You are required to provide supporting evidence when you submit one of the following:

• an exceptional circumstances request
• a coursework extension request
• an extension of studies request (PGT)
• a suspension request.

Schools will not normally accept a request for exceptional circumstances or grant coursework extension requests if evidence is not provided. 

If you are in a distressing situation and cannot provide evidence, your school office can put you in touch with the senior tutor.

If you are requesting to suspend on medical grounds, you need to submit supporting medical evidence. If you request to suspend on other grounds, check with your school to find out if supporting evidence is required.

Type of evidence

Evidence should be independent and detailed as possible. Photos of injuries or procedures are not acceptable and should not be submitted.

It should be timely to the affected assessment where possible. However, you can refer to previously submitted evidence where it is still relevant.

Medical evidence

Examples may include:

• a letter from a medical practitioner
  • patients of the Student Health Service can email bnssg.shsadmin@nhs.net
• prescription for medication or treatment
• record of online or phone consultation with NHS 111
• hospital appointment or discharge letter
• for chronic conditions, you may be able to use previously submitted evidence. Speak to your school if you are unsure what evidence is required.

Only approach your GP or doctor if you have an ongoing situation which needs treatment.

Your school is not able to accept:

• photos or other images of injuries or medical procedures
• a doctor's statement that you have reported a condition retrospectively
• medical evidence which only confirms that you have reported an earlier medical condition.

Do not submit

• medical evidence in relation to other people without their consent.

Short term illness

Doctors will only provide evidence if your illness is ongoing and needs treatment. Medical notes are not normally issued for conditions of less than a week.

Other types of evidence

• A recommendation or consideration for a specific action within a study support plan.
• An exam incident report (submitted by the Exams Office or School rather than by you (the student).
• We do not typically request evidence of a bereavement of a close family member or friend, but do reserve the right to do so. This could be a death certificate or a copy of the funeral order of service. 
• If you have been a victim of a crime, you may provide a police incident report form and crime reference number.
• If you have experienced sexual violence, you do not need to tell us what happened, but there may be other forms of evidence you can provide. Some examples of this include a supporting letter from a Sexual Violence Liaison Officer (SVLO), a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (such as The Bridge), an Independent Sexual Violence Adviser (ISVA), or another professional support.
• Letter or email from an employer, accommodation agency/ landlord or school of child or other dependent, if you have experienced a significant change in employment or job demands, living arrangements or childcare, setting out the change
• Correspondence with a counselling service. This can include:
  • offers of appointments
  • requests to complete questionnaires before appointments
  • or emails with referral or self-help suggestions.

If you do not have copies of your email correspondence with the Student Counselling Service for the time you are requesting mitigations to be made, email student-counselling@bristol.ac.uk to obtain this evidence.

The Student Wellbeing Service and Residential Life, and Student Counselling Service do not provide supporting letters to individual students. 

Evidence originally in another language must include an independently certified translation to English. Evidence will not normally be accepted without the English translation.

If the evidence relates to or concerns another person who is not you, then you must get their explicit permission before submitting the evidence.

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