2020/21 Terms and Conditions

At its heart, it is a contract under which the University agrees to provide educational services and the facilities for you to study and you agree to progress those studies at the University and to abide by University regulations and these Terms.

Successful provision of the services relies upon a strong partnership between you, staff and the University. Underpinning the partnership is a number of regulations, policies and procedures and you will find further information within the Important Information for Offer Holders document provided with an offer (which includes a copy of these Terms in Section A) and within the Policies, Regulations and Procedures for Students guide relevant to your year of study. Please do read these Terms and all other information provided to you with your Offer Letter carefully to make sure you understand what the University agrees to provide and what you will need to comply with and do. It is your responsibility to make sure that all the information you provide to the University is accurate and true.

The Contract between you and the University is formed when you accept our offer of a place, though in order to commence your programme of study you may need to satisfy certain conditions or requirements, as notified to you during the admissions process. You will also need to enrol with us. Once you have enrolled with us you will be registered for the duration of your programme but you will still need to re-enrol each academic year. During enrolment and re-enrolment, you will be reminded of the Terms and Conditions that apply to your studies and time at the University.

Your Offer

Once you have applied for a place on one of the University’s Programmes, you may receive a letter offering you a place (the “Offer Letter”).

Your offer may be conditional or unconditional, and you will need to carefully read your Offer Letter to see if, and what, conditions will apply to you. If you need to satisfy any conditions, you may need to fulfil these before a set date or on an ongoing basis. If you do not meet any such requirements, we may (as applicable) withdraw your offer, terminate the Contract as described in Section 18 or defer your application or entry to the next academic year or another start date within the academic calendar. Please note that the University may make you an unconditional offer on academic grounds but your offer and enrolment at the University will remain subject to you meeting any non-academic conditions, such as obtaining a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service check, occupational health check, and references. The University may update its entry criteria year on year so there may be a change in admission requirements for future applications.

Your Student Contract is made up of a number of key documents (we call them the “Key Contract Documents”). These are:

• The Important Information for Offer Holders document provided with your Offer Letter and the regulations, policies and procedures referred to within it and further detailed within the University’s guide on Policies, Regulations and Procedures for Students (as relevant to your year of study and setting out the regulations and policies in place). There is a helpful summary of each policy or procedure and you can follow or enter the link to read the full policy, procedure or guidance. These policies and procedures are relevant to your studies so please familiarise yourself with them so you know what to expect. It’s worth adding that your particular faculty may have additional policies or procedures which will be brought to your attention.
• These Terms are applicable to the provision of the University’s Educational Services for Undergraduate students and any other document referred to within (unless it is expressly recorded as being non-contractual). The Terms are included within the Important Information for Offer Holders document and an up-to-date version of the Terms and Conditions including any amendments made from time to time in accordance with Section 14 will be available at our Terms and Conditions website.
• Your Offer Letter and any other document referred to within, including the Key Facts about your programme of study. You will only be able to enrol with us if you meet both the academic and non-academic admission requirements. The University’s Recruitment and Admissions Policy provides further information on the student recruitment process. In the unlikely event you have a complaint about our recruitment or admission process, or wish to appeal an admissions decision, please see our Student Appeals and Complaints Policy for Applicants for further information on the procedure to be followed and the grounds for raising a complaint or appeal.
• Other regulations, policies and procedures that may, from time to time, be approved by the University’s Academic Board, Executive Group or Board of Governors in order to assist in delivering educational services to students or admissions services to applicants.

In addition to the Key Contract Documents set out above, some programmes of study may require you to:

a)    Agree to supplemental terms and conditions, for example, if you are studying on a professional programme or studying at a partner institution (e.g. on an Erasmus programme);

b)    Agree to the terms and conditions of other third parties, such as a sponsor or funder, placement provider, professional bodies, accrediting bodies or relevant third party providers. If there is any conflict between a third party’s terms and conditions and the Key Contract Documents, our Key Contract Documents will take priority. You will also need to abide by a number of terms and conditions relating to access to and use of particular University services, for example, those relating to use of the University’s library, computing, and information technology services including virtual learning environment access.

Collectively, the above (unless expressly stated otherwise within) will comprise your Student Contract (the “Contract”). The Contract governs the relationship between you and the University and applies from the date you accept your offer and during your enrolment. In the event we are required to make any significant changes to the contract between us, we will manage such changes in accordance with Section 14 (changes to programme provision or your Contract).

Once you accept your offer, you will usually have a time-limited legal right to cancel your Contract (commonly known as a cooling-off period). Please see Section 19 below for further information on how to cancel.

We’re just letting you know which documents make up your Student Contract and that, when you accept your offer, you’re agreeing to the Key Contract Documents, including these Terms and the document referred to within. There may be additional terms and conditions relating to different University services but you’ll have the opportunity to read and consider these before you access or use those services.

As an undergraduate student, you will usually have applied to the University via the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (“UCAS”). UCAS acts as an intermediary between you, as applicant, and the University. Although you can accept an offer of a place on the UCAS portal, please wait until you receive our formal Offer Letter so that you can fully consider the information provided by us and the terms, conditions, regulations, policies and procedures that will apply to your studies, before you accept the offer of a place. We only consider our contract to be formed when you accept our offer.

We want to explain the role of UCAS and let you know when your Student Contract is created.

How Long is the Contract?

The Contract will continue for the duration set out in the Key Facts provided at offer unless terminated or extended by you or us in accordance with these Terms. The maximum period of study is as set out within the Key Facts document unless otherwise agreed in accordance with the University’s applicable regulatory framework.

IMPORTANT: We provide further information on how you or the University can end our Contract in Sections 18 and 19.

What Happens if I Defer?

If we agree to defer the start date for your programme (we cannot guarantee that this will be possible and there is no contractual right to defer), please note that the programme and its requirements, tuition fee and University services and facilities currently described at the time of your original offer may change for your deferred year of entry. At the appropriate time, we will write to you to provide a new offer for your new year of entry and once published, will provide you with an updated Key Facts and Important Information for Offer Holders document.

