Student FAQs

The SAS (Student and Academic Services) department is comprised of a number of small teams that work together to ensure that students successfully complete their courses and, ultimately, graduate. SAS is comprised of Programme Administration/Advice (who maintain all student records, organize and run assessments and examinations, as well advise students at our ‘Advice Desk’), as well as Admissions, Careers, Data Management, and Wellbeing.

While the department is comprised of different teams, each with their own responsibilities, generally speaking, we refer to ourselves as SAS (Student and Academic Services).

SAS (via our ‘Advice Desk’) should be your first port of call for your general queries on the courses offered by The Courtauld, as well as for your transcript requests, proof of student status requests, council tax exemption certificates, and your letters of introduction for archives, banks and libraries (to open a student account/get access as a student). The Programme Administration team will be able to discuss academic, learning, and welfare support services on offer to you, in addition to queries about accommodation, health issues, immigration matters, financial support, and careers/employment. All our staff has a wealth of experience gained from a number of industries including education/ higher education, finance, IT, government, and research, to name but a few! If the team is unable to assist you, they will be able to signpost you to another department/organization that can help you.

The ‘Advice Desk’ is owned by SAS and is run by the Programme Administration team, who are part of SAS.

If you are a BA/Graduate Diploma student, you will be speaking with Rhaezelle Valle.

If you are an MA History of Art /MA Curating the Art Museum student, you will be speaking with Isabella Boorman.

If you are a PhD/Conservation student, you will be speaking with Alex Foster.

Please email SAS@courtauld.ac.uk

Other members of the SAS team do not manage the Advice Desk. Should you need to speak to another member of the team, such as an Admissions Officer for instance, please refer to the above staff members, first.

SAS and the ‘Advice Desk’ is located on the 2^nd floor of Vernon Square. The exact location of the office is signposted within the building.

You may email the team at SAS@courtauld.ac.uk  or call 0203 9477 702, to speak to someone.

If you have a query that relates specifically to wellbeing support (which includes academic support – i.e. help with writing/ research/ organization and time-management, as well as free counselling), then please email wellbeing@courtauld.ac.uk to book a private, confidential appointment with a member of this team.

If you would like guidance on careers, help with writing a UK-style CV, or preparing for an interview, then please email careers@courtauld.ac.uk. The Careers Advisor works part-time, on an appointment-only basis.

Yes. The Programme Administrator for these cohorts is Rhaezelle Valle. Please contact SAS@courtauld.ac.uk

Yes. The Programme Administrator for this cohort is Isabella Boorman. Please contact SAS@courtauld.ac.uk

Yes. The Programme Administrator for these cohorts is Alex Foster. Please contact SAS@courtauld.ac.uk

Please email students.union@courtauld.ac.uk.

You can access the Students’ Union website here and you may also wish to follow the Students’ Union on on Instagram.

Current students can obtain one copy of their transcript, for free. Further copies cost GBP 10.00 per copy, whether electronic or hard copy. To be clear, an electronic copy is a hard copy that has been printed on official transcript paper, then scanned and attached to an email. Hard copies of transcripts will be placed in a transcript sleeve, not an envelope if requested in person. Those requesting hard copies of transcripts to be mailed out will need to pay a postage fee (including the cost of an envelope):

• For UK-domiciled addresses, the cost of postage using standard, Royal Mail delivery, is nil as this service is free to us.
• Courier service to UK-domiciled addresses costs GBP 15.00.
• Postage to non-UK-domiciled addresses costs a flat rate of GBP 15.00 and will only be sent by courier.

If needed, transcripts should ideally be requested at the end of a completed academic year to ensure that the grades for that academic year have been entered into our system and then ratified (formally agreed) at that year’s exam board. We do not typically produce transcripts for students who have not completed at least one full academic year as there will not be any information to output on a transcript. Should you transfer out or require formal notification of your grades for the purpose of completing an internship for instance, please speak to the relevant Programme Administrator for your cohort, first, for guidance.

