Attendance and Engagement with Studies (C6 and C7)

There are a number of reasons for this.

Engaging fully with your studies is important so that you can achieve your full academic potential and graduate with the best possible degree. Failure to submit coursework/interact may be an indication that you are struggling or are experiencing personal problems. Unless the University knows you are experiencing difficulties it is hard to take these into account or to provide appropriate support for you.

The main aim of monitoring is to help identify at an early stage any student who may be experiencing difficulties with their studies by encouraging students to keep Course Coordinators/Programme Coordinators/Supervisors informed about any problems or concerns they may have.

Students with a number of C7s may in fact no longer be engaged in their studies at the University but have chosen not to complete a Withdrawal from Study form or have forgotten to do so.

Students are liable for the payment of their tuition fees up to the date on which a completed withdrawal form is received by the Registry (ie not in your School). It is in your best interests to ensure that you complete a withdrawal form at the point that you take the decision to withdraw. By doing this you will ensure that you do not get charged tuition fees for a period when you were not actually in study. Further information about withdrawing from study is available on the Changes to Studies page.

The University is required to report to the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) and Student Finance any student who is no longer in attendance at the University. The University is also legally required to inform the UKVI of any international students holding a Tier 4 visa who appear to be no longer in attendance.

If you have a C7 on your record and it looks from your whole profile that you are no longer engaged in your studies, the University may take action to force withdraw you from your studies.

This means that your Course Coordinator or Tutor is concerned because you have been absent from classes or have not submitted a piece of coursework or have not signed in as required by your School and have not given any explanation for this.

This is referred to as being "at risk" and a C6 will now show against a course(s) on your student record in your Student Hub. This means that, unless you take action, you will lose the right to engage with classes, take exams or assessments for the course.

In order to attempt to resolve this issue you must contact the relevant School by the action date given at the bottom of the email. Instructions on how to do this are available on the Which School? page. (You should not contact your Course Coordinator directly unless the instructions tell you to do this.) You should continue to engage with classes, submit coursework and revise for any exams you may have.

You can make an appointment with your Programme Coordinator/Supervisor by contacting them direct or by contacting the School Office on the email addresses listed above in the “Removing a C6 or C7 from your student record” tab.

As you have one or more C7s (withdrawal of Class Certificate) on your record this is an indication that your studies are not progressing as well as they should and it is likely you will have difficulties in completing your degree programme on schedule. You may therefore benefit from the academic advice which your Programme Coordinator or Supervisor can give you. The focus of this meeting will be supportive and your Programme Coordinator or Supervisor will be able to refer you on to other support services within the University if this is felt to be appropriate.

If you are not engaging in your studies after investigation, we will assume that you no longer wish to continue at the University and will discontinue your studies. You will be notified of this in writing both by email and letter. If appropriate your funding body and the UKVI will be notified that you are no longer a student at the University.

You can find out which School to contact by looking at the Which School? tab.

In order to attempt to resolve this issue you MUST contact the relevant School by the action date given at the bottom of the email. Instructions on how to do this are available on the How do things work in my School? tab. (You should not contact your Course Coordinator direct unless the instructions tell you to do this.) You should continue to engage with classes, submit coursework and revise for any exams you may have.

If you have taken action in time, the School will consider the explanation you have given and will decide whether the C6 can be overturned.

If the C6 is overturned, the School will amend your student record to show that you are no longer 'at risk' of losing the right to attend, take exams or assessment(s) for the course. If this is the case a C4 will now appear on your record (see your Student Hub) against the course.

If the C6 is not overturned OR you fail to take action in time, you will lose the right to attend, take exams or assessment(s) for the course and you will no longer have access to course materials on MyAberdeen. This is referred to as withdrawal or refusal of a Class Certificate and a C7 will now appear on your record (see your Student Hub) against the course concerned. You will receive an email informing you that you no longer have a Class Certificate for the course. This is a serious situation which may have implications for your studies.

If you have responded to the C6 email and contacted the School on the Which School? page and you then receive this email, this may be because:

• There has been a time delay in that the School has not yet been able to consider your case. If you think this is the reason, please contact the School again; OR
• The School has considered your case and has decided not to overturn the C6. If this is the case and you wish to attempt to resolve the issues, please follow the instructions given in the email.

