Engagement and Attendance
In this area
You should consider the University to act – in many respects – like an employer and, like any good employer, we understand that you will have occasional periods of illness and times when life gets in the way of your studies. We therefore have a wide range of support services to help you at difficult times, and we have mechanisms for you to ask for ‘extenuating circumstances’ to be considered when unforeseen problems affect your ability to take assessments.
However, we do expect everyone enrolled on a taught course to engage with their learning and with the University community, and to let us know when you’re having significant difficulty doing this. There are a number of reasons we have this expectation, depending on what type of course you are studying (e.g. whether you have a visa, and who pays for your tuition), but the main reason is very simple: students who engage with their course and attend their classes get better results – and better qualifications – than those who don’t.
Our expectations
Engagement takes many forms including online participation, the use of resources and the submission of assessments, but – for students enrolled on campus-based courses – the primary expectation is that timetabled sessions (such as lectures, labs and seminars) will be attended in person, and that you will record your attendance.
The University’s General and Academic Regulations make it clear that regular attendance is both expected and monitored, and that the University reserves the right to require the withdrawal of a student where they have not fully engaged with their course. This is an outcome we will make every effort to avoid, of course, and we will only take such action if your engagement is seen to be inadequate over an extended period and we don’t see an appropriate response to our concerns.
In addition to the above, if you are studying on a Student Route visa, the University has specific obligations under the terms of its UKVI sponsor licence which mean we have to act quickly and decisively if your attendance suggests you are not clearly demonstrating total commitment to your full-time studies.
When will we be in touch
If we have concerns that your long-term engagement is so low as to seriously endanger your chances of success, or if it falls below a level acceptable to an external funding or regulatory body (e.g. the UKVI, or Student Finance), we will contact you to provide guidance and support, and to remind you of your obligations.
If you follow your timetable, attend as many sessions as you can – and be sure to ‘tap-in’ using Touchpoint – then we’re unlikely to contact you about your engagement, but remember to check your university email account and to take positive action if we do get in touch.
It may be the case that your timetable is incorrect or that you’ve been forgetting to record your attendance, and the situation can be easily rectified with a quick conversation. If you forget to tap-in or don’t have your ID card with you, your lecturer/tutor can record your attendance for you.
We will make multiple attempts to contact you if we don’t see an improvement, and we provide a full range of academic, welfare, administrative, finance and customer services to ensure you have every kind of support available to help you succeed.
If you are ill
If you have a short-term illness then we understand that you may be away for a week-or-so, and there is no need to let us know officially – though it is helpful and courteous to let the staff on your course know, and they will be able to help you catch up on missed work.
While we do not authorise absence from the University, you should let your course and local Registry teams know if you’re likely to be off for more than a fortnight. If this is the case then you may continue to receive attendance reminders from us, to ensure you have the latest information on the range of support services we offer.
If you have a visa to study in the UK and you are likely to miss more than two weeks’ teaching or supervision then you must contact International Student Compliance to discuss your absence. All students should register with a GP while at university, but if you suffer from long-term difficulties with your health then be sure to contact our Student Wellbeing team as well; they will be able to advise what adjustments may be appropriate for you while studying.
Where illness or personal circumstances put you at risk of missing a significant amount of teaching, we may require that you suspend your studies with a temporary withdrawal, which means you’ll be able to return when you’re ready to fully engage with learning and get maximum benefit from your time at university.
Timetable and Touchpoint
To record attendance accurately, your timetable needs to be correct and you need to tap-in at the time and place shown for your sessions,
If you think your timetable is incorrect, or Touchpoint may not be working properly in a particular location, report this to the teaching team on your course and they will pass your concerns to the internal support teams.
View your online timetable and own attendance record.
International Students (Tier 4/Student Route Visa)
If you hold a Tier 4 / Student Route visa, you must follow the Home office rules and meet your sponsorship obligations to the University. You have specific, required responsibilities as outlined by the Home Office Tier 4 guidelines. You must:
- Report any absences to your Local Registry Team
- Notify your Local Registry Team or the International Student Compliance Team before leaving the UK or the University.
Status verification letters
You can request enrolment confirmation letters (e.g. for Council Tax or Visa extensions etc) from NOVA. You must keep your address up to date on SOLAR. If you need help printing a letter or have other letter queries email engagement@coventry.ac.ukMaximum length of registration
Generally, the maximum permitted length of registration is:
Undergraduate
- Six years, full-time or part-time degree
- Two years, full-time top-up degree
- Four years, part-time top-up degree
Postgraduate
- Two years, full-time
- Four years, part-time
Contact your Course Director if your registration is approaching these limits to discuss a completion plan. If you are studying on a Student Visa, you can only study on undergraduate and taught postgraduate courses for a maximum of 5 years in total.
You must seek guidance from the Enrolment and Compliance Team if your studies are likely to exceed this.
Last updated: 26 February 2026
