A-Z advice and support

If something unexpected is making it hard for you to study, hand in your work, or sit an exam, you might be able to get extra time or move your assessment to a later date. This is called applying for Extenuating Circumstances.

What counts as an extenuating circumstance?

Extenuating circumstances are serious events that are:

• Unforeseen and outside your control
• Having a direct, negative impact on your studies

Examples include:

• A personal illness or injury
• Bereavement (death of a relative)
• A serious personal situation or crisis

Your Wellbeing Team can:

• Give advice on whether an extension or deferral might be right for you
• Help explain the process and what evidence you might need
• Provide supporting evidence if you’re already receiving help from them

If you're not currently getting support, you can still contact the Wellbeing Team for help and advice. They can also support you moving forwards.

Tip: If you need medical evidence and you're not known to the Wellbeing Team, you should contact your GP.

How to apply

To apply for an extension or deferral, visit the Extenuating Circumstances page on the Student Portal.

• Citizens Advice: Offers free, confidential guidance on managing debt, benefits, budgeting, and financial challenges.
• MoneyHelper: Government-backed service providing free, impartial advice on money, pensions, and budgeting.
• Save the Student: Offers practical, student-focused tips and tools to help young people manage money and save.
• Student Minds – Money Advice: Provides resources and guidance to help students manage financial stress and budgeting.
• Spectrum.Life – Financial Stress Support: Offers 24/7 support for financial stress, including access to financial advisors and wellbeing resources.
• Turn2Us: A national charity helping people access welfare benefits, charitable grants, and financial support tools.

Learn more about the harassment support we offer.

• Coventry Pride: A charity promoting LGBTQ+ equality and inclusion through events, education, and community support.
• Galop: The UK’s LGBTQ+ anti-abuse charity supporting victims of domestic abuse, hate crime, and honour-based violence.
• MindOut: A UK mental health charity run by and for LGBTQ+ people, offering peer support, advocacy, and online services.
• Prism LGBTQ+: A Coventry-based youth group providing a safe, inclusive space for LGBTQ+ individuals aged 13–18.

• Inini: A culturally sensitive mental health initiative supporting ethnic minority communities through coaching, training, and advocacy.
• Sahil Coventry: Provides mental health and wellbeing services for South Asian men and women in Coventry and Warwickshire.
• The Tamarind Centre: Offers holistic mental health support for African, Asian, and Caribbean communities in Coventry.

• Karma Nirvana: A national charity supporting victims of honour-based abuse and forced marriage through helplines, training, and advocacy.
• Naz & Matt Foundation: Supports LGBTQ+ individuals facing religious or cultural rejection, honour-based abuse, and forced marriage.
• Panahghar: Provides multilingual refuge and support services for BAME survivors of domestic, sexual, and honour-based abuse in Coventry.

• Hub of Hope: Search for local mental health support near you.
• Togetherall: Safe, anonymous online community offering 24/7 peer support, self-help tools, and resources to help people manage their mental health and wellbeing.
• Self help leaflets: Provided by Coventry University.

• At A Loss: UK-wide directory helping people find bereavement support services. 
• Cruse: National charity offering bereavement support, counselling, and helpline services.
• Dear Life: Offers creative and therapeutic resources for processing grief and loss. 
• Sue Ryder: Provides palliative, neurological, and bereavement support across the UK.
• Winston’s Wish: Supports children and young people after the death of a parent or sibling. 

• CALM: Suicide prevention charity offering free, anonymous support for anyone struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts.
• Charlie Waller Trust: Provides mental health education and resources to support young people, parents, and educators.
• Students Against Depression: A student-focused website offering advice, self-help tools, and peer stories to tackle depression.

• Aquarius: Provides support for people affected by alcohol, drugs, and gambling in the Midlands. 
• Narcotics Anonymous: Peer-led support groups for people recovering from drug addiction.
• Talk to Frank: National drug education service offering honest information and support. 

• Beat: UK’s leading eating disorder charity providing helplines, support groups, and information.
• FREED: Early intervention service for young people with eating disorders.
• SEED: Offers peer support and resources for individuals affected by eating disorders.