This may not be a mistake as your Course Coordinator or tutor may have continuing concerns about your attendance or performance on the course, or it may be a timing issue ie. that the School has not yet got round to reinstating you and the automatic process for the C7 has kicked in.

You MUST take the same action as you did when you responded to the first C6 you received and contact the relevant School by the action date.

My poor engagement or failure to hand in coursework is due to the fact that I have been ill. What should I do?

Please ensure that you contact the relevant School by the action date given at the bottom of the email. Instructions on how to do this are given on the Which School? page. (You should not contact your Course Coordinator direct unless the instructions tell you to do this.) You should continue to engage with classes, submit coursework and revise for any exams you may have.

Please ensure you have submitted a self-certificate (if your absence was for less than 7 consecutive days) or medical certificate(s) (if your absence was for more than 7 consecutive days). You can submit your medical certificate or self-certificate through MyAberdeen.

You may also wish to refer to the University's Policy and Procedures on Student Absence.

Please note that submitting a self-certificate or medical certificate does not mean that the School will overturn the C6 or C7. The Course Coordinator or Head of School (respectively) must be sure that you have not missed so much work that you will no longer be able to achieve the learning outcomes for the course.

A C7 means that you have lost the right to attend, receive supervision or take exams or assessments for the course. You also no longer have access to course materials available on MyAberdeen. This is referred to as the withdrawal or refusal of a Class Certificate and a C7 will show on your record in your Student Hub against the relevant courses.

This is a serious situation. Without taking the appropriate steps, you could be jeopardising your studies and, if you have more than one C7* on your record, the University may take action to discontinue your studies. International students holding a Tier 4 visa in this position may be reported to the UKVI.

*For Postgraduate students this would be a single C7 where continued registration related to a course by thesis/dissertation/project.

If you think you have received a C7 by mistake or you wish to plead your case, please attempt to resolve the matter informally with the relevant School as soon as possible and certainly no later than 10 working days from the date of the email. Instructions on contacting Schools can be found on the Which School? page.

If you wish to appeal the C7 formally you must follow the University's Appeals Procedure. To submit an appeal you MUST complete the University's appeal form and return it to academicservices@abdn.ac.uk no later than 5 working days from the date of the email.

There is only a short time period within which you can take action so it is important that you do not delay.

Please note that an appeal against the withdrawal of your class certificate (C7) does not mean that the School will overturn the C7. The School must be sure that you have not missed so much work that you will no longer be able to achieve the learning outcomes for the course. This may be the case even though the School is aware of a medical condition/good cause.

Once you have appealed, yes. You should contact the Course Coordinator and ask to be given access to the course materials on MyAberdeen.   If you do not continue attending classes/submitting coursework/take the assessment and your appeal is successful, you may put yourself at a disadvantage and be unable to catch up quickly.   

Yes. You must follow the University's Appeal Procedure. To submit an appeal you MUST complete the University's appeal form and return it to academicservices@abdn.ac.uk, no later than 5 working days from the date of the letter/email which you received informing you of this.

A Class Certificate is a phrase used by the University to indicate that a student is attending classes and completing coursework. When you are registered for a course you are automatically granted a Class Certificate.

You keep your Class Certificate by engaging in your classes, handing in coursework and interacting or signing in as required. Failure to do these things may result in you losing the right to attend, take exams or assessments for the course and have access to course materials on MyAberdeen. This is referred to as withdrawal or refusal of a Class Certificate. This shows as a C7 against the course(s) on your record in your Student Hub. This is a serious situation which may affect your ability to continue with your studies. This process also applies to research students.

Class Certificates are valid for the academic year in which you are registered for the course and for the following academic year.

The Class Certificate policy is covered in the University's undergraduate and postgraduate General Regulations.

The monitoring@abdn.ac.uk email address is used only for outgoing correspondence to students when there are concerns regarding their attendance or performance on a course. Emails sent to this account will not be read.

You must contact your Registry Officer via email to ask to be formally withdrawn from the course (this shows as a C9 on your student record). You can also discuss potential implications for your studies with your Registry Officer.