STATEMENT: Important information and advice on coronavirus outbreak

COVID-19 is a new illness that can affect your lungs and airways. It's caused by a virus called coronavirus and was first identified in the city of Wuhan, China.

University College Birmingham is following  government advice concerning the risk of the coronavirus. The risk level in the UK is currently rated as high. This allows the government to plan for all eventualities.

The symptoms of coronavirus include:

• Persistent cough
• High temperature/fever
• Difficulty breathing
• Fatigue

For more information about symptoms, please visit the  NHS website.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new illness, so we do not yet know exactly how it spreads from person to person. However, similar viruses are spread through cough droplets.

In accordance with the latest UK Government advice, everyone is instructed to stay at home to help stop the spread of the virus. You should only leave your home for the following limited purposes:

• Shopping for basic necessities, for example food and medicine, which must be as infrequent as possible
• One form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle – alone or with members of your household
• Any medical need, including to donate blood, avoid or escape risk of injury or harm, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person
• Travelling for work purposes, but only where you cannot work from home

In addition to the guidance above, we would ask you to follow these basic hygiene rules in line with NHS advice in order to protect your own health and the health of others:

DO

• Wash your hands with soap and water frequently – do this for at least 20 seconds
• Use  hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
• Wash your hands as soon as you get home
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
• Put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards

DON'T

• Touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean

If you have symptoms of coronavirus (a high temperature or a new, continuous cough), you must stay at home and follow the advice on self-isolation provided by the  NHS 111 online COVID-19 advice service.

If someone you live with develops symptoms of coronavirus, everyone in your household must stay at home and follow the advice on self-isolation provided by the  NHS 111 online COVID-19 advice service.

We know this has been an anxious time for many students and we are very grateful to all for bearing with us as we have worked through the options and waited for guidance from regulators and the Government.

Since Friday 20 March, face-to-face teaching at University College Birmingham has been temporarily suspended, and our campus buildings are currently closed. We will be continuing to teach remaining programmes online for the rest of the 2019/20 academic year and have been making alternative arrangements concerning assessments and examinations. Further information and updates are being provided to students via email and on this page.

Once it is safe to do so, we will reopen the campus to staff and students. At this point, our priority will be to offer intense practical training for many of our courses (e.g. aesthetics, bakery, catering, hair, beauty and theatrical make-up, media make-up, sport), particularly for students due to complete their qualifications in this academic year.

We will do this based on government advice, giving everyone as much notice as possible. We are hoping that we will be able to reopen some face-to-face support services (such as the Library and IT facilities) at the same time.

We very much hope to see you back on campus soon. In the meantime, all staff and services remain available remotely, and we will continue to provide regular updates as the situation develops.

These FAQs are being regularly updated to reflect the latest advice from the  Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO),  World Health Organisation (WHO) and  Public Health England (PHE). We advise that you check this page regularly in order to stay informed of the latest advice.

Please also continue to regularly check your student email for communications from the University over the coming weeks. If you are not already doing so, you can also follow the latest updates on our social media accounts:

Facebook:  ucbofficial

Twitter:  @ucbofficial

Instagram:  ucbofficial

For the latest health advice, please refer to the  NHS 111 online COVID-19 advice service.

For the latest travel advice, please refer to the  guidance issued on the GOV.UK website.

If they are displaying symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), they need to avoid contact with others and use the  NHS 111 online COVID-19 advice service for guidance on what to do next.

As countries respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, including travel and border restrictions, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is currently advising British nationals against all but essential international travel.

For the latest travel advice, please refer to the  guidance issued on the GOV.UK website.

All teaching for the remainder of the 2019/20 academic year will be delivered online.

The shift to online teaching is a major and challenging change for both staff and students. We are in an unprecedented situation and all involved – our students, academic staff and professional support staff – will need patience, kindness and understanding as we explore and implement new methods and practices.

Support and training have been delivered to help staff adapt their teaching and they are being supported by colleagues in the University’s Teaching and Learning team, DICE and the Technology Hub.