Once you have completed your qualification, you will automatically be provided with a transcript after graduation. Final transcripts will be sent to a student’s home address unless a specific request has been made for it to be posted elsewhere.

Please note that The Courtauld does not subscribe to an electronic transcript-verification service such as ‘Digitary’. We only send transcripts as attachments to emails or via the post/courier service. If you are requesting that a transcript is sent securely, please speak to the relevant Programme Administrator before making your request.

Payment should be made via PayPal. The relevant Programme Administrator will provide payment instructions to you once they have confirmed your transcript can be produced.

Degree certificates are produced by the University of London Degree Production Team. You may order a replacement copy directly from them by following these instructions. You will need to pay a fee of £40.00 (exclusive of postage) for a copy/ replacement degree certificate.

Yes. Please contact the University of London Degree Production Team by following these instructions. The cost starts from £15.00 and you will need to provide the team with your original certificate. Please contact them for exact details.

We provide students with proof of their student status by issuing ‘student status letters’ which detail a student’s name, student i.d. number as well as details about their course and the start/end date of their course. These letters can be used for any purpose in which a student needs to show an official record of their enrolment on a part-time or full-time higher education course.

Student status letters are free. Once students have completed enrolment, Programme Administrators will make them available to students.

If a student would like a duplicate copy of their student status letter at any point during the year, they can request one by speaking to their Programme Administrator at the ‘Advice Desk’ or by emailing SAS on SAS@courtauld.ac.uk and providing their full name and student number.

We provide students with council-tax exemption letters which are very similar to student status letters. More or less the same information is displayed on both the student status letter and a council-tax exemption letter. The difference is the layout and the wording used.

Council tax exemption letters are free. Once students have completed enrolment, Programme Administrators will make them available to students.

If a student would like a duplicate copy of their council tax letter at any point during the year, they can request one by speaking to their Programme Administrator at the ‘Advice Desk’ or by emailing SAS on SAS@courtauld.ac.uk and providing their full name and student number.

Students who wish to access a private archive, open a UK student bank account, or access a private collection within a library, may be asked to get a letter of introduction from their higher education provider to explain their reasons for accessing material/ proving their student status. If you are asked for a letter of introduction, then please speak to the relevant Programme Administrator for your cohort/course.

For a letter of introduction to a private archive/ library, students will need to provide the full name and contact (postal) address of the organization to whose collections they are requesting access to. Letters will not be mailed out on a student’s behalf. Instead, the letter (no envelope included) will be provided directly to the student and it would be the student’s responsibility to pass this letter on to the organization managing the archive.

With banks, some banks do accept student status letters as proof that an individual is eligible for a UK student bank account; others request a formal letter of introduction. Students will need to provide the full name and contact (postal) address of the specific branch they are requesting an account in. Letters will not be mailed out on a student’s behalf.  Instead, the letter (no envelope included) will be provided to the student and it would be the student’s responsibility to pass this letter on to the branch they wish to open an account in.

We do not provide bespoke letters for students. The only letters we provide are student status letters, council tax exemption letters, and letters of introduction so students can access archives/ private collections at libraries or open a UK student bank account.

Under no circumstances will we provide a bespoke letter on behalf of a student.

After completing enrolment, all new students will be provided with their student cards, a lanyard, and a transparent, hard-plastic cardholder in which to carry their student I.D. card. Student cards will be printed by the Security team after SAS has confirmed which students require cards. Once the cards have been printed, either Security or SAS will email students on their Courtauld email addresses, with instructions on when and where to collect their cards.

If you are not a new student, you do not need a new student card and will not automatically be provided with a new one as your card should be valid until you graduate.

If your student I.D. card has been lost or stolen, then please email SAS@courtauld.ac.uk with your full name and student I.D. number so we can have you issued with a new one. We will have the lost/stolen I.D. card deactivated so that it can’t be used by another person if found. The cost of a replacement I.D. card is £10.00. This fee can be paid either in cash at the ‘Advice Desk’ or via PayPal. The relevant Programme Administrator will provide you with the PayPal details when you’ve contacted them about ordering a replacement.

