York Online Programmes: requesting Repeat Study

Repeat Study is the opportunity to take a previous module (or modules) again because you encountered serious circumstances that prevented you from being able to engage with that module or to ask for support at the time that the circumstances took place. Students are usually expected to manage events that disrupt their studies by requesting to take a break or declaring themselves not Fit to Sit / Submit their assessment. Consequently, Repeat Study is only granted in very exceptional circumstances and the criteria you need to meet to receive Repeat Study are stringent. 

Repeat Study can only be requested once the teaching for the affected module is complete. Teaching takes place in weeks 1-7. This means you can submit a Repeat Study request:

1. In week 8 of the affected module (you cannot take a Leave of Absence from the module after week 7)
2. Once you are studying on a new module, or have taken a break in your studies

If you want to request to restart a module you are currently studying and teaching is ongoing, then you need to request a Leave of Absence instead.

Students granted Repeat Study are permitted to study the affected module(s) again from week 1, next time the module is offered. It is not possible to repeat part of a module. Repeat Study cannot be used to repeat an assessment without repeating the teaching: if you want a chance to sit a previous assessment again ‘as if for the first time’, then you will need to submit a claim via the York Online Fit to Sit / Submit process instead.

In order to successfully request Repeat Study, demonstrating that you were experiencing exceptional circumstances which impacted your ability to study isn’t enough. You also need to show us that you weren’t able to take action at the time by asking for help or requesting a Leave of Absence - we call this demonstrating ‘good reason’ for not taking action sooner.

Evidencing ‘good reason’ for not acting sooner can be very difficult. Consequently, you should request a Leave of Absence as soon as possible if circumstances take place that negatively affect your studies.

As well as demonstrating that you encountered circumstances which negatively impacted your studies, you need to provide a ‘good reason’ why you are asking for support after teaching for the affected module(s) has ended. Providing a ‘good reason’ for not taking action sooner demonstrates to the University that you were unable to ask for help at the time. This ensures that only students who truly encountered exceptional circumstances receive permission to repeat a module: for example, you cannot request Repeat Study simply because you are disappointed with the mark that you achieved for a previous module.

The following are examples of ‘good reasons’ for not taking action sooner:

• a complex and ongoing medical condition which would have clearly impacted your ability to make informed decisions, and/or judge risk;
• a medical condition where symptoms have been ongoing, and have impacted your studies, but which has only recently been diagnosed, or where the extent of the impact has only recently been realised;
• severe issues outside your control which meant you were unavoidably prevented from seeking support or taking a break from studies;
• receiving misleading advice or incorrect information regarding the York Online policies from an employee of the University, or an employee of the Students’ Union (YUSU) or Graduate Students’ Association (including full-time officers), or an individual or company employed or contracted to act on the University’s behalf.

If you are unable to adequately demonstrate, and evidence, that your circumstances meet one of the criteria listed above, then it is unlikely that your request for Repeat Study will be approved. For more guidance about ‘good reasons’ for not taking action sooner, including reasons that are not accepted, take a look at the York Online Repeat Study policy.

All Repeat Study requests need to include evidence that demonstrates:

1. what happened that prevented you from being able to study or request support
2. when these circumstances took place
3. how the circumstances affected your studies

Your own account is an important source of evidence, but usually independent supporting evidence is also required. This evidence needs to be in English or accompanied by an English translation. Independent evidence provided by a third party professional (for example, a doctor’s note or police crime report) will support your request more strongly than evidence provided by friends, family or based on your own account. You can find guidance about evidence requirements, and what types of evidence are most likely to be accepted, in the York Online Repeat Study policy.

Some circumstances are so serious that you will not be asked to submit independent evidence demonstrating what happened. For example, you will not be asked to provide a death certificate if you suffer a bereavement. In cases where you do not need to provide additional evidence, it is particularly important that your statement regarding the events clearly addresses the three bullet points listed above. The York Online Repeat Study policy includes a list of all of the circumstances where independent supporting evidence will not be required.

Your request will be reviewed and triaged before being sent for approval. If you have not met the requirements to demonstrate ‘good reason’ for not taking action sooner, or if you need to provide further details regarding your circumstances or supporting evidence, then you will be given the opportunity to provide the additional information and set a deadline to respond. If you still have not met the requirements after your deadline has passed, then your request to Repeat Study will be rejected.