Your tutors and course leaders will be in touch about the online teaching arrangements for the remainder of the 2019/20 academic year.

As far as practical, we will follow existing timetables. The teaching timetable will remain visible to staff and students, which will also allow staff to contact their seminar groups easily.

All on-campus examinations for semester two will be replaced by alternative assessments.

Moving assessment online is a big task which will be coordinated across the University. Changes will vary and take into account what is practical in the context of each module and academic programme.

We expect assessments will change in one of the following ways:

1. A coursework alternative where some exams will be replaced by an open assessment, with the publication of the assignment remit on Canvas and the submission date
2. Changes to other types of assessment
3. In a limited number of cases, the assessment may be postponed
4. Waived assessment or exam

Further information about each of the possibilities listed above has been issued to students via email and is also available on Canvas.

We are doing everything possible to protect the academic quality of our awards. We will continue to run our Boards of Examiners and to engage with our external examiners and student representatives. We are also engaging with external accrediting bodies to work through the implications of COVID-19 and further information will be made available as soon as possible.

For most students, we aim to launch the alternative assessment after Easter.

For the rest of semester two, students will be permitted to submit assessments online up to 10 working days late without penalty. There is no further extension available beyond the original 10 working days.

Students who are not able to meet this date should complete an extenuating circumstances form or contact extenuating@ucb.ac.uk for guidance. If these are accepted, students will be permitted a first attempt at the next available opportunity.

You will be provided with marks and feedback but they may be outside the usual 20 working days from the original submission date. We will get them to you as soon as we can.

Draft submissions should be submitted on the original agreed date. The late hand-in does not apply to draft submissions, unless agreed by your tutor.

We appreciate that for some students, current circumstances may be limiting or preventing you from engaging fully with your online studies and submission of assessments. Please contact your year manager to discuss your circumstances, and email extenuating@ucb.ac.uk for advice on applying for extenuating circumstances.

If a solution cannot be found in the longer term, students wishing to explore other options should contact extenuating@ucb.ac.uk to discuss. Please note that Leave of Absence will only be considered once all other options have been explored.

We will do everything we can to ensure all students are able to progress as normal. Please be assured that we will be supporting students who are in their final year so that they receive their award in a timely fashion.

If you have any questions about the specifics of delivery for your course, you should contact your year manager or module leader.

The Academic Skills Centre remains available by phone, email or video call to help you with understanding your assignment and for academic skills advice.

To book an appointment, email us on asc.booking@ucb.ac.uk or use our online booking system. You can then choose how you would like to be contacted and a member of CASE will be in touch at the time you have booked.

Please note that any referencing queries are now being handled by the University’s team of subject librarians. You can contact them via the Library Portal. This will automatically take you to your subject librarian’s page with contact details and an appointment booking link.

The Library has a broad range of digital resources available. You will find these all listed in the Library Portal pages.

If you have any questions, please speak to your subject librarian who will be happy to support you.

We know that students with variable assessment needs (for example, due to disabilities) may need additional support or advice. If you have any additional needs, please contact Chloe Painter on asc@ucb.ac.uk to discuss the support available.

For online technical support, please join our online meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone (Monday to Friday, 10am-4pm). Alternatively, you can send an email to itsu@ucb.ac.uk

For support regarding Canvas, please email dice@ucb.ac.uk

We understand that some students may not have adequate access to either IT equipment or internet connections that would enable them to engage with their studies remotely. The University will do everything we can to support you to complete this academic year successfully.

If you are unable to access IT equipment, and financial support may help, you can contact us via student_services@ucb.ac.uk to discuss options.

If you are experiencing other issues (for example with your health and wellbeing), please contact student_services@ucb.ac.uk and we will do our best to help you.

As things stand, all of your lessons and assessments for the remainder of the 2019/20 academic year will be delivered online. However, if we are able to recommence face-to-face delivery before the end of the academic year, we will endeavour to do so and communicate this to students.