• Gamblers Anonymous: Fellowship of people who share experiences to help each other recover from gambling addiction.
• GamCare: Offers free information, support, and counselling for anyone affected by gambling.

• NHS Live Well: Official NHS advice on healthy eating, exercise, sleep, and mental wellbeing.
• Spectrum.Life: Digital platform offering wellbeing resources, coaching, and lifestyle support.

We all share the responsibility to keep everyone in our student community safe and well. All staff and students follow a code of behaviour that means if they see something worrying, they must report it.

Learn more about Safeguarding and Prevent.

• Harmless: UK centre of excellence providing support, training, and resources for self-harm and suicide prevention.
• NSHN Forum: A moderated online forum offering peer support and resources for individuals affected by self-harm. 
• Self Injury Support: Offers emotional support and information for women and girls affected by self-injury.

• Calm App: Provides sleep stories, meditations, and soundscapes to help users relax and sleep better.
• Headspace App: Offers guided sleep meditations, calming music, and bedtime stories to improve sleep.

The suicide awareness training has been developed specifically for university students and includes information and scenarios that are related to experiences at university. The training is by the Zero Suicide Alliance.

Access the Suicide Awareness training.

• Coventry Safe Haven: Local out-of-hours support service for people experiencing mental health crisis in Coventry.
• Papyrus: Provides confidential support and resources for young people under 35 at risk of suicide.
• Samaritans: 24/7 free helpline offering confidential support to anyone in emotional distress or suicidal crisis.
• The Listening Place: Offers face-to-face support for people who feel life is no longer worth living.

• Headspace:A mental health app offering guided meditations, sleep tools, and stress relief resources.
• Kooth: A free, safe, and anonymous online mental wellbeing community for young people aged 10–25.
• Molehill Mountain: An app designed to help autistic people understand and manage anxiety using CBT techniques.
• No Panic: Charity providing CBT-based support for anxiety, panic attacks, phobias, and OCD.

• OCD Action: UK charity offering support, helplines, and resources for people affected by OCD and anxiety-related conditions.

• Emotional wellbeing support: Charities like Student Minds and university services offer mental health resources and peer support for student parents.
• Funding and benefits advice: Student parents may be eligible for extra financial support including grants, childcare funding, and benefits.
• Maternity/paternity leave: Students can access maternity, paternity, and adoption leave policies that protect their academic progress and wellbeing.
• Personal support plans: Tailored support plans help student parents manage study commitments alongside parenting responsibilities.
• Study planning: Universities offer flexible study arrangements and academic adjustments to help student parents balance learning and childcare.

• International Students - Visa Implications: International student parents may be able to bring dependants under specific visa conditions and must meet financial requirements.

• Coventry family info directory: A local directory offering parenting support, childcare, health services, and resources for families in Coventry.
• MAT B1 Form: A maternity certificate issued by a midwife or doctor, required to claim maternity pay and benefits.

• Free condoms: Available from sexual health clinics, online schemes, and youth services to help prevent STIs and unplanned pregnancies.
• NHS Clinics: Free and confidential sexual health clinics offering STI testing, contraception, pregnancy support, and HIV prevention.
• STI testing: Accessible through NHS clinics, GP surgeries, pharmacies, and online services like SH.UK, offering discreet home testing kits.

• HIV Advice: NHS and charities like the National AIDS Trust offer guidance on prevention, testing, treatment, and living well with HIV.
• Good Night Out: Campaigns like Good Night Out promote safer nightlife by training venues to prevent and respond to sexual harassment.
• Sexwise: Formerly a national resource for sexual health education, now closed, with content redirected to NHS and FPA platforms.

• Coventry family info directory: Local directory connecting families to pregnancy, parenting, and early years support services.
• Miscarriage Association: Provides support, information, and helplines for anyone affected by miscarriage, ectopic or molar pregnancy.
• Reflect: Offers impartial support for pregnancy choices and loss, including miscarriage and termination.

• CRASAC: Coventry’s specialist service offering confidential support for adults and children affected by sexual violence.
• NHS Referral Centres: Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) offer medical care, forensic services, and emotional support after assault.
• Rape Crisis: National network providing emotional and practical support for survivors of sexual violence.