Key facts
Key Facts for Studying via distance learning at the University of Huddersfield (with the exception of Postgraduate Research/Doctoral programmes)
What is the Student Contract?
When you enrol at the University, you are entering into a contract, which is set out in your offer letter and our Terms and Conditions - Distance Learning. Our contract also refers to other documents, such as our Student Handbook of Regulations and our Policies and Procedures, which you will also be expected to follow whilst you are a student with us. It is important that you make sure you enrol at the right time, and complete re-enrolment each year as, if your enrolment isn’t up to date you won’t be able to access your studies.
We know this is a lot of information to take in, so we’ve created this short guide to help you understand what it means to be a student at the University.
Will my fees change?
We publish the costs of our courses on our website each year. We guarantee we will only ever increase the fees by RPI-X in each year.
What if I’m struggling to pay my fees?
Our financial regulations set out when your fees must be paid. If you are struggling to make payments on time, its important you contact the Finance Team to discuss your situation as soon as you can as they may be able to help you put a payment plan in place. It’s important you do this as if you don’t pay your fees you risk being withdrawn from the University. If we end up sending your student fees to debt collection, you will also have to pay any fees incurred.
What are the Regulations?
The student Handbook of Regulations is the University’s main guide to how we run your courses, and the expectations we have on you as a student. We refresh these over the Summer each year and you will be asked to review and accept them as part of your enrolment and re-enrolment each year you study with them.
What is expected of me as a student?
The University has a code of conduct, which is included within the Regulations. This sets out the standard of behaviour we expect from you whilst you are a student at the University. It is very important that you follow this, and any of our other policies that set out rules for your behaviour (for example our Computing Regulations which set out how you can use our IT systems). If you do not, you may be subject to the University’s disciplinary process and may face consequences which can include terminating your student contract.
We also have a support to study policy, which sets out what we will do if we are concerned that your health and wellbeing are affecting your ability to engage with your studies. Our fitness to study process is a supportive process to help you get back on track, but can lead to you being withdrawn if we cannot resolve our concerns with you.
Am I expected to attend all sessions?
The University considers online attendance is necessary for you to achieve your best results on the course. You will get the best out of your course if you: engage regularly with your online material; actively participate in discussions and forums; access and use online study guidance and support; and keep connected with peers, module and personal tutors. Failure to engage with your course without good reason could result in withdrawal from the University. If you are struggling with engagement, please reach out to the support teams for guidance.
Do you have any rules about copying/cheating?
When you study at University it is expected that all work you submit will be your own, and not copied from somewhere else. Ensuring that your work is original and properly referenced is known as ‘Academic Integrity’ and the University Regulations set out what we expect from you to maintain your academic integrity. If you breach the academic integrity rules, you may be subject to academic misconduct processes and withdrawn from your course.
How does Professional Accreditation affect my course?
Some courses, for example nursing and social work courses are accredited by professional bodies, and whilst you are studying on those courses you must meet the professional body requirements for behaviour. If you do not, you may be required to follow our Fitness to Practice procedure. If you are found to have breached the professional stands, you may be withdrawn from your course.
Are there any other Regulations which could affect my enrolment?
There are some other situations in which your contract may be terminated and clause 10 of our Terms and Conditions (Distance Learning) provides more details on this.
What if I don’t pass all my modules?
The University requires students to show that you are making progress on your course, and so you must ensure that you pass at least 1 of your first-year modules, to move on to your second-year modules. If you do not meet this requirement following re-sit opportunities, you may be withdrawn from the course under our non-progression regulations. Some of our Distance Learning courses require you to pass certain modules before you can progress onto the next year of studies. Where this is the case, these modules will be identified to you and you must ensure you pass those modules in order to continue with your course. These course requirements are in addition to our progression regulations set out above, and the minimum pass requirements will also apply to you on these courses.
Like all Universities, we set a maximum period of time you can be registered on a course, which is double the length of the course plus two years, so for a standard three-year undergraduate degree, you must complete your course within eight years of your first enrolment. You can find out more about our progression rules in our Awards Regulations.
Can the University cancel my course?
We very rarely cancel degree courses and usually this will only be for reasons outside of our control, or if there aren’t enough applicants for the course to run properly. Clause 11 of our Terms and Conditions (Distance Learning) explain when this may be the case. Where we cancel a course before you enrol, we will help you find another course at the University to meet your interests, or help you find a similar course at another University. If you are already enrolled on a course, we will put in place a plan for you to be able to complete your studies, in accordance with our Student Protection Plan 2024_25.
Can the University change my course?
Our optional modules can be subject to change each year, but we will always make sure you have a good variety to choose from. We won’t normally change your course whilst you are enrolled on it, unless it is necessary (for example to maintain accreditation), or we reasonably believe the change is in your best interest (for example changing modules to reflect student feedback) or we have your consent. More details on when and how we may change your course is set out in clause 6 of your Terms and Conditions PGR.
What if I need to suspend my studies?
We understand that from time to time you may need to take a break and we have an interruption of studies policy that lets you do that if you need to. Do bear in mind though, that if you interrupt your studies, you will be rejoining with a different cohort, who may be being taught slightly different modules, or have different options available to them. If this is a concern for you, you should speak to your tutor to understand any course changes that will affect you before you decide to suspend. You will also need to keep an eye on our progression regulations, as if you suspend for two years without gaining any credit you may be withdrawn from the course.
What if I’m unwell or can’t meet deadlines?
The University understands that sometimes students are affected by circumstances outside of their control, and we have an Extenuating Circumstances and Extensions policy to allow you to tell us about these. You should read that policy carefully as it sets out the types of evidence you will need to provide to successfully make a claim. You should also be aware that the University operates fit to sit and fit to submit policies, which means that if you sit an exam, or submit a piece of work it is presumed that no extenuating circumstances affected you, so if you are unsure about whether to put in a claim, you should talk to your tutor about any issues you may have.
How does the University manage personal data?
The University takes its responsibilities for Data Protection very seriously and has a data protection policy. We also have our Student Privacy Notice, which sets out when, how and why we use student, applicant and alumni data.
What if I’m unhappy on my course?
We hope you’ll enjoy your time studying at the University, but we recognise that occasionally things may go wrong. If you wish to raise a concern with the University whilst you are a student, we have a student complaints policy which will help you do so and explains how we will investigate your complaint.