The shift to online teaching is a major and challenging change for both staff and students. We are in an unprecedented situation and all involved – our students, academic staff and professional support staff – will need patience, kindness and understanding as we explore and implement new methods and practices.

Support and training have been delivered to help staff adapt their teaching and they are being supported by colleagues in our Teaching and Learning team, DICE and the Technology Hub.

Your personal tutors and module/unit leaders will be in contact with you to discuss any changes in planned assessments regarding your required input to online lessons. Online lessons and assessments will continue to be delivered via Canvas, therefore it is imperative that you keep up to date with your course announcements and regularly communicate with your teaching staff.

We will be working with each awarding body to ensure that you achieve your qualification, or progress to your next level of study. We will also follow awarding body guidelines if we need to provide you with alternative assessments and examinations.

Students will be required to submit assessments online as requested by tutors and indicated by Canvas submission dates where applicable. Students who are not able to meet these deadlines should contact their tutors as soon as possible, outlining their reasons, so that correct paperwork can be completed for awarding body purposes.

You will be provided with marks and feedback for all assessments submitted, and we will get them to you as quickly as possible.

All public examinations due to take place in May and June 2020 have been cancelled by the Department for Education (DfE). We are following updates from the Government and awarding bodies closely to identify what happens next.

If you are re-sitting your GCSE maths or English, you will be aware that there will not be exams for these. However, your grades will be generated using a collection of your work within these subjects, on the advice of the awarding bodies. The English and maths teams will continue to communicate with you requesting that you complete elements of the coursework to support this gathering of evidence and overall grades achieved.

Moving assessment online is a big task which will be coordinated across the College. Changes will vary and need to take into account what is possible in the context of each module as well as what is required by the relevant awarding body.

We expect some assessments may change in one of the following ways:

1. A coursework alternative may be implemented, with some exams being replaced by an open assessment
2. Changes to other types of assessments – for example, practical assessments may change to coursework or presentations
3. In a limited number of cases, the assessment may be postponed – where practical elements are required to complete the course. Details will be communicated to students separately.

Your course tutors will communicate any changes to planned assessments to you, as these may be specific for your programme of study.

We are doing everything possible to protect the academic quality of our awards. We will continue to work with various awarding bodies for the most up-to-date advice and guidance regarding your qualifications.

We are also engaging with external accrediting bodies to work through the implications of COVID-19 and further information will be made available as soon as possible.

Staff are working extremely hard to ensure you can continue to achieve your qualifications and complete the academic year as scheduled. Your continual engagement with online delivery is essential in order for this to happen.

If you are due to progress onto your second year or next level of study at University College Birmingham, please note that the current method of delivery will have no impact upon this. Staff will continue to assess learners and ensure you are able to progress where appropriate to do so.

If you intend to continue your further education study next academic year, please ensure that you complete the CARe progression section on your student dashboard.

Tutors will hold one-to-one discussions with you regarding progression upon completion of your academic qualification.

If you are hoping to progress onto University upon completion of this academic year, please do not worry – your programme staff will ensure that your work is signed off in adequate time for certification and UCAS.

The Academic Skills Centre remains available by phone, email or video call to help you with understanding your assignment and for academic skills advice.

To book an appointment, email us on asc.booking@ucb.ac.uk or use our online booking system. You can then choose how you would like to be contacted and a member of CASE will be in touch at the time you have booked.

The Library has a broad range of digital resources available. You will find these all listed in the Library Portal pages. You can also visit this page to see the quickest way of searching for eBooks in USearch.

If you have any questions, please speak to your subject librarian who will be happy to support you.

We know that students with variable assessment needs (for example, due to disabilities) may need additional support or advice. If you have any additional needs, please contact Chloe Painter on asc@ucb.ac.uk to discuss the support available.

For online technical support, please join our online meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone (Monday to Friday, 10am-4pm). Alternatively, you can send an email to itsu@ucb.ac.uk

For support regarding Canvas, please email dice@ucb.ac.uk

We understand that some students may not have adequate access to either IT equipment or internet connections that would enable them to engage with their studies remotely. Please ensure that you have communicated this information to your tutors and year managers.