Alongside the obligations in these Terms, the University has developed the Academic Community Commitment. The Commitment Statement sets out the intention of the University and the Students’ Union to work in partnership with you as a Manchester Metropolitan University student in supporting your learning and helping you succeed, and sets out your own role in ensuring that success, and the standards of behaviour and personal responsibility expected of our students. Although the University would like to draw your attention to the Commitment, it is not intended to be legally binding or to form part of the Key Contract Documents.

There are some important obligations that we expect you to meet under your Student Contract.

Specific Obligations

In addition to all obligations set out within the regulations, policies and procedures that apply to you, you are required to:

• Play a full and active role in progressing your studies at the University and fully engage with any attendance registration or monitoring methods that are in place in line with the Student Engagement Policy. You should let the University know if you cannot attend classes or cannot continue to engage with your programme for any reason. If you are an international student, please refer to the Your Visa, Your Responsibility document for further information on requirements applicable to you;
• As well as complying with these Terms, all other terms described in the Key Contract Documents and the regulations, policies and procedures set out within the Important Information for Offer Holders document, you should also familiarise yourself with any programme specific information provided to you including within any programme handbook;
• Comply with all codes, regulations, policies and procedures as amended from time to time and adhere to all terms and conditions applicable to use of particular University services such as those relating to use of the Library or IT services;
• Meet any conditions set out in your Offer Letter and continue to satisfy these conditions (where relevant) throughout the duration of the Contract;
• Make any disclosures required by us under these Terms and also provide any supporting information that is reasonably required. Failure to disclose full information could lead to the withdrawal of an offer of a place, termination of your student contract or discontinuation of your studies;
• Pay all Fees and other charges when due;
• Register/enrol with us before the start of your programme and re-enrol/re-register with us each academic year;
• Behave in a manner consistent with the Student Code of Conduct on campus and within the community;
• It is the University’s policy to use your University email address to communicate with you. You are required to check your emails regularly to make sure you stay up-to-date. You must ensure that you provide us with up-to-date contact information and notify us promptly of any changes in your information;
• Take responsibility for your learning by engaging with your programme in a timely manner, attending seminars, tutorials and meetings with tutors, engaging with group learning (where applicable), spending appropriate time on private study and completing all required assessments by the dates set, unless, exceptionally, a variation is approved through the appropriate University procedure. You agree to participate in any attendance monitoring procedures of the University and will meet any minimum attendance requirements for your programme;
• Act in a courteous and responsible manner during your time as a student and within the community (including whilst on placement or exchange) including taking reasonable care for your own safety and the safety of others. You must comply with any reasonable instructions we provide to you about health, safety and security including within our Health and Safety Policies;
• When you enrol you will receive a student card, which you must collect (with the exception of Distance Learning students), and should then carry with you when you are on campus. You may need to show this to authorised representatives of the University and will need this to access a range of University services. You agree to provide us with all information and assistance reasonably required to provide you with your student identification card.

You agree to comply with the Terms and all Regulations, Policies and Procedures referred to (i) within the Important Information for Offer Holders document provided to you at offer and (ii) at enrolment, and all policies and procedures referred to within.

Are There any Particularly Important or Surprising Terms?

If there are any particularly surprising conditions or information about your programme of study, we’ll always try to let you know within your Offer Letter or Key Facts document. Some requirements will form a condition of your offer.

The assessment regulations applicable to your programme are accessible from within the Important Information for Offer Holders document.

There are some provisions we need to draw your particular attention to as they can result in a disciplinary process and ultimately mean you may not be able to continue at the University.

These include:

• Procedure for Handling Academic Misconduct
• Student Transfer, Suspension and Withdrawal Policy
• Student Code of Conduct

Procedure for Handling Academic Misconduct

In order to safeguard our academic standards and the integrity of our awards the University has in place a policy and procedures for dealing with suspected misconduct. The Procedure for Handling Academic Misconduct details types of misconduct – such as plagiarism or the purchase of work from ‘essay mills’ – how suspected offences are investigated, and the penalties that can be imposed. The policy also details students’ rights of appeal in cases relating to academic misconduct.

The Student Code of Conduct

The Student Code of Conduct sets out the standards of conduct the University expects of its students so that everyone can undertake their studies in a supportive and non-threatening environment. Breaches of certain regulations and policies of the University will, where appropriate, be dealt with as breaches of the Student Code of Conduct. Examples include, but are not limited, to:

• Library Rules and Regulations
• Student Regulations for Use of University Computing Resources
• Terms and Conditions of University Accommodation (where relevant)

Further information on these rules and regulations can be found below.

The Student Code of Conduct does not deal with academic misconduct which is addressed in the Procedure for Handling Academic Misconduct.

Student Transfer, Suspension and Withdrawal

The University has in place a range of guidance and support available to students who are uncertain about continuing with their studies, or who are failing to meet the professional or academic requirements of their programme. However, there may be occasions where – for a variety of reasons – a student decides that they wish to take time out of their studies or to withdraw, or that the University concludes a student must be withdrawn or expelled.

The University’s Student Transfer, Suspension and Withdrawal Policy outlines the processes, grounds, implications and the specialist sources of advice available in relation to:

• Withdrawal at the request of a student
• Withdrawal of a student by the University
• Expulsion for intentionally overstaying immigration permission to be in the UK
• Suspension of studies at the request of a student
• Suspension of studies by the University

Please read the policy carefully as it sets out the circumstances in which the University may take steps to unilaterally suspend or withdraw you from your programme (which may have financial implications) and your rights of appeal. If you are an international student, this policy also contains information specific to your Tier 4 visa status so please read it carefully.

If you are considering withdrawing from your programme, always make sure you discuss this with your Academic Tutor or Programme Leader before you make a formal decision as they may be able to refer you to sources of guidance and support who may be able to explain the potential implications for that decision.

Students should make sure they have fully discussed the financial implications of withdrawing or suspending before they leave the programme. Students should be referred by staff to the Student Hub for help and advice. The Student Hub may direct students to other sources of guidance as appropriate.

As part of the University’s duty of care to students, staff and those people a student may come in to contact with directly in relation to his or her studies, we require all applicants who accept an offer of a place to let us know of any relevant, unspent criminal convictions.

Why Do We Ask For This Information?

This is to enable us to identify, assess and manage the potential risks to the University community, and/or to offer support where appropriate. This includes considering risks arising of you living in University accommodation.

For further information on what is ‘relevant’ and ‘unspent’ please visit our Disclosure of Criminal Convictions webpage.

Applicants to Regulated Profession Programmes

Certain programmes that involve interacting with children or vulnerable adults in regulated activities; and/or require a criminal records check via the Disclosure and Barring Service (“DBS”), or local equivalent, are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974). For these programmes, the University requires disclosure of all convictions, including spent convictions, cautions and bind-over orders.

For such programmes, we ask about criminal convictions for the following reasons:

• To determine your suitability including to work in the professional environment associated with your programme. We also need to assess whether you would be able to undertake the mandatory work placements required as part of your programme.
• To carry out appropriate risk assessments to identify, assess and manage any potential risks to the University community.

Before you start your programme, you will also need to complete an enhanced criminal convictions check with the Disclosure and Barring Service or equivalent process for overseas applicants. However, we ask you to self-declare at an earlier stage so that we have time to collect further information and assess the information provided as early as possible.

If you will undertake a programme that requires a DBS, the information you provide at this stage will be used to assess your suitability to undertake your chosen programme, including placements involving regulated activity and, where relevant, to enable discussion in terms of meeting ‘Fitness to Practise’ criteria, ahead of applying for a DBS Enhanced Disclosure Certificate.

If the DBS check reveals that you have had a conviction, caution, reprimand, final warning or bind over, the University will need to assess your fitness to practise in the profession to which you have applied.

What happens if I declare a conviction?

If you declare a criminal conviction, we will ask you to provide further information and you have an obligation to do so.

Disclosure of relevant, unspent convictions will be considered by the University’s Risk Panel. For further information, please refer to the University’s Risk Policy and Procedure for Applicants with Criminal Convictions.

Any disclosure is considered separately from the academic assessment of your application. You will have the opportunity to comment on our risk assessment.

Disclosure of convictions by applicants to programmes that require a DBS check will, where relevant, be considered by the University’s Risk Panel in the first instance. A Faculty panel may also be used for assessing the suitability of applicants whose Self-Declaration Form contains information about offences, cautions, convictions or other matters or concerns. For further information on the current University DBS policy and procedure, please visit our Disclosure of Criminal Convictions webpage.

Possible Outcomes

The University has the right to:

• Refuse enrolment at the University and/or to terminate a student’s contract where, following a risk assessment or professional suitability/DBS (or equivalent overseas) assessment the University’s decision is to refuse admission and study at the University.
• Impose conditions and/or restrictions on a student’s offer, admission, enrolment or study at the University to help manage any risks identified.

We may withhold enrolment and/or commencement at the University where a prospective student fails to provide appropriate information or pending a risk panel or professional suitability/DBS (or equivalent overseas) assessment.

What if I am convicted of a relevant criminal conviction at a later date?

As from acceptance of an offer to study with us, all prospective students (and students on an ongoing basis throughout their studies) must declare promptly any relevant criminal convictions. Students will be asked to provide information on any relevant convictions that have not already been disclosed to the University, at enrolment and re-enrolment each academic year. Please see our Disclosure of Criminal Convictions webpage for further guidance on relevant convictions.

Data Protection for Criminal Conviction Data

The University manages the personal data you provide in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), the Data Protection Act 2018 and the University’s Data Protection Policy. The University has conducted a specific Data Protection Impact Assessment which guides our processing of criminal conviction data. For information about us, how we use your personal data, our lawful bases for processing, our relevant retention and disposal periods, your applicable data subject rights and our contact information please see our Privacy Notices, the Use of Conviction Data Privacy Notice and the main Privacy Notice for Students.

The University is committed to supporting students with a disability and/or those with additional needs where possible and reasonable to do so. We encourage applicants and students to disclose details of any disability at the earliest opportunity so that we can discuss what support may be available to you. Further information on our disability and learning support can be found on our Disability Support website and within Section E of the Important Information for Offer Holders document.

It is important that all international students read our guide on international visas, Your Visa, Your Responsibility for further information. This document explains the reporting and record keeping duties of the University. It also explains what you need to do during your studies at the University to protect your immigration status in the UK. As an international student you will need the correct visa to study and will need to ensure you comply with all immigration requirements. By enrolling with the University, you agree to meet these responsibilities including any attendance monitoring processes of the University notified to you. If you do not, it may affect your stay in the UK. There are certain circumstances in which we may need to report to the Home Office and/or suspend or withdraw you from your studies. Please read the Your Visa, Your Responsibility guidance with care.

Although the University has prepared the Your Visa, Your Responsibility guide to help students better understand their sponsorship duties, it does not provide a full statement of requirements and prospective students and students remain fully responsible for making sure they understand and abide by current immigration rules and guidelines that apply to them. The Home Office updates its policies and the law is subject to change within an academic year so please stay up-to-date.

Some of our professional programmes, including those involving practice placements, may require you to complete an occupational health check and/or a criminal conviction disclosure check with the Disclosure and Barring Service (“DBS”), or if you are an international student a similar check from your home country. If this is required, we will usually inform you of this within the Key Facts document provided with your Offer Letter.

There may be circumstances where a DBS check is not a requirement of a programme. However, having a criminal conviction could prevent registration with a relevant professional, statutory or regulatory body (“PSRB”). Before applying for a programme, prospective students are strongly advised to make their own checks as to whether a previous conviction may have an effect on future studies, professional career progression or the ability to register or join a particular PSRB. This is the responsibility of students.

For regulated professions, prospective employers may make their own assessments regarding an individual’s fitness to practise in the relevant profession.

Professional Suitability & Fitness to Practise

Some programmes of study will require you to register with a PSRB and/or to practice under licence. It is your responsibility to ensure that all necessary declarations (including but not limited to criminal records, medical conditions, disabilities) are made to the University during the admissions process and during the period of study, and that you comply with all relevant rules and regulations during study (and placement, if appropriate), including paying any associated registration or licence fees and maintaining any licences, registrations or consents. The University will use its reasonable endeavours to support students in attaining fitness to practise but accepts no responsibility in the event that a student is declared not fit for practise.

Additional standards of behaviour may also be expected of students studying for a qualification which is accredited or recognised by a professional, statutory or regulatory body for the purposes of a form of registration with that body.

The Fitness to Practise Procedure applies to programmes that include or lead to a professional qualification or confer practitioner status. Concerns about the professional unsuitability of students will be dealt with under this procedure. In addition, if through the operation of the procedure in the Student Code of Conduct a student is found to have committed misconduct, this might constitute a ground for taking action under the Fitness to Practise Procedure.

We may be obliged to share student information with relevant professional, statutory or regulatory bodies.

Some placements may be a compulsory part of your programme and you may need to complete certain attendance or specialist requirements to achieve the learning outcomes of your programme. Other placement opportunities may be optional and in some circumstances you may be responsible for locating and applying for a placement. Certain placement arrangements will require you to enter into a separate placement agreement with your placement provider and/or the University covering areas such as confidentiality, intellectual property and the scope of your placement. Students on placement will be subject to the Student Code of Conduct and associated procedures of the placement provider. The University will not be responsible for any act or omissions of third party placement providers.

Fees and Payment Arrangements

It is very important that you read the Regulations for the Payment of University Fees as relevant to your programme of study. These regulations are the key financial policies and procedures that you agree to abide by at the University, so it is essential that you familiarise yourself with them. You will find extensive guidance for students on a wide range of issues relating to the payment of fees and deposits (if applicable) on our Finance website.

Tuition Fees

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your programme fees, please contact Student Billings on 0161 247 2937.

Tuition fees are set by the University and, for certain categories of fees, we are guided by Government policy and Parliamentary regulation. Programme fees may be subject to an inflationary increase and/or an increase due to changes in the law or government requirements. Your Key Facts document will advise if you need to check for any annual increases to your tuition fees, in line with government policies. Any queries can be directed to Student Billings.

Overseas paying students will continue to pay the same annual fee for the duration of their programme, providing there are no programme transfers or changes to the original study mode, and progression through the programme is within the normal timeframe. Should students need to suspend studies or repeat any part of the programme, a higher fee structure may apply.

Overseas paying students progressing directly from a foundation year to a linked degree programme will continue to pay the same annual fee for the duration of the degree programme, providing there are no programme transfers or changes to the original study mode, and progression through the programme is within the normal timeframe. Should students need to suspend studies or repeat any part of the programme, a higher fee structure may apply. All queries relating to continuing student programme fees should be referred to the Student Billings team.

Your tuition fee will be set out within the Key Facts document that accompanies your Offer Letter (save for in circumstances early within the recruitment cycle where the fee may not yet have been set, for example, if we are awaiting Government fee policy confirmation).

Applicants can be assessed as Home, EU, Overseas or Channel Islands. The University has the right to reassess or rescind a tuition fee status where information comes to light that may affect a tuition fee assessment decision already made.

Outgoing Manchester Metropolitan University Exchange students should refer to the Fees for Students on Exchange/Study Abroad for up-to-date fee charges.

Additional Costs

Unless your Key Facts document states otherwise, your tuition fee does not include any charges for third party examinations, University resits, professional body fees, disclosure or barring or occupational health checks, living expenses, travelling expenses, equipment, conference attendance fees, trips or visits or any other miscellaneous expenses that you are likely to incur to complete your programme of study (such as photocopying or external internet access). If there are any compulsory additional costs associated with your specific programme, they will be indicated within your Key Facts document.

Important information for students taking reassessments or resits is available on the Taking Reassessments webpage. Please refer to the Regulations for the Payment of University Fees for further information.

Fees and Suspension or Withdrawal

You may be required to pay a proportion or all of your fees if you withdraw or suspend from your studies. For more information on how we calculate fee responsibility or refunds, please see the Regulations for the Payment of University Fees. Please note that withdrawing from, or suspending your studies, may also have implications for your agreement with the relevant Funding Authority or other financial support you may be receiving or due to receive.

Sponsored Students

You are personally responsible for paying your programme fees, including if you are sponsored by a third party and they do not pay your fees as planned.

Student Tuition Fee and Maintenance Loans

As an Undergraduate student, you are responsible for liaising with Student Finance / SAAS if you are funding your studies through a tuition fee loan. In the event that Student Finance / SAAS does not pay your fees, you will be obliged to pay yourself. If your loan application is approved, your funding authority will pay the University directly. Please note that students who repeat without attendance are not eligible for maintenance loans.

Recognition of Prior Learning

Recognition of Prior Learning (“RPL”) claims for non-Manchester Met credit transfers are subject to a reduced tuition fee based on the number of credits claimed. Please refer to our Finance website for confirmation of the current amount payable per programme unit. The RPL fee is reviewed annually and published prior to the commencement of each academic year. All RPL fees are non-refundable.

If you are considering submitting a claim for Recognition of Prior Learning you should refer to the University’s Policy for the Recognition of Prior Learning to ensure you understand the purpose and requirements of the process. The RPL process is separate from the University’s admissions process and you may only submit an RPL claim following receipt of an offer of a place on a Manchester Met programme.

To identify whether an RPL claim is appropriate for you, it may help to find out about the content and structure of the Manchester Met programme you are enrolling on, to see if it corresponds to the prior learning you have undertaken. This information is available from the Admissions Tutor, Programme Leader or another academic member of the Programme Team. The Student Hub will be able to help you with contact details for these members of staff.

For most Manchester Met programmes, the maximum amount of credit you may be exempted from is 50% of the award you are aiming for. There are a few exceptions to this tariff and details are available in the RPL Policy. RPL can only be claimed against ‘taught’ programme units, which does not include your dissertation or independent study project. If you decide to submit an RPL claim, the University will allocate an academic advisor with relevant subject/programme expertise, who will support you with your claim. You should make contact with your advisor as soon as possible. A claim should be submitted to the University using the RPL Claim Form, this form contains all the information that the University will need to assess your claim.

Support Packages, Bursaries, Discounts and Awards

The University offers a range of support packages/bursaries for students. The University’s available financial support packages, bursaries, scholarships, discounts and awards are subject to change from year to year. The University reviews all Manchester Met awards, discounts, and scholarships annually, and may withdraw future provision at the end of an academic year or make changes to the value or Terms and Conditions of offer. This means that there may be other students studying in different cohorts of a programme that can access different packages or benefits. Please refer to our Finance website for information regarding schemes offered from time to time and the associated terms and conditions.

Financial Difficulties and Potential Consequences of Non-payment

If you have any questions or concerns regarding payment of your programme fees, please contact the Finance Service Centre on 0161 247 1852.

If you are studying at Manchester Met on a Tier 4 visa, please be aware that non-payment of your programme fees is a direct breach of UKVI regulations and may result in your visa being brought to a close. If you are experiencing any financial difficulty, please contact the Finance Service Centre located in the Student Hub at the Business School.

Please note that, ultimately, you may not be able to continue with your studies should you fail to pay your programme fees. You must make sure that you pay your programme fees and any other applicable tuition costs or charges on time otherwise the University may be entitled to take certain steps against you including imposing sanctions (as set out within the Regulations for the Payment of University Fees). These include, but are not limited to, restricting access to services as well as graduation bookings, withholding the degree certificate and/or taking action to legally recover any debts.

For a fuller list of the actions we may take please read the Regulations for the Payment of University Fees. If you find yourself in financial difficulty during your studies, please contact the University’s Student Financial Support Team, the Finance Service Centre or the Students’ Union Advice Centre.

Equipment and Loans

Please take good care of any equipment we provide to you. You may need to pay for a repair or a replacement if equipment is damaged or lost/stolen. Further information will be given when we provide such equipment to you.

It’s really important that you make suitable arrangements for the payment of your fees. We will try to support you and direct you to appropriate sources of help should you experience financial difficulties but, ultimately, we’ll expect you to plan well and pay on time. Occasionally, we need to apply sanctions for non-payment of tuition fees.

Whilst the University will always try to minimise making any changes to the Contract (including changes to the programme), there may be times where changes are needed. This section describes the circumstances when we can make changes, as well as providing you with further information about when we may look to make such changes.

Changes to Your Contract

The University may, from time to time, need to make changes to your Student Contract including to its regulatory framework. Changes will normally take effect at the start of the next academic year and you will be asked to read the relevant Key Contract Documents upon re-enrolment and tick the declaration as confirmation of acceptance.

Sometimes, it may be necessary to make changes during an academic year where the University reasonably considers the changes to be in the best interests of its students, necessary to reflect changes in the external environment or government policy including to comply with legal, regulatory or accrediting body requirements or to incorporate sector guidance or best practice.

The circumstances that we describe below are not the only ones that may arise during your studies with us, but they will give you some context as to when we may need to amend the Contract (including your programme).

Changes After You Have Entered into the Contract with Us

Where we need to make changes to the Contract and/or programme after our Contract has been formed, we will, in each case, assess the potential impact of any such change on the Contract and our students and will follow the principles set out in this section. The University is always looking to improve and enhance students’ experience with us, and we will consult with students throughout their studies, as well as consulting with our teaching staff, and will actively seek feedback from these groups about how we can improve our service delivery to our students.

Changes to Your Programme or its Delivery

Changes to pre-contract information

Our printed prospectus and supporting marketing materials are published well in advance of the start of the academic year and therefore the online prospectus provides the more detailed and up-to-date information on our programmes of study. Please check the online prospectus information before applying to the University and just before accepting your offer of a place. Information that we may have given to you at the time you were researching and making an application for the programme may have changed by the time we send out our Offer Letter. The Offer Letter, Key Facts and Important Information for Offer Holders document sets out the core information that we consider you will require to make an informed decision whether to accept your offer. Please read these documents carefully before you accept.

The University will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your programme in accordance with the descriptions applied to it in the Key Facts for the academic year in which you begin your programme.

However, the University is entitled to make reasonable changes to ensure the University delivers the best quality of educational experience to you.

Some examples of these changes include:

1. Keeping our programme content and delivery up-to-date and relevant. We may need to implement technical adjustments and/or improvements; for example, to reflect developments in academic teaching, research and/or professional standards/requirements; to address any external examiner feedback received as part of their annual reports and/or results from our regular student feedback sessions. To set out further examples, we may make adjustments to: aspects of the curriculum – to ensure that this is current and reflects developments in the subject area; the methods of assessment, assessment weightings, and the word length of individual assignments; and adjustments to the learning outcomes and how these are assessed;
2. Changes as a result of a programme review. It is standard practice for the University to undertake an annual performance review (Education Annual Review) of all of its taught provision in line with national, professional body and regulatory requirements. The aim of Education Annual Review is to ensure that the performance, academic standards and learning opportunities of existing programmes remain appropriate to the awards to which they lead. Programme review may result in certain changes to a programme of study. These changes will be made to enhance the quality of provision we provide to students
3. Changes for the maintenance of academic standards and quality assurance;
4. To reflect changes in relevant laws, statutory, regulatory and/or professional body requirements (or those of placement providers) and/or sector regulation or best practice;
5. To implement technical or procedural changes to our IT systems or virtual learning environment;
6. To reflect withdrawal of or a change to any relevant accreditation;
7. Reviewing and refreshing optional units. As indicated within our online prospectus the optional units listed are indicative and may be subject to change. We do not guarantee that an optional programme unit will always run in any given academic year as options may be dependent on varying factors such as the external and industry environment, current trends in research, student choice, numbers and staff expertise;
8. Altering the location of the programme. For example, following campus consolidation to allow the University to provide the best facilities and academic provision for its students.

In making any such changes, the University will aim to keep the changes to the minimum necessary to achieve the required quality of experience and will usually notify and/or consult (depending on the nature and materiality of the change) with affected students (as applicable) about changes that are required.

In respect of material changes, we will take reasonable steps to obtain student consent (and, where appropriate, the consent of applicants who have accepted an offer who may be directly affected by the change) and we will inform the affected students if we implement the change(s). If our implementation of the change causes you detriment or hardship we will, if appropriate, work with you to try to reduce the adverse effect on you. Some examples of a material change include:

• a change of award or programme title
• a change to the availability of, or discontinuation, of a core programme unit

We will not usually consult on minor changes. Minor Changes may include the following examples (please note this is a non-exhaustive list):

• reasonable changes to the timetable for delivery of your programme;
• reasonable changes to the number of classes/lectures and other teaching activity relating to the programme;
• reasonable changes to the way we make IT and Library services available to you;
• reasonable changes to the methods by which the programme is delivered and/or assessed;
• reasonable variations to the content and syllabus of the programme;
• changes to the location of your programme teaching facilities, provided these are within the same campus and/or provided they are of equivalent quality as those advertised in our literature;
• additions and/or withdrawals of certain non-core units on your programme;
• changes to reading lists to deal with changes in the relevant subject area relating to your programme to ensure the same remains as up to date as possible;
• procedural changes and/or reasonable changes to our Key Contract Documents that help improve the same to your benefit.

Withdrawal of Programmes

We will endeavour to run programmes we have made offers for, however, there are occasions where we may need to suspend, discontinue or withdraw a programme. This may be for low student numbers as set out below, but may also include circumstances such as where there is a change to accreditation or professional, statutory or regulatory body requirements, where there is a change to the external environment making delivery unviable or where academic or PSRB approval has not been achieved.

Pre-Contract

There may be times where we need to discontinue or suspend the programme, or decide not to provide the programme, or to merge or combine the programme with other programmes of study, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by theUniversity in the context of its wider purposes. If the University decides to take any such action then it will use reasonable endeavours to notify you in advance and you shall be entitled to cancel your application by written notice to the University. In these circumstances, you will be entitled to a refund of any deposit/fees which you have paid to theUniversity.

Post-Contract

There may also be times where we need to discontinue or suspend the programme or to merge or combine the programme with other programmes. In these circumstances, the University will provide as much notice as possible and will take all reasonable steps to minimise the resultant disruption by, for example, making an alternative offer, delivering a modified version of the programme (where practicable to do so), or assisting affected individuals to move to another programme (subject to meeting programme requirements) or institution (if appropriate and possible). To the fullest extent it is possible under the general law, the University excludes liability for any loss and/or damage suffered by any applicant or student as a result of such circumstances.

Sometimes, circumstances may arise which are beyond the control of the University which result in changes to your programme or your Contract. Examples (without limitation) of such circumstances include:

• industrial action by University staff or third parties;
• the unanticipated departure of key members of University staff or unavoidable specialist staff absence;
• acts or threatened acts of terrorism or a security threat;
• damage or interruption to buildings, facilities or equipment;
• severe weather conditions;
• the acts of any governmental or local authority; or
• where the numbers recruited to a programme are so low that it is not possible to deliver an appropriate quality of education or affect the viability to run the programme at a planned entry point.

Changes and Your Options

If the University changes your programme or Contract in a fundamental way and you are not satisfied with the changes, you will be offered the opportunity to withdraw from the programme and, if required, reasonable support to transfer to another provider. It should be noted that this is without prejudice to your legal right of cancellation and to any other remedy which you would be entitled by law to seek.

Study Materials

Where downloadable Study Materials accompany your Programme, these Study Materials will be made available to you. The University and/or its licensors, remain the owner of the intellectual property in your programme, the Study Materials and any Programme Content. In consideration of receipt by the University of your Fees (when due), we provide you with a personal licence to use the Study Materials and Programme Content for the sole purpose of studying for your programme. Any use of the Study Materials or Programme Content not permitted under these Terms is prohibited and any will infringe the University’s intellectual property rights and/or those of its licensors.

You may not modify, re-publish, sub-licence, sell, upload, transmit, make available, or disseminate in any way any of the Study Materials or Programme Content. You may not modify, merge, translate, disassemble, decompile, recompile or reverse engineer any software forming part of the virtual learning environment, Programme Content or the Study Materials or create derivative works based on the whole of or any part, or which incorporate, the Study Materials or Programme Content. The University may withdraw use of any particular Study Materials or Programme Content at any time where reasonably required.

Student Intellectual Property

If you create intellectual property rights (“IPR”) during your studies or research, the standard position is that you will own such rights, unless:

• you generate IPR which builds upon existing IPR generated by, or is jointly invented with University employees or associates, in which case you will be required to assign such IPR to the University and in respect of revenue generated by that IPR, you may be entitled to apportioned income; or
• you are also an employee of the University and developed the IPR in that capacity.

You will find a lot more information in our Intellectual Property Policy.

The University is registered as a Controller with the Information Commissioner’s Office. The University will hold and process your personal data including some personal data defined as special category. Your data will be processed in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Protection Act 2018 and our Data Protection Policy. Further information about how we will use the personal data you provide to us can be found in our range of available Privacy Notices, including the main Privacy Notice for Students.

Where you are sponsored (e.g. by your employer) and such third parties may have a direct interest in your status as a student, information regarding your progression, performance and attendance may be shared with your sponsor.

You have certain rights in relation to your personal data. Your rights are set out in our Data Subjects’ Rights. You will also find useful contact details should you wish to exercise them. Please note that you are responsible for providing the University with up-to-date contact details and for maintaining the accuracy of this information whilst studying with the University.

Examination pass lists and/or degree classifications may be published. If you do not wish your results to be published in this way, you must notify the Deputy Director (Students) stating your reasons in writing by no later than seven days before you complete your examination or assessment. Your reasons will be considered and, where it is felt that publication of your results is likely to cause substantial damage or substantial distress and that this would be unwarranted, publication will be withheld.

We may end the Contract on notice to you (such notice as may be appropriate having followed any relevant University policies or procedures but where the circumstances dictate, immediate notice) as a result of:

• us becoming aware that information you have provided to us is untrue, inaccurate, incomplete and/or misleading and/or at any point becomes untrue, inaccurate, incomplete and/or misleading;
• you failing to meet the conditions of any offer made to you. The University may also withdraw or amend an offer at any time up until you accept it or terminate after acceptance if it comes to the University’s attention that your application contained incorrect or missing or misleading information;
• your circumstances change so that you no longer meet the admission requirements, your programme specific requirements or those of a relevant professional, statutory or regulatory body;
• you failing to comply with your obligations under our Contract or breach by you of our regulations, policies, procedures and/or codes or the specific requirements of your programme (for example, any minimum attendance requirements);
• you failing to comply with requests for information, to make declarations and/or to meet specific requirements or conditions of your programme as specified in the Offer Letter or Key Facts document;
• your circumstances changing so that you no longer have permission to remain in the UK (where applicable) or we are required to withdraw you under our Home Office sponsor duties, your Tier 4 licence is revoked or your continued registration would place us in breach of any legal or Home Office compliance duties;
• you failing to meet the requirements to register/enrol for your programme or failing to re-enrol in subsequent years within the required timescale;
• following disciplinary action under our Student Code of Conduct or following a decision made under our Fitness to Study Policy and Procedure, or Fitness to Practise Procedure, subject to your right to appeal under those policies and procedures.
• you failing to meet the minimum academic and/or professional performance requirements that are set out in the University’s Assessment Regulations and other applicable regulatory documents or as a result of a decision taken under our Student Transfer, Suspension and Withdrawal Policy;
• if you do not pay your Fees by the specified due date for payment;
• if you are dismissed from a third party organisation which you are required to be a member of as part of your programme or for which your engagement with is required in order to achieve the learning outcomes of your programme. For example, where your employer is providing work-based learning or a clinical or professional placement and therefore completion of your programme is conditional upon you remaining an employee of that organisation;
• your conduct or actions mean you are unable to complete a placement that forms a compulsory component of your programme and we are unable to find a suitable alternative placement;
• if you cancel (under these Terms) or withdraw from the University;
• where we assess that your behaviour presents such a material risk to the health, safety or welfare of either yourself or other students/staff of the University, subject to any rights of appeal you may have under our internal procedures;
• a decision by the University’s Risk Panel in accordance with the Risk Policy and Procedure for Applicants with Criminal Convictions and Section 8 of these Terms. Or, following a decision in connection with the University’s Policy and Procedures relating to the Disclosure and Barring Service process accessible here and as updated from time to time;
• under other relevant University policies and procedures of the University (in particular the Student Code of Conduct and/or the Fitness to Practise Procedure) where a student has failed to declare a criminal conviction (where required) or has provided incorrect or falsified information or omitted or misrepresented information;
• you do not satisfy any non-academic conditions of your offer.

Cancellation Rights

Where you have applied via the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, although we provide you with the legal right to cancel, this does not mean that we will necessarily be able to amend your status with UCAS should you decide to cancel. Please refer to UCAS for further details on how to withdraw or amend your application.

If our Contract has been made by means of distance communications (i.e. not face-to-face) you have a legal right to cancel your contract with us within 14 days without giving any reason. The cancellation period will expire after 14 days from the day of the conclusion of your Student Contract. This will be 14 days from the day you accept the offer of a place at the University. To exercise the right to cancel, you must inform the University in writing at: Manchester Metropolitan University, Recruitment and Admissions, 6 Great Marlborough Street, Manchester, M1 5AL; or by email to [email protected] of your decision to cancel your contract by providing a clear statement (e.g. a letter sent by post or email). You may use the Model Cancellation Form but it is not obligatory. The University will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a cancellation on a durable medium (e.g. by email) without delay. To meet the cancellation deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right to cancel before the cancellation period has expired.

If you cancel your contract, we will normally reimburse to you all payments received from you (please see our Finance website for further information). We will process the reimbursement without undue delay, and no later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to cancel your contract provided we have all relevant information. We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise or unless restricted by law; in any event, we will not add any additional fees as a result of the reimbursement. However, if you decide to terminate the Contract during the cancellation period once we have commenced providing you with Services then we will refund you any amounts you have paid to us less an amount which is a fair payment for you to make for the services provided by us prior to termination of the Contract.

By accepting our offer, you will also be providing us with express consent, if relevant, to start delivering your programme within your legal cancellation period.

As well as the legal right to cancel, we provide you with a right to withdraw from your programme within 14 days of your programme start date, however, depending on when you withdraw, you may be liable for your fees (or a proportion of them). Please see below and our Finance website for further information.

A number of our programmes or the way they are procured or delivered means that they will not amount to a consumer contract and will therefore not attract a statutory (and in some cases, institutional) right to cancel. For example, certain commercial programmes delivered to you via an arrangement with your employer and certain programmes delivered primarily to advance your own knowledge in relation to your trade or profession.

If you cancel you must return to us in a reasonable condition, any Study Materials you may have received from the University without undue delay and no later than 14 calendar days after you inform us of the cancellation. You will be liable for the cost of returning any goods (if applicable to your programme).

If you have received any financial benefit, package or scholarship this must also be returned to us promptly either in full or in line with the Terms and Conditions of the relevant financial support package, benefit scheme, award, bursary or scholarship.

We need to let you know about your legal right to cancel. This is different to the way you can withdraw, suspend or defer your studies.

Withdrawing from Your Studies

Your Student Contract with us will end if you withdraw. Please refer to the Student Transfer, Suspension and Withdrawal Policy for further information on withdrawing from your studies. You are entitled to end your Contract at any time without reason, but if you do so after the expiry of the cancellation period referred to in Section 19 you may not be entitled to receive a full refund of any fees you have paid, and you may be responsible for fees to reflect the costs incurred by us arising out of your early termination of the Contract in line with the Payment Regulations and these Terms. Your leaving date will be determined by the last date of engagement with your programme in line with the Regulations for the Payment of University Fees.

Suspension

There are certain circumstances in which the University may suspend your registration or enrolment and/or access to facilities and premises, for example (but not limited to), pending an investigation under our Student Code of Conduct, pending consideration of a student’s case by a Professional Suitability Panel, further to a decision taken under the Student Transfer, Suspension and Withdrawal Policy or where you fail to enrol or re-enrol on time. Such suspension may be immediate pending the gathering of further information where we reasonably consider that your behaviour presents a material risk to others or yourself. Your leaving date will be determined by the last date of engagement with your programme in line with the Regulations for the Payment of University Fees.

There are rules and regulations relating to use of particular University services, such as IT facilities and library and learning resources. The Important Information for Offer Holders document sets out further information on the services we agreed to provide under your Student Contract. Although the University will further endeavour to provide you with appropriate access to a range of academic, pastoral and support services (such as counselling, careers and employability support) it may change all of its range or type of services from time to time to ensure that they are fit for purpose and provide the best experience to you. Our services may also be temporarily suspended or modified for essential maintenance, for improvements to be made and/or for events outside of our reasonable control.

IT Services

Manchester Met’s virtual learning environment is integral to most of the University’s programmes and provides programme related materials and learning activities. It is also used to deliver and manage assessment. You are expected to actively engage with the virtual learning environment; the University monitors engagement. Use of Manchester Met’s IT facilities (including email) is subject to a suite of Information Security Policies and Procedures. These include the Policy on Acceptable Use of University IT Systems, Student Regulations for Use of University Computing Resources and the Information Security Policy.

Any login details are personal to you and should not be shared with or transferred to others. You must notify us immediately upon becoming aware of any breach of security or unauthorised use of your account. It is your responsibility to ensure that you regularly save and back up all data.

You must not misuse or abuse any services or technology applications made available to you as part of your programme.

There may be links from the virtual learning environment to sites on the internet which are operated by third parties. The University is not responsible for the availability of, or the content located through such external sites.

Library Rules & Regulations

All students who use the Library or library resources must do so in accordance with the Library Rules and Regulations, and failure to do so may result in action being taken under the Student Code of Conduct.

Other Services

The Important Information for Offer Holders document provides other helpful information about what other services and facilities may be available to you as part of your time with the University. These do not, however, represent services that we provide to you under this Contract.

Other, non-educational services provided by the University to you, for example residential accommodation and sports centre membership, amount to separate and distinct contracts and are therefore subject to separate contractual terms. You may also enter into separate contractual arrangements with other third parties such as a sponsor, your employer e.g. the NHS if you are on certain professional programmes. The Student Loans Company is not a part of the University and your contract for funding (if applicable) will be arranged via the relevant governmental organisation, for example Student Finance England.

If we fail to comply with this Contract we may, in certain circumstances, be responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable result of our breach of this Contract or our negligence, but we are not responsible for any loss or damage that is not foreseeable. Loss or damage is foreseeable if they were an obvious consequence of our breach or if they were contemplated by you and us at the time we entered into this Contract.

We cannot accept responsibility and we will not be liable to you for:

• any damage to your property (e.g. personal equipment such as mobiles, tablets and laptops);
• work submitted for assessment that is not returned;
• personal injury or death except in so far as it is caused by our negligence;
• loss of opportunity and loss of income or profit, however arising.

We do not exclude or limit in any way our liability for:

• death or personal injury caused by our negligence or the negligence of our employees, agents or subcontractors;
• fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or
• any other matter which we are not permitted to exclude or limit our liability by law.

We will not be liable or responsible for any failure to perform, or delay in performance of, any of our obligations under these Terms that is caused by an Event Outside Our Control.

An Event Outside Our Control means any act or event beyond our reasonable control including but not limited to:

• strikes, lock-outs or other industrial action by third parties;
• strikes, lock-outs or other industrial action by our employees;
• civil commotion, riot, invasion, terrorist attack or threat of terrorist attack, war (whether declared or not) or threat or preparation for war, fire, explosion, storm, flood, earthquake, subsidence, epidemic or other natural disaster, or failure of public or private tele or electronic communications networks.

If an Event Outside Our Control takes place that affects the performance of our obligations under the contract:

• we will contact you as soon as reasonably possible to notify you; and
• our obligations under these Terms will be suspended and the time for performance of our obligations will be extended for the duration of the Event Outside Our Control.

Should an Event Outside Our Control interfere with our ability to deliver your programme, we will use reasonable endeavours to minimise the disruption caused to you.

Complaints

Manchester Met recognises there may be occasions where students wish to raise legitimate complaints relating to their programme, or the facilities and services provided by the University. It is important to both students and staff to know that such complaints will be dealt with seriously and transparently, and without fear of recrimination. To ensure that this happens, the University has in place a Student Complaints Procedure, which details procedures and parameters for making a complaint, alongside what action may be taken in response to complaints.

If having exhausted all stages of the University’s internal complaints procedure (or other relevant internal procedure), a student considers that the University has failed to consider and respond to their complaint appropriately, the student can refer their complaint to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education, which provides an independent scheme for the review of eligible student complaints.

If you have a complaint about our recruitment or admission process, please see our Student Appeals and Complaints Policy for Applicants for further information.

You may be able to seek advice from the Students’ Union Advice Centre and/or Citizens Advice.

How We’re Regulated

Manchester Metropolitan University is regulated by the Office for Students (“OfS”). The OfS is the

independent regulator of higher education in England. More information on the role of the OfS and its regulatory framework can be found on the OfS website.

All higher education providers registered with the OfS must have a Student Protection Plan in place. The Student Protection Plan sets out what students can expect to happen should a programme, campus, or institution close. Where there is any conflict between these Terms and the Student Protection Plan, the Student Protection Plan will take priority in considering any issue relevant to it.

We may transfer our rights and obligations under these Terms to another organisation, and we will always notify you in writing if this happens, but this will not affect your rights or our obligations under these Terms.

This Contract is between you and us. No other person shall have any rights to enforce any of its terms. The receipt of your programme is personal to you and you may not transfer your rights to access the programme to any other person.

Each of the paragraphs of these Terms operates separately. If any court or relevant authority decides that any of them are unlawful, the remaining paragraphs will remain in full force and effect.

If we fail to insist that you perform any of your obligations under these Terms, or if we do not enforce our rights against you, or if we delay in doing so, that will not mean that we have waived our rights against you and will not mean that you do not have to comply with those obligations.

Any notices or information sent to the last email and/or postal address provided by you to us will be deemed to have been properly given.

Nothing within the Contract shall be construed as amending the University’s constitutional Instruments, Articles or associated constitutional documents. Our Contract and the Key Contract Documents shall be governed by English law.

You and we both agree that the English courts will have non-exclusive jurisdiction over any claims.

The address of the University is:

Manchester Metropolitan University
All Saints Building
All Saints
Manchester
M15 6BH

Our telephone number is:

0161 247 2000

The University is a higher education corporation established under the provisions of the Education Reform Act 1988.