Frequently Asked Questions

[1] What are the Examination Regulations?

[2] The Examination Regulations (often known as 'the Grey Book') contain most of the University's formal regulations relating to examinations and to the programmes of study offered by the University. There is a wide range of courses for students taking undergraduate, taught masters and research degrees as well as certificates and diplomas. The Examination Regulations cover full-time and part-time students.

[3] How do I find a course in the Examination Regulations?

[4] The printed edition of the Examination Regulations has a contents section at the beginning. This is also to be found in the online version. In addition there is a drop-down menu which enables you to identify a course under any one of its likely titles. The online version has a simple (ctrl + f) search facility within each page.

[5] Where do I go if I have questions about the content of the Examination Regulations?

[6] Many questions will be about the content of a specific course and you need to direct these to your tutor if you are an undergraduate or to your course director/supervisor or department if you are a graduate student. Faculties/departments are responsible for the content of the courses which they offer and so the relevant examination regulations will have been drafted by them, prior to approval by the relevant authorities.

[7] How often will I need to consult the Examination Regulations?

[8] If you are an undergraduate or graduate student then it is likely that most of the information you require will be found in the relevant course handbook or subject website. You and/or your tutor/supervisor may need to consult the Examination Regulations and its updates in the University Gazette only if there is a question about the authoritative version of a course requirement.

[9] Where do I find the authoritative version of a course?

[10] Course content will be found in a variety of sources; Examination Regulations, notices in the University Gazette, course handbooks, websites. If you think that there is a discrepancy between the various sources, the relevant rule or course requirement to be found in the Examination Regulations is the final authority.

[11] Which edition of the printed Examination Regulations applies to me?

[12] Changes in the content of courses are being made all the time to reflect developments in the disciplines, so the Examination Regulations are updated regularly. A new print version is published on 1st October every year. As part of its rigorous quality assurance mechanisms, the University has a procedure for the approval of changes/additions to existing courses; and this protects students from changes in the middle of their course, except in special circumstances.

[13] For First Public Examinations (Mods, Prelims etc) the printed copy of the Examination Regulations you receive at the beginning of your first year will be the one you need. It will govern the course for your First Public Examination. Your course handbook or tutor should tell you about any additional changes to your course of study. See 'How up-to-date is the printed edition of the Examination Regulations' below.

[14] For the Second Public Examination you will need to consult the edition of the Examination Regulations for the first year you begin to work for the Final Honour School. If there are no second year examinations, that edition will cover the two (or more) years up to finals. If the Final Honour School is divided into parts (Part A, B and C or Part 1A, 1B and II) then you will need to consult the edition published at the start of each part. See 'How up-to-date is the printed edition of the Examination Regulations' below.

[15] For master's degrees the content of the course should remain unchanged for the duration, whether that is one or two years, except in special circumstances. Therefore you need to consult the edition of the Examination Regulations published at the start of your course. See 'How up-to-date is the printed edition of the Examination Regulations' below.

[16] For all courses, these rules may be different if you have to suspend your study for any reason and therefore take longer than normal to complete it. In that situation, special rules apply.

[17] How up-to-date is the printed edition of the Examination Regulations?

[18] Approved changes and additions to the Examination Regulations are published from time to time in the University Gazette. Such changes are valid if no objection is made to them within fifteen days of their publication.

[19] The lead-up time for producing and printing the 1100 pages of the Examination Regulations each year is several months. For that reason the printed edition of the Examination Regulations will contain most but not all of the intended changes for the year ahead.

[20] Most students do not need to worry about such later changes since they will normally be incorporated into handbooks or websites. However, it does mean that, if you are checking the precise wording of a regulation, then you should also check that this has not been altered by a change published in the University Gazette.

[21] At present, the authoritative edition of the Examination Regulations continues to be the printed edition for the academic year plus the subsequent changes printed in the University Gazette.

[22] How up-to-date is the on-line version of the Examination Regulations?

[23] The on-line version of the Examination Regulations is the printed version plus any changes that have been subsequently approved and published in the University Gazette. There is normally a short time between Gazette publication of changes and their appearance in the online version.

[24] If a particular change is not to be introduced until the following year, then this will be signposted in the text by the prefix, for example, 'From 1 October 2013'. The material that applies until that point will be prefixed by 'Until 1 October 2013'.