Additionally, if you do not have access to IT equipment, please email your details (including student ID) to student_services@ucb.ac.uk. If you are unable to do this, please let your tutors know and they will communicate this on your behalf.

If you are experiencing other issues (for example with your health and wellbeing), please contact student_services@ucb.ac.uk and we will do our best to help you.

If you were absent from classes between 16-27 March due to COVID-19, we asked students to complete this online form to confirm their situation. If you completed this form, your attendance and visa will not be affected. You do not need to complete this form more than once.

The Attendance team are currently working to amend attendance records for students who completed the form. Please don’t worry if yours has not been amended yet, as this process will take some time. 

If your visa expires between 24 January 2020 and 31 May 2020 and you are unable to leave the country due to COVID-19, the Home Office has confirmed that your visa will be extended until 31 May 2020.

If this applies to you, you must contact the Coronavirus Immigration Team, who will extend your visa. Please see the the  GOV.UK website for further details.

If you have any questions about your visa, please contact  tier-4-advice@ucb.ac.uk

The Home Office has temporarily lifted the restriction on distance learning for Tier 4 students. This means that University College Birmingham can continue to sponsor your visa while you are distance learning.

We will continue to monitor your engagement with your studies, so it is essential that you log into Canvas regularly, stay up to date with lecture content, submit assignments on time and stay in touch with your lecturers and tutors.

If you are currently on placement, please follow your employer’s advice and let us know if you are informed that you cannot continue with your placement. We have requested for employers to let us know if placements have to be suspended, and we will work closely with them to plan for your placement to recommence as soon as they are able. Please look out for emails from your employability tutor as they will be liaising with you closely to support you at this time.

Please do not worry about achieving your placement days/hours, as we will work with you to support you through this situation.

If you are currently on placement, please follow your employer’s advice and update hired@UCB if you are informed that you cannot continue with your placement, either due to illness or the company’s coronavirus policy.

Please do not worry about achieving your placement days/hours, as we will work with you to support you through this situation.

Students on our further education courses will not be required to attend their unpaid placements for the rest of this academic year. We will liaise with your academic team to discuss the placement you have completed so far and agree a plan of employability activities to support you for the rest of the semester.

You must follow the advice of your local trust or placement setting. They may require for you not to attend your NHS place of work/placement and undergo a period of self-isolation. Please follow the  NHS 111 online COVID-19 advice service for further guidance.

Students who are due to begin a one-year paid placement during the summer of 2020 will have received an update from their employability tutor. We are currently monitoring this situation and liaising with industry. We will be aiming to continue, subject to the agreement of the employer, and any travel restrictions or advice that may apply at the time of travelling (if going abroad).

As well as liaising with hired@UCB regularly, you should keep monitoring all UK Government advice, as well as the advice from the host country if you are planning on completing your placement overseas.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has advised British people travelling abroad to return to the UK now, if commercial flights are still available.

If you are travelling abroad, you should contact your airline or travel company immediately and keep up to date with the latest travel advice from the FCO, including information on returning from the country you are in.

For more information, please see the latest FCO guidance on the GOV.UK website.

Upon returning to the UK or to your home country, you should follow the latest advice from  Public Health England and/or the equivalent public health body in your home country.

Unfortunately, government advice has now required that all overseas trips and activities for students aged 16-18 be cancelled.

Our halls of residence at The Maltings and Cambrian Hall remain available for all students who wish to stay in University accommodation. If you have not done so already, please contact accommodation@ucb.ac.uk so that we are aware and can make sure arrangements remain in place to keep you safely accommodated.

Fees will still be charged for those students who wish to remain in University accommodation. For many students, their next payment will be due in April. If you are likely to have problems making that payment, please contact Finance to discuss payment options.

