Extenuating circumstances (All groups)
If an applicant had extenuating circumstances which have affected, currently affect, or potentially will affect (before admission) their studies or application, then it is possible to flag these issues through the Extenuating Circumstances process. It is mandatory to use this process if the application does not meet minimum requirements, otherwise the application will be automatically rejected.
KMMS will not consider any applicant who has previous interruptions to their school or university study, involving repeat years of study, or incomplete degree-level study, including where studies were discontinued voluntarily, unless extenuating circumstances are submitted – a written supporting statement from the relevant school or university and transcript of studies to date (where appropriate) will need to be submitted as supporting evidence.
Extenuating Circumstances include:
- Recent bereavement or serious illness within immediate family, usually defined as belonging to the same household, living together
- Significant estrangement from family or key family members, including family breakdown
- Significant health issues that might affect or that have affected academic achievements (past, present, or in the near future)
- Serious disruption to the provision of education at School or College
- Other serious disruption where the school/college/doctor or social worker feels that this information should be considered
An Extenuating Circumstances Form should be downloaded from the KMMS website as soon as possible and well before the UCAS deadline for applications. It should be completed, with supporting evidence sought from the relevant parties prior to the UCAS deadline. It should then be submitted through your Kent Vision account when this is available soon after your application is received by KMMS. The deadline for Extenuating Circumstances is only 2 weeks after the UCAS deadline.
Supporting evidence must be provided, including a statement by a teacher, doctor, or social worker, as appropriate. We cannot accept supporting statements from friends or relatives, or any person that is being paid directly by applicants or their families (except for standard charges for GP reports). This includes diagnostic reports from online medical or psychological practitioners.
This information will be considered by the Recruitment and Admissions Board during the selection process. If an applicant’s circumstances change after submission of this form, then the Admissions Operations Manager should be informed. The KMMS Recruitment and Admissions Board will have overall responsibility for assessing the Extenuating Circumstances evidence for individual applicants. No circumstances can be considered outside of this process.
Outcomes
There are a limited number of actions that can be reached as a result of the Extenuating Circumstances process.
- KMMS cannot adjust any mark or grade awarded by an exam board or university, because KMMS is not in a better position than those bodies to consider any extenuation. Please note that this means that KMMS is not likely to consider that applicants who have missed minimum required grades for undocumented, retrospective or less serious reasons have justified extenuation
- KMMS can waive a requirement totally; for example GCSE requirements can be waived for applicants who were not studying the GCSE curriculum before level 3 or higher studies
- KMMS can partially waive a requirement; for example, applicants may be allowed re-sits at level 3 which are not usually allowed
- KMMS can flag an application for future consideration; for example, if ongoing health problems are likely to impact forthcoming conditional offers