Religious Observance

Our institutional timetable is set to accommodate religious observance where possible. Sometimes issues feel or become more complex at an individual school or service level.

What students need to do 

Students who, for religious reasons, are unable to carry out their university work on a Sabbath or a holy day must advise their school(s) immediately.  

Where a student's religious commitments prevent them from taking exams on certain days during University assessment periods, they must also give notice to the Assessment & Progress Team by completing the notification of religious commitments form.  The deadlines for submission for each assessment period and a link to the form are available on the Religious Observance and Assessments webpage.

Where exemption is approved, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure they have covered all work from classes that they have missed.

The University will make every effort to avoid arranging assessments on a Sabbath or holy day for those students who have informed the Assessment & Progress Team as required. The University, however, reserves the right to hold assessments on such days if no alternative time is convenient. 

Further guidance

The Equality Policy Unit provides guidance for staff and students in the flexibility on grounds of religion or belief (PDF) to enable staff to respond in a way which is non-discriminatory. The document offers practical suggestions for handling such requests.