Change course, carrying failed credits and trailing failed credits
If you have been offered the opportunity to change course and proceed to the next year carrying your failed credits, this is because:
- you failed credits in core module(s) which you cannot carry on your current course, but which are not core on the alternative course you have been offered;
- you are either on an Integrated Masters course or in Year One of a 4-year course which includes a Year Abroad and you have not achieved a Year Mark of at least 50; or
- you are in Year Two of a 4-year course and cannot proceed to your Year Abroad or Placement Year next year.
Choosing this outcome means you can proceed to the next year on the alternative course carrying 15 failed non-core credits, known as condonement under the Rules of Assessment, and undertaking reassessment in the other 15 non-core credits you have failed; this is known as trailing reassessment.. This trailed reassessment will be undertaken by January 2024.
You will only be offered this outcome where you have failed two 15 credit modules and, if you decide to accept this outcome, you will need to decide which module you would like to trail and which you would like to carry. You will not be able to undertake further reassessment in the module you decide to carry the fails in.
It’s important that you understand the implications of progressing to the next year of your studies trailing reassessment in failed modules. Trailing reassessment means you will need to attend and undertake the assessment for all your next year of study, as well as taking reassessment in your trailed modules.
All trailed reassessment will be considered at the Summer meeting of the Board of Examiners, and any further reassessment offered will take place in the Summer reassessment period. If you are proceeding to your Final Year in October 2023, this means that, if you don’t pass your trailed reassessments and have to undertake further reassessment to achieve your full award, you may not be able to graduate in July 2024.
If you select this option, you will automatically be transferred onto the new course listed on your results page prior to the start of the 2023/24 Academic Year, you do not need to submit a change of course form for this change to take place. It may be possible for you to be considered to change to other courses within your department where you meet the course specific requirements to do so. If this is something you would like to consider, please contact your department directly. Any decisions involving trailing failed modules should not be taken lightly and you are strongly advised to discuss this with your department or SU Advice before making your decision.
For further information on carrying and trailing credits and their impact on your further studies, please see the relevant outcome pages linked below:
Before selecting this outcome, we urge all students to read the important information below:
Check any changes with your school/department
You are responsible for checking with your school/department as to whether the syllabus or assessment for the modules you’ll be reassessed in are due to change next Academic Year.
If there are any changes, your school/department will be able to confirm whether you’ll be reassessed on the old or new syllabus.
Exam reassessment
If you need to undertake reassessment in any exams this will be noted on your results page alongside when this examination will take place.
If you are undertaking reassessment in an exam in 2025-26 this will take place alongside the main assessment exam for this module unless you are trailing your reassessment alongside progressing to your next Year of study. Students trailing exam reassessment into their next Academic Year will always undertake this exam reassessment in the January exam period.
Information on when exam timetables will be released and the dates of the exam periods will be updated on the exam dates and timetables page shortly.
Coursework reassessment
- If you need to submit new coursework, your department will be in touch via email to confirm what you will need to do and your deadline.
- If you are resubmitting coursework over the Summer, you will be sent this by Wednesday 23 July and will need to submit this by Wednesday 20 August, unless otherwise stated by your department. If you do not receive your coursework by Thursday 24 July, please contact the department in charge of the module.
- If you are resubmitting coursework reassessment in the 2025-26 Academic Year, your coursework will be undertaken across the year alongside the modules standard assessment.
- Students trailing or reassessing in previously trailed coursework reassessment in the 2025-26 Academic Year will undertake all coursework reassessment across the Autumn Term with submission deadlines in January 2026.
- Your department will confirm the deadline date and time for your resubmissions.
- If you’re unable to submit coursework on time, University rules about the late submissions will apply.
- Please note, the details of your new coursework reassessment will be sent to you by the school/department that run the relevant module. It’s important that you do not create your own coursework titles or reuse previous coursework titles, as these won’t be accepted by your department.
Final Year Projects
If you’re a Final Year student who needs to resubmit Final Year dissertations or projects, please contact your school/department as soon as possible to find out exactly what areas of the project you need to work on for your resubmission.
Maximum attempts
The Rules of Assessment state that you will not be granted more than three attempts at assessment in a module, the original attempt plus two reassessment attempts, unless you have accepted Extenuating Circumstances. If you fail a module for the third time, and cannot be offered a further attempt, you may have to carry the fail or may be withdrawn from the University.
Courses with external professional or regulatory requirements may have a different maximum number of attempts permitted. Please check this with your personal tutor or Department.
