limitation on future conditions. The approving authority may also provide a recommendation for additional action, such as registration for a different programme, transfer to part-time study or engagement with support services.

​All decisions should be made in accordance with this College guidance and the University regulations. Decisions should be a justified response to the grounds of the request, reflecting an academic or administrative decision in accordance with these College guidelines and the University regulations. The College should be able to demonstrate why any given decision was made with reference to the guidelines or regulations.

Requests should be considered for approval where the following conditions are met:

• The supporting documentation is relevant to the grounds of the concession and demonstrates a duration and impact commensurate to the concession requested
• The Supervisor and School Postgraduate Director support the concession
• The grounds for the concession are reasonable and conform to the expectations and requirements in these guidelines and University regulations
• Where the concession would not confer an advantage to the student over others
• Where the concession will be reasonably expected to achieve a positive outcome

Requests that meet any of the following conditions should be considered for rejection or returned to School for clarification:

• Where the circumstances can be reasonably expected to occur in any given candidature
• Where the supporting documentation does not demonstrate a duration and impact commensurate with the grounds and length of the request
• Where the concession would confer an unreasonable academic advantage to a single student
• Where the student does not provide supporting documentation
• Where medical documentation is not from a qualified medical practitioner or is for a trivial or short illness such as the common cold
• Where a conflict of interest exists for any of the parties, including those providing supporting documentation. Where a conflict of interest is identified, the concession should be considered only after it is resolved
• Where previous concessions have not produced positive outcomes or indicate that further concessions will not achieve the stated outcomes.
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​In some circumstances concessions can only be granted at University level (Senatus). The College should only refer matters to Senatus where the concession has College support. The College reserves the right to decline a concession request that would otherwise require Senatus approval.

Where referral is supported the College will pro-actively work with the School to build a robust case before presenting it to Senatus. It should be expected that matters referred to Senatus will be scrutinised in more detail and have a high expectation of supporting documentation. When cases have been referred to Senatus for approval, the PG Office should write to the School to confirm the decision.

​Once a decision is made the outcome will be communicated with the student, the supervisor or personal tutor, and School administrator as soon as possible.

If the decision is approved then the student will receive an automated message in EUCLID advising them of the concession request and to check the student self-service on the student record where the concession table is shown in its entirety. The Supervisor/PG Director and School Admin will be advised via Sharepoint, where the original request was submitted.

Where a request is declined, the College will write to the School with the specific reasons for declining the request.

The approving authority should record the reason for each decision including the relevant guidance or regulation that informed the decision.

In most cases decisions should be made within 10 working days of the request being received.

​Students may seek an Authorised Interruptions of Study on a number of grounds. Generally, these grounds should be where exceptional, unforeseeable circumstances prevent a student from undertaking study for a specified period.

Grounds for interruptions include:

• Medical and health problems lasting at least one month
• Personal and family problems, including bereavement
• Carers responsibilities, including parental leave
• Problems experienced because of deficiencies in the provision of supervision or facilities
• Registration for another degree, diploma or professional qualification
•  Undertaking distinct time-limited specialised training that would be beneficial to the student's project or generic skills training
• Undertaking distinct time-limited employment that would be beneficial to the student's project or generic skills training

Interruptions for research students should not be used to allow a student to undertake periods of paid employment in excess of 6 months. It is expected that short periods of illness of less than 4 weeks can be managed within a doctoral candidature without the need for an interruption.

Interruptions of study should not be granted retrospectively.

​All concession requests should be accompanied with relevant supporting documentation. This is to ensure that the correct concession is granted, that decisions can be made fairly and transparently, and to ensure the integrity of the decision making process.

The supporting documentation listed below is gives examples of suitable documentation. Research students must also supply a summary of work completed to date and a timetable for completion.