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Extensions

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If your circumstances are preventing you from submitting your coursework on time, you can apply for a coursework extension. An extension gives you extra time to complete and submit a piece of work, agreed between you and your tutor or module leader.

In 2023/24 an extension of up to 5 university working days can be granted for undergraduate levels 4 and 5 students, and for new postgraduate students joining DMU in 2023/24. An extension of up to 10 university working days can be granted for level 6 undergraduate students and postgraduate students who joined the university before 2023/24.

Requesting an extension

There are some minor variations in the way extension requests are processed across different faculties. 

For Art, Design and Humanities, Computing, Engineering and Media students and Health and Life Science students: If you would like to request an extension, the first step is to download  the extension request form, complete and send to your module leader for consideration.

For Business and Law students: Visit your faculty Student Advice Centre to request an extension. Please do not send the extension form above to your module leader, as the process for BAL extension requests is slightly different. Doing so may delay the processing of your request.

If you're not sure whether an extension is the right option for you, contact your personal tutor or your faculty Student Advice Centre; they will be able to discuss other options available to you and signpost you to any other support services that may be helpful. 

Make sure you complete the form in plenty of time. Requests received later than 24 hours before the date and time that the work is due to be submitted will not be considered.

  1. Supporting evidence

    Your extension request form should be accompanied by supporting evidence, normally from an independent third party. All evidence should be submitted in English. We recommend that you keep a copy of any evidence submitted with your form.

    Your supporting evidence should clearly show how the extenuating circumstances have impacted on your ability to undertake the assessment or coursework.

    Retrospective medical certificates or doctor's notes will normally only be accepted if you consulted the doctor at the time of the illness they apply to. They should be from your own doctor and contain a clear medical opinion that you were unfit to undertake the assessment on the day. A note stating only that you claim to have been unwell, or that you told your doctor you were unwell at the time of your examination, will normally be disregarded.

    If it isn't possible to include third party evidence when completing your form, you can attach a note to say that supporting evidence will follow. The evidence must be submitted before your extension request can be finalised and confirmed.

    Examples of acceptable supporting evidence include:

    • A letter from a doctor concerning bereavement
    • A police report and crime reference number as evidence of theft, break-in or other serious crime
    • A letter from a counsellor you are currently seeing

    If your personal tutor or module leader is familiar with your circumstances, you can also attach a supporting statement from them.

    A full list of evidence requirements can be found in Appendix 3 of our Academic Regulations.

  2. When can I request an extension?

    Extensions are agreed between you and your tutor or module leader; they are not subject to review by any other team or university body. Your tutor or module leader is the best person to discuss an extension with for this reason.

    If you'd like to discuss your circumstances, your faculty Student Advice Centre can offer advice and let you know if there are more suitable options available for you.

  3. Wellbeing support

    The university has support services available to offer advice and guidance around your mental health, general wellbeing, financial circumstances and more; further information can be obtained from our Student Gateway webpages, from your faculty Student Advice Centre or from your personal tutor. If you are struggling, we encourage you to seek help as soon as possible so that appropriate support and guidance can be identified and put in place for you.

    The De Montfort Students Union team are also available to offer advice and support to all students.

In some cases, you may need to request a longer-term solution where a deferral or extension doesn't suffice.

Find out more about further academic support options