Frequently Asked Questions

Full information about how to get advice is on our Contact ASK page. We can advise you over email or you can speak to an adviser by booking an appointment.

Please note, due to limited resources ASK is an appointment-only service and cannot accommodate drop-ins. We also cannot be contacted by phone.

ASK advises all current students, except in cases of conflict of interest (please see our policies section in About ASK) or where we have previously withdrawn service from that individual. Where alternative sources of assistance are necessary or recommended, ASK will assist in finding appropriate agencies.

We also advise potential students and recent leavers in matters relating to the University and their course, such as accommodation, complaints and appeals.

We can advise members of staff as long as the issue doesn’t involve a student. Staff should source advice relating to employment or University matters from other organisations, such as Citizens Advice, union representatives or solicitors.

Please note we do not advise landlords, including student landlords.

We can support you in University meetings, such as academic misconduct, disciplinaries and Fitness to Practise. However, due to limited resources we will not normally accompany students to an academic misconduct meeting for first offences of plagiarism or collusion.

If you would like our support, it’s really important that you give us plenty of notice or we might not be available.

Any information you tell us is treated in complete confidence and is not disclosed to anyone outside our Confidentiality Policy without your express permission. Please see our Confidentiality Policy for details on the exceptional occasions where we may need to breach confidentiality and the process we would follow.

If something in your personal life means you’re struggling with an assignment, you can submit an Exceptional Circumstances claim to ask for an extension or a further assessment attempt. Submit an extension claim before the deadline, and within 7 days of your original deadline if you’re asking for another assessment opportunity. More information is on our Exceptional Circumstances page.

You may find it helpful to use AI to give you ideas of what to include in your assignment. Always follow this up with your own research using credible sources; AI tools are known to fabricate information and references.

It is an academic misconduct offence to submit an assessment containing words generated by a software tool, such as ChatGPT or translation software, unless your assessment instructions say it can be used. If your tutor allows you to use AI, make sure you read the assessment instructions carefully.

We have advice on how to prepare for the different types of misconduct cases. Get in touch with ASK if you are struggling to understand what might be wrong and we can work through this with you.

We know your end-of-year results can be confusing. Our Progression page explains the essential information and can help you understand the University’s decision.

Students who need to repeat and haven’t already repeated will be given the option of Repeat Full-Time or Repeat Modular in their progression email. Some may also have the option to take a reassessment year. Follow the instructions carefully and choose your repeat option by the deadline. The best option depends on your circumstances.

Repeat Full-Time

You retake the entire year, studying all 120 credits again. Your marks are wiped clean and you start again with first attempts, so all marks in your repeat year are uncapped. You do not need to take summer reassessments.

All students get an extra “gift” year of funding in case they need to repeat. If you have previous years of study or have already repeated, you may not have enough funding. You may be able to claim Compelling Personal Reasons for an extra year of funding; see our Compelling Personal Reasons section.

Repeat Modular

You repeat only the failed modules, attending classes and taking assessments. You start those modules again with first attempts, so the marks are uncapped. The University advises that you can still take any remaining assessment attempts over the summer, which could mean fewer modules next year.

You will be classed as a part-time student. You will not need to pay the full year’s tuition fee, but this could affect your Student Finance maintenance loan. Contact ASK if you would like to discuss the impact of going part-time. As with full repeats, you may not have enough funding if you have previous years of study or have already repeated; you may be able to claim Compelling Personal Reasons for an extra year of funding. International students should contact visa@keele.ac.uk, as this option could affect their visa.

Reassessment Year

If you have attempts remaining in all your failed modules, you may be offered a reassessment year. You would not attend classes, only take your remaining reassessments, and your marks would be capped unless you have first attempts granted through ECs. A reassessment year is treated as taking a year out for Student Finance: you will not be charged tuition fees, but you will not receive a maintenance loan.

You need all your credits to graduate, and your average module marks for your second and third years determine your degree class. Our Degree Classifications page explains more.

The University has an appeals process, but appeals can only be made on the grounds of exceptional circumstances or procedural irregularity. You cannot appeal against academic judgement or ask for a remark without solid evidence of a procedural irregularity.

Appeals must be made within 10 days of results being published, unless you have a good reason for being late, and you must use the official appeal form. Our appeals guide can help you get started.

If you submitted an appeal against your results or a University decision and aren’t satisfied with the outcome, you may be able to take your case further. The University has one final process, called a grievance. Information about grievances is on the University website, and ASK can help you with the process.

You must submit a grievance on the official form within 14 calendar days of the appeal outcome. Focus on why your appeal was rejected and whether the University was wrong to reject it or whether there is anything you can add. Do not just repeat your appeal or say you do not like the outcome.

The letters at the start tell you which building to go to: for example DH is Dorothy Hodgkin, HNB is Hornbeam and LJ is Lennard-Jones. The Chancellors Building is split into blocks A, B and C, so its codes start with CB followed by the block letter (CBA, CBB or CBC).

The first number tells you which floor: 0 is ground floor, 1 is first floor, 2 is second floor, and so on. The numbers after the dot tell you which room on that floor. You can see a full list of building codes on the University website.

It is a myth that students can ignore parking tickets on campus; students have been pursued by debt collectors and taken to court.