Guidance on the EU Settlement Scheme application, eligibility, and other useful advice can be found here.

We will be able to provide a Student Status letter after you have enrolled to aid your application. 

For formative assignments, students can request an extension from the class teacher. However, the teacher will inform SAS that the student has been given an extension.

For summative assignments, students may only request an extension from the relevant Programme Administrator for their cohort/course. A form will need to be completed and this form, as well as details of the extension request/ outcome, will be filed and stored. SAS only gives students an extension to their submission deadline if the reason for requesting an extension falls in line with our extenuating circumstances policy. To read the policy and confirm whether or not you are able to request an extension, please access this webpage and scroll down the page until you reach the ‘Student Policies and Procedures’ section. If you have further questions about requesting an extension, contact the relevant Programme Administrator for your course.

To be clear, an extension request is also known as a claim for extenuating circumstances or a request for the late submission of coursework. These terms are interchangeable and all refer to the same process.

If, after reading the extenuating circumstances policy, you are eligible to apply for an extension, then students should email the relevant Programme Administrator for their cohort at least 2 days prior to an assignment submission deadline. If a student is unable to request an extension before the submission deadline (as they were ill and in the hospital, for example), then they should speak to the Programme Administrator for their cohort and explain their personal circumstances. In some cases, a request for an extension submitted post-submission deadline can be authorized by the relevant Programme Administrator. Any late penalties applied to an assignment submitted late, without an approved extension, could be waived if a claim for extenuating circumstances would have been authorized had the request been received before the assignment submission deadline. If in doubt, contact the relevant Programme Administrator for guidance.

A formative assignment does have to be submitted but its grade doesn’t count towards your final score for the course it’s being submitted for.

A summative assignment does have to be submitted and its grade will count towards your final score for the course it’s being submitted for.

Yes. All course assignments are mandatory, not optional. Failure to submit formative work could delay your progression onto your next year of study and students may be asked to submit all outstanding work before they can enter the next year of their course.

For formative assignments submitted past their submission deadline, you may receive a grade but no feedback. The grade will indicate your level of academic achievement for that piece of coursework, however, no feedback will be provided to advise you of what you did well and how you could improve.

For summative assignments submitted past their submission deadline, late penalties in the form of deductions to the overall mark for that piece of work will be applied, as follows:

• 3 points off total mark deducted for any submission received after the 15:00 deadline on the day of submission. Submissions will be classified as being received on the day of submission if they are uploaded by 11:59pm.
• 5 points off total mark deducted for any submission received from 12:00am (midnight) on the day of submission until 11:59pm the next day.
• A further 1 point per day will be deducted from the total mark, for a period of up to 5 days (Monday to Friday). After 5 days, an essay will be noted as a ‘non-submission’. SAS will provide a re-submission deadline for a candidate to hand-in their essay. The candidate’s mark will be capped at a pass (BA 40% and MA 50% for AY 20/21) unless the quality of their assignment is beneath a passing grade, in which case the assignment will fail.

Examples:

Deadline: 15:00pm on 01/01/2020.

• Student A submits their essay at 15:05pm on 01/01/2020. Their grade receives a 3-point deduction. If they scored 75, their grade will be brought down to 72.
• Student B submits their essay at 11:59pm on 01/01/2020. Their grade receives a 3-point deduction. If they scored 60, their grade will be brought down to 57.
• Student C submits their essay at 12:01am on 02/01/2020. Their grade receives a 5-point deduction. If they scored 80, their grade will be brought down to 75.
• Student D submits their essay at 09:45am on 02/01/2020. Their grade receives a 5-point deduction. If they scored 55, their grade will be brought down to 50.
• Student E submits their essay at 17:51 on 04/01/2020. Their grade receives a 7-point deduction. If they scored 67, their grade will be brought down to 60.
• Student F doesn’t submit an essay. SAS will provide the student with a new submission deadline. Their assignment will be capped at a pass (BA 40% and MA 50% for AY 20/21) unless the quality of their assignment is beneath a passing grade, in which case the assignment will fail.

