Confirmation of start dates for the academic year 2020/21
07 May 2020
A message from Professor April McMahon, Vice President for Teaching, Learning and Students
Dear colleagues,
I know that many of you are keen to know what our arrangements will be for the start of the next academic year. Whilst there is still some degree of uncertainty around this in terms of our physical return to campus, we are following UK Government advice closely and plan to either begin the new semester wholly online, or deliver some activity on campus but provide our lectures and some other aspects of learning online.
I am pleased to confirm that there will be little change to our start dates. We will welcome our new and returning undergraduate students in September 2020 and the majority of our postgraduate taught students will start the semester in early October 2020, with an online option until at least the beginning of November. As we anticipate social distancing measures will be in place for some time, we have taken the decision to conduct all lectures for Semester 1 online.
The confirmed start of year schedule for new undergraduate and foundation year students, returning undergraduate students, and postgraduate taught students in 2020/21 is outlined below:
New undergraduate and foundation year students
- Week commencing 21 September: University Welcome and induction programme
- Week commencing 28 September: School and programme induction activities
- Week commencing 5 October: Teaching starts
Returning undergraduate students
- Week commencing 28 September: Welcome back week, with School and programme level introductions to their new level of study, plus an opportunity to cover any essential material from the last session
- Week commencing 5 October: Teaching starts
Postgraduate taught students
- Weeks commencing 5 and 12 October: University Welcome and induction programme
- Week commencing 19 October: School and programme induction activities
- Week commencing 26 October: Teaching starts including an online option, with an aim to begin on campus teaching activities from November, subject to UK Government advice
To keep our current and prospective students updated, we are issuing the communications below to our returning undergraduate students, along with our applicants and offer holders. We are aware also that we have a number of returning postgraduate taught students and are working on developing a more tailored communication to those students, to best reflect their distinct returning welcome activities. The communications below will be sent on the morning of Monday, 11 May, pending any change in direction following any announcements from the Government over the weekend.
- Message to returning undergraduate students
- Message to undergraduate offer holders
- Message to postgraduate taught offer holders
I am hugely grateful to all of our colleagues that are continuing to work to deliver our teaching online and indeed, those colleagues involved in any number of activities to ensure that our students continue to be supported at this time.
A number of FAQs will be added online to help guide both you, and our students and these will continue to be updated.
Professor April McMahon
Vice-President for Teaching, Learning and Students