Supplementary year

In some cases, you may be offered an extra year of study to help meet progression requirements or gain your award.

On this page

A supplementary year allows you to take any units eligible for reassessment again, so that you can progress to your next year of study or achieve your degree award.

Teaching in supplementary years

If you are given a supplementary year, the standard option will be for you to attend classes, including teaching and assessments. This means you must attend all classes and complete any required assessments. It may also be possible to have a supplementary year without attending classes, where you only need to complete the assessments. In this case, you wouldn’t need to attend the teaching sessions. You would just take the assessment during the designated assessment period.

The board will consider the following when deciding whether to allow a supplementary year without attendance:

  • the number of credits you still need to earn
  • the reasons for failing your units (e.g. failing to submit work)
  • how actively you engaged with the teaching
  • the type of assessments you need to completec
  • whether the necessary units will be available next year.

If, after reviewing this information, you believe there’s a good reason to change the attendance status for your supplementary year, you can submit a request on eVision within 7 days after your results are released. You can request to change from having to attend classes to doing assessments only, or vice versa.

After your supplementary year

On eVision, you will see details of any reassessments, along with whether your marks will be capped or uncapped.

If you complete your reassessments during the supplementary year, you will progress to the next stage the following year or receive your degree award. If you fail to earn the necessary credits, you will need to leave the University, but you may be eligible for an exit award.

Appealing a decision about supplementary years

You can appeal the exam boards' decision to offer a supplementary year. This applies to:

  • Modular undergraduate courses
  • Taught postgraduate courses in exceptional circumstances, but only for academic failure
  • It does not apply to non-modular professional undergraduate courses.

For full details, refer to the supplementary year section in the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.

Access to University services

While on the supplementary year, you will continue to have full access to University resources, including online learning materials. Your student UCard remains valid, and you can use this to access the library and borrow items. Your bristol.ac.uk email will continue to operate as it does now; please check it regularly for any courses or unit-related updates.

Assessments and curriculum content

The structure of your course may have changed between academic years, meaning you might need to:

  • take a new assessment if the format has changed
  • study different units if the original ones are no longer running.

Your school or faculty will email you if you need to take different units.

Check the unit and programme catalogue. It’s your responsibility to stay informed about any changes to the curriculum in your supplementary year.

Tuition fees and funding

If your supplementary year is with attendance for teaching and assessment:

  • there will be a tuition fee for the supplementary year.
  • the fee will be a proportion of a standard fee, based on the credit point value of the units you study, in line with Student Loans Company guidance.
  • as long as you attend across the full academic year, you are eligible for a full-time maintenance loan.
  • you may not be eligible for a tuition fee loan from Student Finance if you have already used your 'plus one' year of funding. However, you could apply for additional funding if compelling personal reasons affected your studies. Contact the Money Advice and Funding team if you need assistance.

If your supplementary year is agreed without attendance, i.e. assessment only:

  • there will not be a tuition fee for the supplementary year;
  • you are not eligible for a tuition fee loan or maintenance loan for living costs, because you are not in attendance.

Contact a Money Adviser for further advice.

Visas and supplementary years

If you are on a student visa, you should read our guidance about extending your period of study as soon as possible after being offered a supplementary year.

Changes to your study may also affect your eligibility for the graduate route.

Council tax

You may become liable to pay council tax if you are in attendance on a part-time basis, or not in attendance.

Find out more about council tax, exemptions and eligibility on the Council tax exemptions page. If you have questions about your eligibility contact Student Services.

If you have concerns about how paying council tax might impact your finances, please contact a student funding adviser for advice.

Advice and support about academic outcomes

We recommend you talk with your personal tutor or school office about how your academic outcome affects you. You can also: