Change of circumstances - students

• For your request to be considered by the Research Degrees Sub-Committee Chair, your lead supervisor and your programme director will need to confirm their support. Accordingly, it is vital that you discuss your application with your supervisors and programme director and secure their support before submitting your application.

• Change of circumstances are likely to impact any funding you receive. Accordingly, if you are in receipt of studentship funding of any kind, please contact the Financial Support Office to discuss your situation. This is especially important for with on a Research Council Award (EHRC/LAHP) irrespective of whether you are currently in receipt of your funding. 

• It is vital you speak with the Student Advice and Engagement Team (SAET) if you hold a visaso you are aware of the possible implications to your visa status. Information on contacting the SAET can be found here. If you are a Student visa holder and intend to apply for the Graduate Route, you should discuss this with SAET before submitting a Change of Circumstances request to understand the potential implications on a future Graduate Route Scheme application.

• If you are requesting a Change of Circumstance on health or disability grounds, you should contact the School’s Disability and Mental Health Service to see what support services are available to you, and in particular if you are eligible for a Adjustments Plan.

• Read the School’s standards of evidence policy and bear this in mind when gathering evidence to support your application. If you have questions about evidence requirements , please contact the PhD Academy here. If you have a My Adjustments plan, you should also consider contacting the Disability and Mental Health Service to discuss whether this needs to be updated.

You can find them on the linked pages below. The specific guidance listed below will take to you the online application portal.

• Your application will be forwarded to your lead supervisor for their input on the suitability of the request and the viability of the work completion plan (if applicable). Your supervisor can choose to add conditions to your request if that is deemed necessary.

• If your lead supervisor supports your application, it will be passed to your programme director for their input. They too will be asked to suitability of the request and the viability of the work completion plan (if applicable). Your programme director can choose to add condition to your request if that is deemed necessary.

• If either your lead supervisor or your programme director do not support your request, it will go no further in the Change of Circumstances portal, and it will not be considered by the Research Degrees Sub-Committee Chair. If you would still like your request to be considered, in the first instance, you should attempt to address this within your department by discussing your request with your supervisory team and your programme director. You are also welcome to contact the PhD Academy for advice at this stage.

• If your lead supervisor and your programme director both support your application, it will be forwarded to the Chair of the Research Degrees Subcommittee for consideration.

• The Research Degrees Sub-Committee Chair normally makes decisions on applications within 5-10 working days of receipt of the full completed application i.e. once your supervisor and DPD have both completed their sections. An additional 5 working days are normally needed for the PhD Academy team to process the outcome. However, during periods of peak business, it can sometimes take longer for applications to be considered and processed. Therefore, please ensure that you apply for any change of circumstances in a timely manner.

• Please note that there are additional steps of approval for programme transfers where the application needs to be shared with the “receiving” department.

• Complex applications and applications requiring consultation with supervisors or other teams within the School, such as the Student Advice and Engagement Team or the Financial Support Office, can take longer.

• If you are requesting to withdraw from your programme of study the above does not apply to you and instead you should refer to the specific guidance that outline what happens after you submit your application. 

 If your application is not approved by the Research Degrees Sub-Committee Chair, you will be notified of the outcome by the PhD Academy team. This will include a statement from the Research Degrees Sub-Committee Chair setting out the reasons for their decision

The School’s Change of Circumstances processes for PhD students are not covered by formal appeals processes. Accordingly, you will not be able to submit a formal appeal against the decision made under the School’s Change of Circumstances process.

As noted above, if your supervisors do not support your request, you should discuss this with your department in the first instance. You are also welcome to contact the PhD Academy for advice at this stage.

If the Research Degrees Sub-Committee Chair does not approve your application, you should carefully consider the rationale provided by the Chair as part of your outcome notification. These will often provide guidance which will help you to understand whether alternative adjustments may be more appropriate to your circumstances, or what you might need to do in order to submit a further Change of Circumstances request. (If your application was rejected due to a lack of evidence, the Chair’s feedback should outline the types of evidence they would need in order to approve your application.)