The relevant Programme Administrator is responsible for applying late penalties to a student’s grades. Late penalties are applied after a student’s marks are received and logged on our system. So, students will receive their original marks and then when the relevant Programme Administrator has applied any late penalties to work that had been submitted late, will receive an email stating what the late penalty is/ how many marks have been deducted from the mark obtained for the late piece of coursework.

No. Late penalties are applied to assignments per our regulations. Part of a student’s responsibility is to submit mandatory coursework by its deadline date. Keeping to deadlines is essential as our courses are rigorous and planned to enable students to build on their knowledge throughout the year. Each submission deadline is planned to leave both staff and students enough time to manage their workload and complete research, writing up, and marking. Failure to submit work on time has a knock-on effect; not only will students have extra work to complete in a shorter amount of time, but academics and SAS will also experience delays. Late penalties are in place as a deterrent and to encourage students to submit work on time.

The Wellbeing team employs staff who can assist you with academic, organization, and time-management skills. You can book an appointment with an Academic Skills Tutor and a Specialist Study Skills Tutor by emailing Wellbeing in the first instance. Wellbeing can be contacted using wellbeing@courtauld.ac.uk

Students can also enlist the support of our two Royal Literary Fellows. Students can book an appointment to see them by emailing ella.frears@courtauld.ac.uk or Jane.Rogoyska@courtauld.ac.uk.

If you are falling behind and struggling with your workload, email the relevant Programme Administrator for your cohort. Your Programme Administrator, in conjunction with your Personal Tutor, will have you complete an ‘Academic Recovery Plan’. We will set you new deadlines and possibly refer you to the two skills tutors who work for us, should you require support with writing/ organizational skills. The ‘Academic Recovery Plan’ itself and the terms of the plan will be explained to you when you complete it.

If you have any type of disability, you may contact the Wellbeing team, your Programme Administrator and your Personal Tutor. The Wellbeing team will initiate a support plan for you based on your needs. This could be automatic extensions to all submission deadlines that you have, as one example. Your Programme Administrator will record any reasonable adjustments made to accommodate you during your studies. Your Personal Tutor will also act as moral/ pastoral support and, along with your Programme Administrator, a source of guidance during your studies with us. All disability declarations are dealt with confidentially.

Unless otherwise explicitly stated, all assignments should be submitted to the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) using Turnitin on the relevant assignment submission portal for the course the assignment is being submitted for. For example, a BA1 student would like to submit their Foundations essay 1. To do so, they would log on to the VLE using their Courtauld email address and password, go to the Foundations course page, find the ‘assignment submissions’ page and click on the Turnitin portal for essay 1.

Students will receive a ‘receipt’ to confirm the successful submission of their coursework. If a receipt is not received, then a student’s work may not have successfully uploaded and their work may be classed as late or as a ‘non-submission. If in doubt, email the relevant Programme Administrator for your cohort, for verification.

If a student experiences any issues with submitting work, they should identify the error, send a screenshot of the error message displayed on their screen and email it to the relevant Programme Administrator for their course. Kindly note that we do not accept technical difficulties as an excuse for the late submission of coursework. Students should therefore submit work with enough time to contact their Programme Administrator and resolve any submission issues.

Your class teacher has 14 days from the submission deadline to mark assignments/exams and return marks/feedback to SAS/ students. Although this doesn’t happen often, in cases where there is a delay in returning marks for whatever reason, the class teacher will inform SAS and the relevant Programme Administrator will update their cohort of students. As work is submitted on the VLE, marks and feedback will, ordinarily, be displayed on the VLE.

The only marks and feedback that are not displayed on the VLE are those for the following:

• BA2/BA3/GD assessed essay
• BA2 Frameworks 48-hour take-home paper
• BA2 Frameworks reflective essay
• BA3 Lessons in Critical Interpretation final assignment
• Examinations (Jan and May)
• MA dissertation

Apart from the January exams, the marks and feedback for the above will be given to students via a ‘results email’/ ‘feedback form’ after those marks have been ratified (formally agreed) at the July exam board.