If you are displaying the symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), you must avoid contact with others and use the  NHS 111 online COVID-19 advice service for guidance on what to do next.

You must also report to the relevant office – see contact details below:

The Maltings

Office: 0121 666 7304

On-call: 07780 458054

Cambrian Hall

Office: 0121 232 4429

On-call: 07754 261660

Please report any issues in the usual way to assistant hall managers. Where possible, maintenance issues will still be resolved.

Following feedback from students and given the continued uncertainty as to when face-to-face teaching will be resumed, we have concluded that students who are not using our accommodation at present can be released from their accommodation contract with effect from Saturday 11 April.

If you wish to be released from your accommodation contract, please confirm this by completing the Accommodation Contract Release Questionnaire by Friday 10 April.

If you are still currently in University accommodation (The Maltings or Cambrian Hall) but now wish to leave, you must give us notice of your intention to leave by Friday 10 April. If you do this, we will only charge you for any time you are still occupying your room after 10 April.

When you leave your accommodation, please ensure all your possessions are removed and the keys and fob are returned to the hall managers. The University will be progressing with maintenance and repairs of empty rooms, so please make sure the room is completely empty of your possessions when you vacate.

Where you still have possessions in your room, this will not affect the release from your contract. Once it is safe for non-essential travel to resume, we will contact you with the date by which your belongings must be removed.

For those unable to return to the UK and collect any belongings, please contact accommodation@ucb.ac.uk to discuss how we can support you.

Your belongings remain insured while they are in University accommodation. See our insurer’s page for more information.

If you have not already done so, please arrange to return your keys and fob (whether for The Maltings or Cambrian Hall) to the following address:

Caroline Norton

The Maltings

Granville Street

Birmingham

B1 1SB

Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and following government advice, we were required to postpone our most recent on-campus undergraduate open day on Saturday 28 March.

However, you can still find out what it’s like to study at University College Birmingham through our Virtual Open Day, which is now available on the University website. You will also be able to find out more about your chosen course through our online presentations which will be taking place on Wednesday 15 April at 1pm and 3pm. For more information, please visit our Virtual Open Day page.

Our next undergraduate open day on campus is currently scheduled for Saturday 27 June, though we will continue to provide updates.

We also made the decision to postpone our recent applicant day on Saturday 21 March. This will be moved to a later date which will be announced in due course. Please refer to the  FAQs on our applicant days page for further details.

The University is currently reviewing contingency plans for our 10-week pre-sessional English course, which is due to start on 1 July 2020. If required, we will commence teaching later in July to accommodate applicants who may be affected by the coronavirus.

We anticipate that our 6-week pre-sessional English course will commence on 1 August 2020, but we will consider other contingency arrangements if required.

We are presently working with our English team to explore how we might provide online English tuition support and possibly facilitate online assessment.

Applicants who are in receipt of a conditional offer (subject to English) will be contacted in April with further updates. Please rest assured that we are working hard to support all applicants and we very much hope to deliver some element of our English assessment online.

In addition, we are also in communication with academic partners in China to look into alternative assessment methods for students in our partner organisations.

A list of our current English language requirements can be found  here, and further country-specific information can be found  here.

We understand that some universities overseas have had to delay teaching due to the coronavirus and therefore, some students may not be able to complete their course and their grades will be delayed.

In such cases, University College Birmingham will be as flexible as possible and students who are in receipt of an offer will be able to commence their studies slightly later than planned. It is still early days, but please be assured we will work with all applicants to support your decision to study with us and we will be as accommodating as possible.

As an extra precaution, we would advise international applicants to budget for priority visa services, which in most cases allow students to obtain a visa in five working days.

The last date for enrolment is 12 October 2020, but the University will continue to monitor the situation and updates will be provided if the situation changes further.

Our University restaurants are currently closed to the public. Further updates will be provided in due course.

Cakes and Bakes in Summer Row is currently closed. Further updates will be provided in due course.

The spa, hairdressing and sports therapy clinics are currently closed. Further updates will be provided in due course.