Attendance and Engagement
Attendance and Engagement
If you hold a Student Visa, it is a requirement for you to engage with and participate in all areas of your programme of study. As a condition of the University's Student Sponsor Licence, we are required by law to monitor your attendance and engagement. We are also required to notify the Home Office if you withdraw from your programme of study or fail to attend and engage to a satisfactory level.
Engaging with your studies means:
- Attending lessons, lectures, tutorials, labs and seminars
- Sitting tests, exams and assessments
- Meeting your supervisor(s) and/or Academic Advisor
- Submitting your coursework, reports and dissertation
You must evidence your attendance at, and engagement with, your studies throughout your time with us. For undergraduate and postgraduate taught students, this will be done via attendance recording using an app called the SafeZone app.
For postgraduate research students and postgraduate taught students during the dissertation/project, this will be done using the UofG Helpdesk Engagement Form.
Guidance for Students
Undergraduate Students and Postgraduate Taught Students during teaching periods
You must check in to your timetabled classes via the SafeZone app to demonstrate your engagement with your studies. You should check in via the app at every class. If you forget or are unable to check in, or are absent from a class, simply check in at your next class.
You may be asked by your School to register your attendance at lectures via Moodle QR codes. You must still also check in via SafeZone in order for your engagement to be confirmed for UKVI purposes.
Undergraduate students are not usually required to attend or engage with their studies over the summer holiday period. Please visit our session dates webpages for information on your academic calendar.
If you are unable to attend a timetabled activity for any reason, including illness, please report your absence via MyCampus.
Find out more about your term dates
Postgraduate Taught Students during the dissertation and project period
If you are studying a one-year Master's programme on a Student Visa, your visa will usually be sponsored for study in the UK for the full 12 months of the programme, including the semester where you will work on your dissertation/project. During this period, you are still classed as a full-time student, and your visa requires you to remain in Glasgow and study on campus.
You must meet with your supervisor(s) at least once per month and submit the engagement form via the UofG Helpdesk for your supervisor to review and approve. You should submit the engagement form within five working days of the engagement taking place.
Your supervisor then has 15 working days to approve the form - if they do not, the Student Immigration Hub will contact your School or College.
When submitting your engagement form, you can select your engagement type from the drop down menu:
- Supervisor/Tutor Meeting
- Seminar/Workshop/Event
- Coursework submission (this includes submitting a [section of a] dissertation for formative feedback or draft chapters)
Absences
If you wish to have a short holiday of up to three weeks away from Glasgow, you should still submit an absence report via MyCampus to inform your School, but these absences are permitted for the purposes of attendance monitoring. We advise you to check with your School before taking an absence in case they have any specific requirements for your attendance.
An absence or consecutive absences of more than three weeks during this period will result in withdrawal of sponsorship, and loss of eligibility for the Graduate Visa. While cumulative absences of three weeks or more do not automatically result in visa sponsorship withdrawal, you should still avoid these as it may result in sponsorship withdrawal if your engagement does not meet the required level.
Writing your dissertation from home
If you wish to write and submit your dissertation/project from outside the UK, you must consult with your School first. If you are granted permission, the University will inform UKVI that they are no longer sponsoring your Student Visa, and your visa will be curtailed. You can still complete your programme remotely and graduate, but you will not be able to use your Student Visa to re-enter the UK and you will not be eligible for the Graduate Visa.
Research and Fieldwork
If you are absent from Glasgow for more than three weeks for the purposes of research or fieldwork, please seek permission from your School. If this is approved, visa sponsorship will not be withdrawn. You should continue to meet with your supervisor online and submit engagement forms as usual during this period.
Graduate Visa Information
Remember that where you are studying a 12-month programme, this programme must be studied entirely in the UK for you to be eligible for the Graduate Visa. The requirement to study your entire programme in the UK is not affected by the permitted three weeks' holiday or other trips away from the UK (e.g. for research/data collection), provided these are approved by your School. For more information, please visit the UK Government webpages.
Submit your engagement form
Submit your engagement form via the UofG Helpdesk
Postgraduate Research Students
Postgraduate Research students are required to engage with your studies full-time throughout the academic year, with the exception of any brief periods of annual leave. You must meet with your supervisor(s) at least once per month and submit the engagement form via the UofG Helpdesk for your supervisor to review and approve. You can also submit engagement forms for attending research-method or research-panel meetings, writing-up seminars or doctoral workshops, sitting an oral examination or Viva, or submitting chapters, research plans, or a full thesis.
When submitting your engagement form, you can select your engagement type from the drop down menu:
- Supervisor/Tutor Meeting
- Seminar/Workshop/Event (this includes PGR development and training events, and annual progress reviews (APRs))
- Coursework submission (this includes submitting a [section of a] dissertation for formative feedback or draft chapters)
Annual leave arranged with the agreement of your supervisor(s) and School/College will not impact your visa sponsorship. If you require a period of absence over 60 days, however, please read the below section for information on how this may impact your visa.
If you need to leave the UK for personal reasons or for research, please visit our PGR policy, strategy and support pages, or contact your School or College.
Submit your engagement form
Submit your engagement form via the UofG Helpdesk
Suspensions of Studies
You may need to suspend your studies due to personal, medical, financial, or other reasons.
Suspensions/Absences of 60 days or less
If your School or College gives you approval to be absent for a period of 60 days or less, your visa sponsorship will continue, and your Student or Tier 4 Visa will allow you to stay in or re-enter the UK to resume your studies later. UG and PGT students should refer to the Student Absence Policy, and PGR students should refer to the PGR Code of Practice.
If you are a PGT student in your dissertation/project period, please note that the absence limit reduces to three weeks. Please refer to the Postgraduate Taught (dissertation/project) section above for specific guidance.
Suspensions of more than 60 days
If your School or College gives you approval to be absent for more than 60 days, the University is required to withdraw sponsorship of your visa. If you are in the UK, you will need to leave the UK and apply for a new visa when you are ready to return to resume your studies. This also applies to suspensions of study requested for maternity leave.
If you are considering suspending or deferring your studies, please contact International Student Support.