If you hold a Tier 4/Student Route visa, read more about how UAL will monitor your attendance and engagement with your course while you're on your work placement. Find out how to request authorised absence.
Engagement monitoring
For students undertaking a Diploma in Professional Studies (DPS), engagement at sessions will be monitored by the College Work Placement team and DPS academics. The academic engagement of DPS students is monitored via compulsory monthly contact points.
Contact points include:
- communications between your College and placement provider (by telephone, Skype, Microsoft Teams or similar)
- enrolments
- tutorials
- submission of work
- your employment provider’s letters, emails or forms confirming your engagement with the placement.
There will be 10 contact points across the academic year during term time.
Missed contact points
If you miss 1 contact point, you’ll be sent an intervention email and asked to complete the Course Engagement Form (Word 50KB). This gives you the opportunity to confirm your reasons for non-engagement and provide evidence (where applicable).
You'll be asked to fill out, sign and return the Course Engagement Form to confirm that:
- you understand the University’s attendance policy
- you understand the conditions of your Tier 4/Student route visa
- you understand the authorised absence process (see below)
- you understand the conditions under which you’ll be allowed to return to studies and the consequences of further non-engagement.
If you complete and return your completed Course Engagement Form within 7 calendar days, you'll be able to continue your studies.
If you don't return your completed Course Engagement Form within 7 calendar days, you’ll be suspended from your course until further notice. You’ll be given a further 7 calendar days to return the Course Engagement Form or respond to the suspension email. If you fail to do so, you risk being withdrawn from your course.
Further missed sessions
If you've already returned a completed Course Engagement Form once in the current academic year and you then miss a second contact point, you’ll be immediately suspended from your course.
Course suspension
If you're suspended from your course for non-engagement, we'll send an email to both your UAL and personal email addresses confirming your suspension. The suspension will mean your access to online College facilities (including your UAL email address, Moodle, and your timetable) will be removed until further notice. You won’t be permitted to attend any sessions or submit work whilst suspended.
If you respond to the suspension email within 7 calendar days (providing the relevant documentation where required), the College Work Placement team will be asked to consider your overall engagement with your course to date. They'll recommend either that you resume your study, take time out from study or are withdrawn from your course.
If you don’t respond to the suspension email, you’ll be given a final warning asking you to respond within a further 7 calendar days. If you fail to respond to your final warning, you’ll be withdrawn from your course.
Course withdrawal
If you’re withdrawn from your course, your withdrawal will be reported to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), who will be instructed to cancel your Tier 4/Student Route visa. You’ll receive an email confirming this and outlining your next steps. Upon receipt of the withdrawal email, you’ll need to prepare to leave the UK within 60 days.
Authorised absence
Requesting an authorised absence of up to 2 weeks during term time
If you’re unable to engage with your studies for up to 2 weeks, you must contact the College Work Placement team and the DPS academics at least 2 weeks in advance to ask for an authorised absence form. You must fill this out and provide supporting evidence.
You must also tell your work placement provider so that they're aware of your circumstances. You must cooperate with your work placement provider, taking any action in line with your placement contract.
You should continue to engage with your course until you receive the outcome of your request.
Requesting an authorised absence of 2 to 4 weeks during term time
If you’re unable to engage with your studies for 2 to 4 weeks, you must submit an application for authorised absence. Send your completed form to the DPS academics, with supporting evidence, at least 2 weeks before you plan to be away from your placement. The DPS academics will review your request.
You should continue to engage with your course until you receive the outcome of your request.
Absences of more than 4 weeks during term time
Absences of 4 weeks or more (or multiple individual requests for authorised absence totalling more than 10 days per term) will not normally be authorised.
For an absence of longer than 4 weeks, you may need to consider requesting time out from your studies. If your request for time out is approved, you’ll need to leave the UK within a given timeframe and return to study with a new visa.
For more information on how taking time out will affect your immigration status, contact UAL’s Student Advice Service.