If you have provided all of the information and evidence required, and demonstrated a ‘good reason’ for not taking action sooner, then your request will be sent to the Chair of Board of Studies for your programme for approval. 

Occasionally, a Repeat Study request may require additional approval from Special Cases. Additional approval will be required if:

• the period of study that you wish to repeat exceeds 10 weeks
• the teaching you want to repeat took place more than 20 weeks before you submitted your request.

If your Repeat Study request is rejected, then you have the right to submit an Academic Appeal.

Before you apply, take a look at the York Online Repeat Study policy, and check that you are able to:

1. Provide a ‘good reason’ for not taking action sooner; and
2. Submit evidence if required. This evidence needs to demonstrate the nature of the disruption, when it took place, and how it impacted your studies.

Once you are ready, you should submit your Repeat Study request in e:vision. You can request Repeat Study in two different ways:

1. As part of a Leave of Absence. To request Repeat Study alongside a Leave of Absence, select ‘Take a break in your studies’. When the form asks if you want to apply for repeat study of a previously completed module, select ‘Yes’ and follow the guidance in e:vision to provide further details. Your Repeat Study request will then be submitted alongside your break request, but your outcomes for the Leave of Absence and Repeat Study request will be processed separately.
2. As a standalone request. This is only appropriate if you want to make a request to repeat a period of study that is wholly in the past. To request Repeat Study without taking a break in your studies, go to e:vision, scroll down to ‘Further actions’ and select ‘Request repeat study’.

You will receive an automated email confirming that your request has been received, which will include a summary of your Repeat Study request. You can also view your request in e:vision. The University may require further information or evidence before coming to a decision, so you should check your University email account or e:vision regularly whilst your request is pending.

Once your Repeat Study has been approved, you will be able to register for the module in e:vision that you are due to repeat next time that it is offered. 

You will not be required to pay for the module again. However, it is still important that you complete the registration process in e:vision, otherwise you will not be enrolled on the module. When you have successfully registered for the module, you will receive an email confirming that registration is complete and providing direction on next steps. If you do not receive this email, then you have missed a step, and should log back into e:vision to complete the process. If you miss the registration deadline, then you will be put on an unauthorised absence for the duration of that online learning period. You can check the module registration deadline under ‘Key actions’ in e:vision.

Sometimes the module that you are due to repeat will be offered at the same time as another module on your programme. If you are unsure which module you should study first, ask your Student Success Coordinator for advice. You can also check the York Online Module Schedule to see when each module will run again.

If your Repeat Study request is approved, then the chance to take the affected module(s) again will have an impact on:

1. what order you study your remaining modules, and
2. how long it takes for you to complete your programme.

Your programme end date will not be automatically updated at the time that your Repeat Study is granted. However, each time that you enrol on a module that you have been allowed to repeat, your programme end date will be extended by the length of that module. 

You may also be required to take additional breaks in your studies in order to wait for modules that you are due to repeat to be offered again. If you are forced to take a break because you have already studied all of the available modules being offered in an online learning period, then you will be placed on a “default” Leave of Absence. You do not need to take any action in order to be placed on a “default” absence. Talk to your Student Success Coordinator about how many “default” absences you will require before your outstanding modules are offered again, and what impact this is going to have on your programme end date.

To learn more about “default” Leave of Absences, take a look at the York Online Registration, Absence and Engagement Policy.

If you receive funding from a UK government funding body (such as Student Finance England) and are requesting Repeat Study alongside a Leave of Absence, the University will be obliged to inform the funding body that you have suspended your studies. Your payments will be paused for the duration of your absence, and only resumed after you have registered and begun studying on a new module. This means that you will usually have to pay for the first module after your Leave of Absence before you receive your next funding instalment. (The exceptions are if you paid for the entire programme up front, or you are returning to a module that you have already paid for.)

However, the University will not inform the funding body of any Repeat Study, and therefore the additional time required to repeat the affected modules will not be factored into your payment schedule. This means that you may receive all of your funding before you have registered and paid for your final modules.

If you receive another type of funding to support your studies, it is your responsibility to ensure that you meet the funding body’s rules about informing them of any changes to your programme, such as taking a break.