1. Purpose and application of these regulations

1.1. These Regulations and Code of Practice (‘the Code’) summarise the University’s expectations for the conduct of assessment, progression through a programme of study and the award of a qualification in approved undergraduate and taught postgraduate awards Annex 9: Academic awards made by the University 2025/26 (PDF, 205kB) and qualifications of the University, including those taught at the equivalent of level 3 in the national Qualifications and Credit Framework.

1.2. Additionally, the following programmes are governed by specific regulations:

MBChB, BDS, BVSc, Gateway to Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science, BSc in Veterinary Nursing, Bachelor of Dental Therapy, BSc in Dental Hygiene and Therapy, Postgraduate Diploma in Orthodontic Therapy, the International Foundation Programme, Foundation programmes, Postgraduate Certificate in Education, MA in Law, MSc in Social Work, MRes in Economics, postgraduate programmes in Clinical Neuropsychology, Preliminary year programmes and the Pre-Sessional English for Academic Purposes Courses.

1.3. The relevant sections of this Code also apply to the assessment, progression and completion of any taught units or components in research degree programmes. For further information please see the regulations for specific degrees in the Regulations and Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes.

1.4. The Code applies to all taught students, including those who study on a part time basis. For this purpose, where reference is made to ‘years of study’ the policy must be applied on a pro rata basis and equivalent to the volume of credit that a full-time student would normally undertake in an academic year.

1.5. For the purpose of this Code, the following definitions apply:

a ‘regulation’: ‘a rule set by the University which must be followed’;

a ‘policy’: ‘statement established by common consensus that will be followed, unless there is good and validated reason otherwise.’

a ‘procedure’ – a statement to guide the implementation and application of regulations robustly and consistently.

1.6. Any requests to depart from the Code must be approved by the relevant Faculty Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education and Students) or delegate and the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education and Students) or delegate. A request to depart from the Code should take into account consistency of practice university-wide and the spirit of the Code.

Application of new or revised regulations

1.7. Students will be subject to the regulations that are in place for the current academic year on registering for that year of study, subject to the provisions set out in 1.10. For clarity, this includes students undertaking assessment in the reassessment period and submitting a dissertation in a taught postgraduate degree programme prior to the finalist exam board. Students who are re-taking units as part of a supplementary year in the next academic year will be subject to the regulations in place for that academic year.

1.8. Students studying on a part-time basis are subject to the version of the Taught Code that is in place on registering at the start of the academic year, unless a change is being phased in. Where this is the case, schools should ensure that students are not disadvantaged by the phasing in of regulation; applying the more favourable (to the student) regulation in cases where a student first registers on a programme under one regulation, which is then superseded by a revised version of the regulation.

1.9. When the University proposes significant changes to the formal University regulation and policies that govern taught programmes:

It will consult with the sabbatical officers of the Students’ Union and determine whether its implementation would negatively affect existing cohorts of students.

Where no negative effects are identified, the change may be applied universally to all student cohorts, normally from the beginning of an academic year.

Otherwise, a change may only be introduced for new first-year cohort registrations and phased in (please see 1.10 for those regulations or policies that are currently being phased in).

1.10. Where a change is being phased in (as above):

Newly registered students who do not enter the first year of a programme will be subject to the regulations that are in place for the student cohort that they are joining.

Those students who initially registered under one set of regulations and who subsequently join a different cohort that is governed by a different set of regulations (e.g. through a suspension of studies, a requirement to repeat a year or undertake a supplementary year) will become subject to the new regulations on registration into the new cohort.

1.11. Should there be uncertainty about which set of regulations cover a particular student, a decision should be made that reflects the best interests of the student.

1.12. The following regulations and policies within this version of the Taught Code are currently being phased in:

Due to professional accreditation requirements, the application of the compensation rule has been amended for students newly registered on accredited programmes in the following schools (as set out in the Programme Catalogue) from 2022/23 onwards:

School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering

School of Computer Science

School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering

School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology

The existing regulations on compensation apply to students newly registered prior to 2022/23. (31.20-22 and 31.40-45)

The progression requirements onto a placement year (study abroad or industrial placement) within an undergraduate programme are changed for new entrants to undergraduate programmes from 2023/24 (31.29).

Due to a change in the methodology for calculating degree classification (using the rounded year mark to calculate the final programme mark, rather than the actual year mark) a check will be undertaken at the point of classification to guide the relevant exam board in ensuring that the change does not disadvantage the academic outcome of any student, who first registered on their intended programme of study prior to the 2022/23 academic year, with the higher classification being awarded, where applicable. This check will be undertaken until the eligible student cohorts have completed their intended programme of study (31.58 and 33.25).

New academic regulations governing taught postgraduate programmes are introduced for 2024/25. For students who first registered on their programme before 2024/25, classification will be calculated using the new methodology and the methodology set out in the 2023/24 regulations, with the student receiving the higher classification, if any (section 33).

The year in industry will become pass/fail for the award of credit in programmes in the ‘Engineering schools’ for new entrants from 2025/26, thus amending the weighting for classification on these programmes (14.30 and 31.55).

The programme structure of the MSc Social Work has been changed (becoming 180cp from 320cp). This will apply to the new year 1 cohort from 2025/26 with the previous regulations still covering year 2 students who started before 2025/26 (see regulations for specific programmes).

A new classification method for non-modular programmes in Dentistry will apply for all new and existing students from 2025/26. A ‘no detriment’ process will be run for existing cohorts where both the new and previous methodologies are applied at the point students are considered for classification with them receiving the higher classification, if any (see regulations for specific programmes).

A new classification method for non-modular programmes in Veterinary Science (BVSc) has been introduced for new student cohorts from 2025/26 (see regulations for specific programmes).