A statement from City, University of London on our advice to prospective students.
Updated on 7 April 2021
City, University of London continues to welcome applications to most courses from students interested in joining in the 2021/22 academic year.
We understand that this is an uncertain and difficult time for everybody and you may have questions about how the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic might impact the way we deliver your education and student experience. Please rest reassured that we are doing our best to adapt to this exceptional situation and we will keep you informed with developments as and when they arise.
Health and wellbeing
The health and wellbeing of our students and staff remains our top priority. We are continuing to closely follow UK Government guidance and have put in place measures to ensure we keep our community safe – we will continue to prioritise this for as long as is necessary.
We have focused on ensuring that students studying with us this year receive a high-quality educational experience in a safe environment. This has meant the majority of teaching is currently being delivered online with some small group activities taking place on campus.
Students are able to access facilities on campus, including the library, PC Labs and study spaces and have been doing so safely throughout this academic year. We aim to increase the volume of education and other activities delivered on campus this academic year as Government guidance allows.
View the University’s current guidance related to Covid-19.
Our approach for the 2021/22 academic year
As we have done throughout the pandemic, we will continue to work in line with the latest UK Government guidance to ensure the health and safety of our students and staff continues to be our top priority. We plan to deliver as much face-to-face teaching as possible as soon as it is safe to do so. However, we have proven expertise in online delivery and will utilise this to continue this approach if needed during the 2021/22 academic year.
We are committed to prioritising the live delivery of your education during the 2021/22 academic year, to ensure that you can interact with your lecturers and your fellow students in real time.
We are planning the delivery of our courses using the following three scenarios:
- If all Government restrictions are lifted, the majority of your course will be delivered live, in person and on campus.
- If there are social distancing restrictions imposed at any time during the 2021/22 academic year, we will use a mixed mode of on-campus and on-line delivery with increased priority on the live student experience. For example, large lectures and group sessions may take place live online to ensure that the smaller group seminars and tutorials can take place on campus safely.
- Should the UK Government impose a lockdown and limit teaching on campus, we will comply with those requirements by providing remote learning for most programmes. The Government may allow us to continue on campus educational delivery for specific courses as it did this year for some health programmes.
We will ensure that courses with practical, clinical and Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Board (PSRB) requirements are delivered in a way which meets these requirements.
Our plans have been developed in line with the UK Government’s proposed roadmap out of lockdown but with necessary contingency options in place, should they be needed, to ensure the health and safety of students and staff while continuing to deliver you education.
We will provide you with more updates about our plans to deliver your education and student experience in the coming months as the UK’s response to the pandemic continues.
For students who are not able to travel to London for reasons related to the pandemic, we are working on ways in which some of our programmes could be made available to you online. The availability of this will depend on professional body regulations as well. Schools will be in touch with applicants to courses where this is possible.
We know that this uncertainty is impacting your plans and university choice. We are in regular contact with our applicants and our current students and staff are available online via our virtual events to answer your questions and give you a better understanding of what it would be like to study at City.
We have put together the FAQ below to help answer some of the questions you may have.
We will update the FAQs as new information becomes available and we advise you to check back regularly for the latest information.
Will the new academic year still start in September?
Yes – exact dates will be confirmed nearer the time.
Will teaching for the first term of the 2021/22 academic year begin online?
As we have done throughout the pandemic, we will continue to work in line with the latest UK Government guidance to ensure the health and safety of our students and staff continues to be our top priority. We plan to deliver as much face-to-face teaching as possible as soon as it is safe to do so. However, we have proven expertise in online delivery and will utilise this to continue this approach if needed during the 2021/22 academic year.
We are planning the delivery of our courses using the following three scenarios:
- If all Government restrictions are lifted, the majority of your course will be delivered live, in person and on campus.
- If there are social distancing restrictions imposed at any time during the 2021/22 academic year, we will use a mixed mode of on-campus and on-line delivery with increased priority on the live student experience. For example, large lectures and group sessions may take place live online to ensure that the smaller group seminars and tutorials can take place on campus safely.
- Should the UK Government impose a lockdown and limit teaching on campus, we will comply with those requirements by providing remote learning for most programmes. The Government may allow us to continue on campus educational delivery for specific courses as it did this year for some health programmes.
We will ensure that courses with practical, clinical and Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Board (PSRB) requirements are delivered in a way which meets these requirements.
Our plans have been developed in line with the UK Government’s proposed roadmap out of lockdown but with necessary contingency options in place, should they be needed, to ensure the health and safety of students and staff while continuing to deliver you education.
For students who are not able to travel to London for reasons related to the pandemic, we are working on ways in which some of our programmes could be made available to you online. The availability of this will depend on professional body regulations as well. Schools will be in touch with applicants to courses where this is possible.
Will the campus be open in September?
Yes. The University has been open since the start of this academic year to enable us to deliver some small group teaching and so our students can access our facilities including the library, PC Labs and study spaces.
Will I be safe on campus?
City has put safety measures in place to allow us to welcome our students and staff on to campus. All members of City’s community are working together to keep each other safe when they are on campus. You can read more about the safety measures we have implemented to make this possible.
Will I get student support?
All Student Services are available remotely, offering students comprehensive support. The team are currently providing support through video (Microsoft Teams or Zoom), phone and email between 9am and 5pm Monday – Friday.
This includes Student Welfare Advice and Guidance; Counselling Service; International Student Advice; Accommodation; Disability Advice and Guidance; Money Advice and Guidance
We plan to increase the student support services available on campus as soon as Government guidance allows.
You can find out more about support at City on the Student Hub.
Academic qualifications
We appreciate the pandemic has had a significant impact on many people, including those intending to apply to University. We will continue to look to reduce the barriers our applicants face, so we are able to offer an admissions service that is helpful, consistent and fair.
There is still a level of uncertainty around examinations and assessments which are due to take place in 2021. We will ensure that we provide the information, advice and guidance that our applicants need to understand the impact that any change to their assessments will have on applying to university.
We will continue to show an appropriate level of flexibility when we receive results from applicants and we welcome further correspondence from applicants who wish to provide more information about their own circumstances. However, we would like to remind applicants that it is the job of exam boards to compensate for extenuating circumstances in their assessment of students.
Deadlines and procedures
Schools and Departments will outline the details of any relevant deadlines and procedures to you when you submit your application. Some of these deadlines will vary by course, so we strongly advise you to read the detail in our emails and check the relevant course page on the university website for specifics.
We are closely monitoring changes being made by government, exam boards and organisations like UCAS. If there are any large-scale changes made by organisations like this, we may have to amend our own deadlines. If this happens, we will be in touch with all applicants directly.