COVID-19 information for new applicants

We are sure that you will understand that this information and any changes we are making are being developed during a time of rapid social and economic change and the introduction of urgent Government measures to combat the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We are keeping the developing situation, and our guidance, under review, and will continue updating this guidance as new information is available and/or the situation evolves.

All UCEM regulations, policies and procedures are still in place and operating as normal unless identified as otherwise in the FAQs below.

We are committed to being as flexible as possible in relation to enabling new students, including apprenticeship students, to be able to join our programmes.

What is the likely impact on my application for an Autumn 2020 start?

Applications for our programmes starting in Autumn 2020 are currently being processed as normal. If you have any questions about your application, please feel free to contact admissions@ucem.ac.uk. We are happy to help.

I’m applying for a course but my required exam has been cancelled

UK applicants

If you were due to take your school exams in the UK and are awaiting your results in Ssummer 2020, your results will be released as normal. Your application will continue through the admissions process the same as it would if you had taken your examinations or assessments as expected. We will consider your grades in the same way as any qualifications from previous years.

The UK government has now confirmed when results will be released across the country:
A Levels: Thursday 13th August 2020
GCSE: Thursday 20th August 2020
SQA: Tuesday 4th August 2020

Once you have received your results, please get in touch with us and provide us with a copy of these. If you have not been awarded the grades you needed to meet the conditions of your offer, please contact the Admissions team on 0118 9214696 (option 1)

International applicants

Assessment arrangements and availability of results for international qualifications may also be subject to change.

More information can be found on the websites of the international awarding bodies below:

We are aware of different measures in place in different countries and are monitoring the situation as it develops.

– If your examinations have been cancelled and you will instead be awarded calculated grades from a recognised examination board, then we will accept these as having equal validity to grades awarded in other years. This includes those taking International Baccalaureate and Cambridge A Levels.

– If your examinations are delayed, please contact the Admissions team with details of when your new exams have been scheduled for (admissions@ucem.ac.uk) so that we can advise you on your options.

I’m worried that my grades will be impacted by the closure of my school/university, will UCEM take this into account?

We understand that these are challenging times for all of our applicants and that your grades may be impacted as a result. UCEM carefully considers all applications received to determine an applicant’s potential to succeed on their chosen programme. Any applicant that does not meet the standard entry requirements will be considered in line with our policy for non-standard admission set out in the UCEM Code of Practice: Admissions and Recognition of Prior Learning.

Can I change the month/year I join the programme due to Covid-19?

Successful applicants may request to defer their offer to the next intake. You can only request to defer an offer once and only until the next intake, which will be in Spring 2021. If you wish to defer your offer by a full academic year, you will need to reapply for the programme at a later date.

English language tests

We’re aware of changes to arrangements due to Covid-19 for a number of English language tests. Below we have linked some of the most common English language tests and their responses to the pandemic.

I’m due to take an IELTS test to meet the English language requirements – what is the impact on IELTS testing?

IELTS testing has been suspended in many countries. Please check the IELTS website for the most up-to-date information about IELTS test arrangements.

Anyone who has been affected by the suspension of other language tests should contact their test provider with any enquiries.

My IELTS test has been postponed/cancelled

IELTS are looking into a range of options to allow testing to resume as soon as possible in order to minimise disruption to both test takers and organisations relying on IELTS scores. They are also planning to hold additional test sessions as soon as permitted, to ensure that they have capacity for those who need to take IELTS, as quickly as possible, for an admissions decision.

How will teaching be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic?

As an online university, we are uniquely prepared to face the challenges brought to us by the pandemic. We have an advanced IT infrastructure in place to enable remote working by the vast majority of our staff, so we continue to operate as usual. By staff working remotely where possible, we are ensuring their safety and reducing the risk of any staff absences impacting your teaching. We are also putting contingencies in place just in case UCEM staff suffer illness.

How will students be supported through the challenges of the pandemic?

Assessment

Our main priorities are student health and supporting everyone to progress through your programme. Like all universities, we are now reviewing our assessment practices to see how best we can support our students. We want to reassure you that, as far as possible, we will work to ensure you are not disadvantaged as a result of self-isolation or illness.

Your health and wellbeing

We understand that during the coronavirus pandemic our students may be worried about their health and wellbeing. We are here to help wherever possible. We have a padlet with a wealth of resources covering areas like mental health, physical wellbeing, working from home, supporting your family and abusive relationships.

UCEM also has 16 fully trained Mental Health First Aiders in the staff team. They are all trained to listen respectfully and non-judgementally and can listen to students’ concerns and help find the right support if and when needed.

Events

While we are continuing to monitor the situation regarding face-to-face events, it is with regret that we have taken the decision to postpone all face-to-face events until June 2020 due to concerns around coronavirus (Covid-19). We are instead running a series of webinars online so you will still have the opportunity to chat to our Academic teams about the programmes that we offer. You can register for one of these webinars on our website (Opens new link).

If you can’t attend one of our webinars but have questions about your application or the programmes we offer, please get in touch with the Admissions teams at admissions@ucem.ac.uk

How do I find out more?

If you have further general questions related to UCEM’s response to the Coronavirus pandemic, or the September 2020 intake, please contact:

Admissions Team
Opening hours are:
Monday to Friday 0900- 1700 GMT

Make an enquiry >
UK (Free): 0800 019 9697 (Option 1)
International: +44 (0)118 921 4696 (Option 1)
Email: admissions@ucem.ac.uk