No. We do not have work re-marked. Our academic staff receive regular teacher training and are experienced examiners/markers. We also have processes in place to ensure that marks are awarded according to marking criteria that have been agreed upon via the Teaching and Learning Committee (TLC). Moreover, each year we hire External Examiners to look through how and what we have taught during the academic year; part of the External Examiners’ role is to look at the marks and feedback that we provide to students and establish whether what we are doing is accurate, consistent and fair. Upon receiving our External Examiners’ reports, the institution then has a Quality Assurance Meeting to ensure that all our processes and procedures are of a high standard and that we make any improvements to how we work, based on the recommendations and best practice suggested by the External Examiners. As we have a number of safeguards in place, students should rest assured that their work is marked fairly and their marks are indicative of their level of academic achievement.

No. We don’t allow students to change classes.

In BA1, students are assigned classes by the relevant Programme Administrator for their cohort. Students cannot switch classes as this has implications on student numbers and on the timetable. Moreover, we need to ensure that class sizes are relatively equal, especially while social distancing measures are mandated by the UK government. As some classes are more popular than others (typically the Modern and Contemporary classes), we can’t have the majority of students taking the popular ones and minimal numbers of students in the others.

In BA2, BA3, and at GD, students are permitted to state a preference for the classes they would like to take. However, no student is guaranteed to be allocated to any of their preferred classes.

The MA course works differently. If an MA student is unhappy with what they are studying, they should speak to their Programme Administrator for guidance in the first instance.

Any concerns a student has with their class should be discussed, informally, with the class teacher in the first instance. In the event that a student would like to escalate their concerns, they should then speak to their Personal Tutor and Programme Administrator. If further escalation is required, their Personal Tutor and Programme Administrator will advise the student of the complaints process.

In all cases, we ask that students try to resolve any issues they may have, informally. A student can speak to numerous staff for guidance when dealing with any issues they may have (Personal Tutor/ Programme Administrator/ Students Union). If the issue cannot be informally resolved, then a student may make a formal complaint, in writing, to the Academic Registrar, Luke Dillon (the Head of Student and Academic Services) via Academic.Registry@courtauld.ac.uk.

Kindly note that students may be asked to try and informally resolve their issue before the Academic Registrar is able to respond to their complaint. Students should not write to the Dean or the Director without first speaking to their Personal Tutor/ Programme Administrator/ Student Union. SAS staff will escalate complaints on behalf of a student. Any complaints brought directly to the Dean or Director will be re-directed to the Academic Registrar, first. The Full Student Complaints Policy is on The Courtauld website under Student Policies and this gives full details of the steps to resolve any complaint.  Students are asked to complete a form (on the website) detailing their complaint in full and what action they would like to see as a resolution.

eVision is a platform that is linked to our internal system which students can use to update their address and personal details without having to physically come to the SAS ‘Advice Desk’. eVision is also where students will input their assessed essay/ dissertation title. This title will appear on a student’s official transcript.

Access to eVision is granted after enrollment. Access eVision. Students will log in using their Courtauld email address and password.

Should you have trouble accessing your eVision account, please contact evision@courtauld.ac.uk for assistance.

Please email evision@courtauld.ac.uk.

The eVision team are members of SAS; eVision is not a separate team external to The Courtauld.

The VLE (also known as Moodle) is our online platform that staff and students use to display information related to courses and support services, for instance. The VLE is also where students should submit their assignments. Students are provided with access to general areas (which all users have access to) and the courses they are enrolled in. Only areas relevant to a student will be displayed. So, each student’s VLE homepage will be different and dependent on the course they are taking.

Access to the VLE will be provided once students have completed enrolment. Students should log in using their Courtauld email address and password. The first time a student accesses the site, they will need to use the password assigned to them, before being prompted to change it.

