*Amendments to Regulation 12 were last approved by Chair's Action on behalf of the Senate on 1 December 2022, with immediate effect.*

Regulation Governing Absence for Medical Reasons from a University Examination for First Degrees

(as specified under Ordinance 8)

Definitions:

In these regulations ‘examination’ means any test contributing to examination credit. In the case of assessed work, failure to submit shall be held to constitute absence from the examination; in addition ‘medical reasons’ may include emotional distress such as that occasioned by recent death or serious illness of a member of a candidate’s immediate family, or another individual who has a close personal relationship with the candidate.

(1) (a) Any candidate who is prevented for medical reasons from attending an examination or any part of an examination should submit to the Registrar, or in the case of the MBChB the MB ChB Examinations Officer, not later than three days following the last day of their University Examination (unless there are specific circumstances which warrant an extension of this period) a medical certificate showing their inability to take or complete the examination at the prescribed time.

(b) The Registrar shall inform the Chair of the appropriate Board of Examiners of any report submitted under (1)(a) above. In the case of the MBChB the Board of Examiners will be informed by the Chair of the Academic Progress Group or the MB ChB Examinations Officer.

(c) A Board of Examiners considering candidates taking examinations as a first attempt at meetings following Summer vacation examinations, may take any of the decisions available to them at meetings held in the Summer term to consider students sitting for the first time, except that all reference to ‘further tests in the Summer vacation’ shall be replaced by ‘further tests without residence the following Summer’ or for the MB ChB by 'further tests with residence the following summer'.

(d) Where a candidate is absent from only part of a particular examination, the Board of Examiners may, upon receipt of adequate medical certification, deem the whole of that particular examination to have been missed.

(2) First Year Examinations

(a) Any candidate who is absent for medical reasons from the whole or part of the examinations considered by the First Year Board of Examiners in the Summer term will be required to take the appropriate tests again in the Summer vacation.

(b) With the exception of candidates for the MB ChB where a candidate is absent for medical reasons from the whole of the examinations considered by the First Year Board of Examiners in the Summer term, and the whole of the examinations held in the Summer vacation, the Board of Examiners shall recommend either:

(i) an aegrotat pass (subject to the conditions laid down in (5) below); or decide:

(ii) that the candidate be required to take the examination the following summer without residence.

(c) Where a candidate for the MB ChB is absent for medical reasons from the whole of the examinations considered by the First Year Board of Examiners in the Summer term, and the whole of the examinations held in the Summer vacation, the Board of Examiners shall recommend that the candidate be required to take the examination the following summer with residence.

(d) Where a candidate who has attended the Summer term examinations and has been required to take resit examinations in the vacation is absent for medical reasons from the whole or part of the examinations considered by the First Year Board of Examiners in the Summer vacation the First Year Board of Examiners may take any of the decisions open to it under the Regulations governing first degrees.

(3) Second and Third Year Examinations which are not Final Year Examinations

(a) With the exception of candidates for the MB ChB where a candidate is absent for medical reasons from the whole or part of the examination taken in the second year, or in the third year of a four year degree course, the Board of Examiners shall either:

(i) require that the candidate take appropriate tests during the Summer vacation; or

(ii) where the candidate will not be medically fit to take the examination during the Summer vacation, require that the candidate take appropriate tests the following Summer, without residence; or

(iii) take any of the decisions open to it under the Regulations governing first degrees, provided that the examinations missed in the year in question and in previous years do not cumulatively contribute more than 30 per cent of the credit towards the final qualification.

(b) With the exception of candidates for the MB ChB, where a candidate who is absent from the whole or part of the examination taken in the second year, or in the third year of a four year degree course, is required under paragraph (3)(a) above to take further tests during the Summer vacation and where the candidate is absent for medical reasons from the whole or part of the examination held in the Summer vacation, the Board of Examiners shall either:

(i) recommend an aegrotat pass (subject to the conditions laid down in (5) below); or

(ii) require that the candidate take appropriate tests the following Summer, without residence; or

(iii) take any of the decisions open to it under the Regulations governing first degrees, provided that the examinations missed in the year in question or in previous years do not cumulatively contribute more than 30 per cent of the credit towards the final qualification.

(c) Where a candidate for the MB ChB is absent for medical reasons from the whole or part of the examination taken in the second year, or in the third year, the Board of Examiners shall either:

(i) require that the candidate take appropriate tests in the winter vacation of the second year or June of the third year; or

(ii) where the candidate will not be medically fit to take the examination during the times specified in (c)(i) above which will require the candidate to repeat the appropriate year of study with residence.

(4) Final Year Examinations

(a) With the exception of candidates for the MB ChB where a candidate is absent for medical reasons from any part of the final year examinations where the examinations missed in the final year and in previous years cumulatively contribute more than 30 per cent of the credit towards the final qualification, the candidate will be eligible for consideration for the award of an Aegrotat qualification.

(b) Where a candidate is absent for medical reasons from any part of the final year examinations where the examinations missed in the final year and in previous years do not cumulatively contribute more than 30 per cent of the credit towards the final degree, and would have satisfied the conditions for the award of an Aegrotat degree laid down in (5) below, the candidate will be eligible for consideration for the award of a classified Honours degree.

(c) Where a candidate is absent for medical reasons from any part of the final year examinations and the Board of Examiners does not wish to make a recommendation under paragraphs (a) or (b) above, it may decide that the candidate should be permitted a further attempt the following Summer term, as under paragraph 5(c) below.

(d) Candidates for the MB ChB degree who are absent for medical reasons from any part of the final year examinations normally will be permitted to make a further attempt during the following academic year with residence.

(5) Conditions Relating to the Granting of an Aegrotat Pass or the Award of an Aegrotat Degree or BSc, MEng

(a) Where the award of an Aegrotat pass or Aegrotat qualification is under consideration the medical certificate will be considered by the Aegrotat Committee of the Senate, together with a record of the student’s work, assessments provided by their tutors, and if they have taken part of the examination, by the examiners. The Aegrotat Committee must be satisfied that these reports show beyond reasonable doubt that the candidate would have passed the examinations, and may then recommend to the Senate the award of an Aegrotat pass or an Aegrotat degree.

(b) The Aegrotat qualification may be awarded either as an unclassified Honours qualification or as a Pass degree except that there will be no Pass Aegrotat classification for undergraduate Master’s degrees. In the case of a candidate who has followed a Pass degree course in their final year the Aegrotat degree may be awarded only as an Aegrotat (Pass) degree.

(c) Any candidate who qualifies for the award of an Aegrotat pass or qualification may instead elect to take the final examination in the following year, with or without residence, without prejudice to the candidate’s standing for an Honours classification. The candidate who elects to take the examination with residence will take the whole of the examinations, including the submission of new assessed work appropriate to the year in question. The candidate who elects to take the examination without residence will take only those examinations from which they were absent, including the submission of such pieces of assessed work as they failed to submit for medical reasons.