The academic progress of research students is assessed both continually over the course of the academic year and through a formal annual process called Annual Progress Monitoring (APM).
Continual Progress Assessment
You will If, at any point during the year, you are deemed not to be making satisfactory progress, your School or Institute’s Director of Postgraduate Research will write to you to explain the reasons for concern and to provide clear targets for improving your performance. A realistic timescale for achieving the improvements should be set, which should not be less than two months if you’re a full-time student.
If you do not satisfactorily meet the targets or continue to give cause for concern, you will be invited to meet with the PGR Progress Panel for your School or Institute. You should be provided with at least 10 working days notice of the meeting and you are entitled to be accompanied by a friend, supporter or Guild representative.
You will need to submit a statement to the panel explaining your case either by the deadline stated in the invitation letter, or at least two days before the meeting. You should include the following in your statement:
a) Explain why you have not performed as well, including details of any extenuating circumstances which have affected your studies,
b) Explain what will be different if your appeal is upheld.
You will also need to submit any evidence you have e.g. a doctor’s note with your appeal. A Guild Adviser can help by reviewing your statement for you and can accompany you to the meeting. The purpose of the meeting is to explore with you the reasons for the lack of satisfactory progress and to determine your academic standing.
The possible outcomes of the meeting are:
a) That you are permitted to continue on the research programme with a final opportunity to improve your performance and you will be provided with clear targets for improvement, or;
b) That you are deemed not to have made satisfactory academic progress and your studies should be terminated with immediate effect.
If your studies are terminated, the University will write to you informing you of their decision and to also let you know that you have the opportunity to appeal.
If you do not reply to this letter by the deadline given, you will be withdrawn from your course and no longer be a student at the University. There is no way to appeal if you miss this deadline.
Annual Progress Monitoring
Your progress will also be reviewed each academic year through the Annual Progress Monitoring process. As a part of this process, an Independent Progress Assessment Panel (IPAP) will determine whether adequate progress has been made and will make one of the following recommendations:
a) That satisfactory progress has been made and you can re-register for the next academic year, or;
b) That your PhD registration is downgraded to MPhil, in which case you can re-register for the next academic year under this revised qualification aim, or;
c) That you have not made satisfactory academic progress, but you will be allowed a further period of time before a further assessment of your progress, or;
d) That you have not made satisfactory academic progress and your studies will be terminated, or;
e) That you have been found guilty of serious academic malpractice, in which case the IPAP may decide to issue either a formal warning, a suspension of studies, or termination of studies.
After the meeting, the University will write to you informing you of their decision and to also let you know that you have the opportunity to appeal.
If you do not reply to this letter by the deadline given, you will be withdrawn from your course and no longer be a student at the University. There is no way to appeal if you miss this deadline.