When a student submits assignments they should go to the course page the assignment is being submitted for, then the ‘Assignment Submission’ page, followed by the relevant Turnitin submission portal for their assignment, i.e. ‘Foundations > Assignment Submissions > Essay 1’.

For help with using the VLE, please contact Matt Elphick, our VLE specialist on vle@courtauld.ac.uk.

Yes. The Library will assist you. You can find further information here, and email booklib@courtauld.ac.uk with your request.

Students may request assistance from our IT support team for Courtauld-related IT issues by emailing ITSD@courtauld.ac.uk. Kindly note that IT support will only be able to assist with Courtauld-related IT issues, such as trouble accessing Wi-Fi on site, for example. It is at the discretion of IT support as to which issues they are able to assist students with. Personal IT issues should not be directed to this team.

Provided that the class teacher gives their consent, students are permitted to record classes. If students are making video recordings as opposed to just voice recordings, they need to be mindful not to capture another student without their consent.

Students who require a Dictaphone (as part of a study support plan) may request one from their Programme Administrator in SAS.

Students retain access to their Courtauld email account for 1 year from the date of graduation. Students should ensure all important emails/ documents are saved/ forwarded on before their account is deactivated.

After graduation, VLE access will be revoked. Access to the VLE is exclusive to enrolled students.

Yes. If you suspend your studies, you may still use your Courtauld email account.

Access to the VLE, however, is granted on a case-by-case basis and is not guaranteed when a student has suspended. Students who suspend but would like to retain access to the VLE need to seek permission from SAS via the Programme Administrator for their course.

No. Once a student withdraws, they are no longer our student and do not have the right to access any of our systems. They will lose access to their Courtauld email address from the date their withdrawal is processed on our system.

Students will be emailed their exam timetables to their Courtauld email address approximately 4 weeks before their exams. If there are delays, students will be informed by the staff member responsible for arranging our exams. This would be Rachel Shaw in SAS.

Past papers can be viewed online on the VLE. Please check the ‘Information for Students’ and ‘Resources’ sections or contact SAS, to obtain copies.

No. Re-sit papers are confidential and can’t be used to prepare for an exam. Students can view past non-re-sit papers to help them, but not re-sit papers.

Students should email SAS@courtauld.ac.uk with any questions about their examinations.

Staff and students are able to request a copy of a dissertation from the library by emailing booklib@courtauld.ac.uk

For more information about the Library, please see the Library web pages.

Students should email AR.Receivable@courtauld.ac.uk with queries on tuition fees.

Only BA3 and MA students are eligible to obtain a study trip grant (grants do not need to be repaid) for a trip that forms a part of their course. Students should contact the relevant Programme Administrator for their cohort for further information and a copy of the form required to claim the study trip grant.

The Courtauld has travel insurance to cover our staff and students on study trips. When making a claim for a study trip grant, students will also be required to apply for Courtauld travel insurance. The cost of the insurance policy is borne by The Courtauld and not the student.

In the event that a study trip is cancelled, then yes, a grant must be repaid. A study trip grant must only be used towards a pre-planned and authorized study trip. If the trip does not go ahead, any money given to students does need to be returned to The Courtauld.

We initially offer up to 6 counselling sessions for students. If further sessions are required, we can offer them. Our counsellors are experienced and fully qualified. They are also members of the following professional bodies: The British Association for Counselling (BACP) and The United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP). Counselling sessions are available on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10:00 to 15:00.  20-minute drop-in sessions are also available on Mondays and Tuesday from 15:00 to 15:30 and on Wednesdays at 15:00.

To book sessions, please email wellbeing@courtauld.ac.uk – your counselling sessions will be in Meeting Room 2, 2^nd floor of Vernon Square.

The Courtauld offers support to disabled students through the Wellbeing Team. They can be contacted at wellbeing@courtauld.ac.uk.

We also employ a Specialist Study Skills Tutor, Janet Harper (janet.harper@courtauld.ac.uk) who can offer 1:1 support to students with specific learning difficulties. Please feel free to speak to her.