You can try appealing if you believe the ticket was incorrectly given to you. Money Saving Expert has guidance to help you build a case. If you don’t have a case or your appeal is unsuccessful, the parking company may pursue you and costs can increase. Engage with the company and, if you parked incorrectly, pay as soon as you can. The University can only intervene in rare cases.

Read about parking permits on the University website. Spaces are limited, so you must fit into one of the following groups; a permit is not guaranteed:

• Students with health issues that restrict their use of public transport
• Registered Blue Badge holders (although the permit is free, you still need to apply)
• Students registered on the Sports Centre’s Talented Athlete Programme
• Non-resident students with principal caring responsibilities, such as a parent of a child in pre-school or primary school, or a registered carer for a partner or relative
• Student society or club members who look after club equipment that has to be stored off campus
• Students who serve in the British Armed Forces reserves
• Campus residents who need to travel from campus to a placement outside a one-hour public transport journey, or when public transport is not operating or would not allow them to meet placement and academic requirements
• Students studying Music at Keele and transporting a large instrument to campus
• Commuter students who live off campus with a public transport journey over one hour or where the journey cannot be made by public transport; priority is given to those living in the family home

Our House Hunting page has information on where to look and what to consider. A tenancy is likely to be one of the most expensive purchases you ever make, so think carefully about whether it is right for you.

Our guide to tenancy agreements includes common issues to look out for before you sign, as well as information on your rights under different types of tenancies.

On very rare occasions a tenancy agreement may have a clause allowing you to serve notice to leave early. If yours doesn’t, you can normally only be released or have the terms varied if the landlord agrees, even if you never moved in.

Talk to your landlord about why you want to leave and see if they are willing to negotiate. Most landlords will only agree to end the tenancy early if there is a replacement tenant. You can advertise to students on our Find a Housemate platform, look on social media groups for Keele students, or use the Keele Studentpad message board.

Important: From 1 May 2026, the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 will make significant changes to housing law that may affect tenancies for the 2026/27 academic year. Visit our Renters’ Rights Act page for information about how the Act affects different types of tenancies.

Make sure there is an inventory and take plenty of photos of your house or room when you move in. This records what was there and whether anything was already dirty or broken. If your private landlord does not arrange an inventory, you can make your own and ask the landlord and housemates to sign it. If the landlord refuses, get an independent witness to sign instead. Shelter has more information about inventories.

Tell the landlord in writing if there is any disrepair so that you won’t be blamed for it later.

The University sends a list of full-time students to the local councils of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stoke-on-Trent and Cheshire East. Contact your local council to tell them your name is on the list and make sure they don’t send you a bill. If you live in another council area or there is a problem with the list, you can get a student status letter from eVision: select “Common Actions” on the home page, then “My Status Letter”.

Do not ignore correspondence from the council. Contact them as soon as possible if there is a problem. More information is on our Council Tax page, and you can contact ASK for help.

If your house is in disrepair and it is the landlord’s responsibility, inform your landlord as soon as possible. We do not advise you to stop paying rent: you would be in breach of contract and the landlord could take you to court to claim rent due to the end of the fixed term, interest and costs.

If your landlord isn’t responding or refuses to fix the problem, visit our Disrepair page for advice on further letters and who to contact. You can also read Shelter’s advice about repairs.

This information is for students renting off campus. If you have been living on campus, the University has a guide to moving out of its accommodation.

You are jointly responsible for communal areas and, if you have a joint tenancy, for the condition of the whole property. Leave the property in the same condition as when you moved in: clean it thoroughly, remove your belongings, empty the bins and take photos. Keep receipts for any cleaning products or services. If you are responsible for bills, contact the utility companies, take meter readings on the final day, close your accounts and keep proof of paying final bills. Return your keys and follow the check-out procedures in your tenancy agreement.

Council tax: If you are a final-year student, you become liable for council tax from the date your course ends, which is before your graduation ceremony. You remain liable until the end of your tenancy, even if you move out early. Contact the council and pay any council tax you owe.

Unwanted items: You could give items to friends, donate them to charity or sell them. The Great Donate has donation points around campus; you can advertise on eBay or Facebook Marketplace, donate to a local charity shop, or contact Emmaus Furniture Mine about unwanted furniture and white goods.

Most private landlords must register your deposit with a deposit protection scheme and send you information about it within 30 days. If your landlord will not return your deposit or wants to make unfair deductions, you can use the scheme’s dispute resolution service. Don’t wait too long: you can only use the scheme for 3 months after your tenancy ends.

If the landlord was legally required to protect your deposit and failed to do so, you could take them to court to claim 1–3 times the value of your deposit. Lodgers’ deposits do not need to be protected. Shelter has information about deposits, including template letters.

Get in touch with the Income Office to explain what has happened and ask for more time. They are used to delays with student loans and are usually willing to give extensions, but they need to hear from you.

You may be able to get the basic loan payment from Student Finance while you wait for your income to be assessed. Ask Student Finance if you can get the non-assessed part of your loan. You can also talk to Student Services about an emergency loan.

Call Student Finance to find out more, or set up a consent to share so we can call on your behalf using the practitioners’ line. If you still believe there has been a mistake, you can appeal to ask them to reconsider. Information about appealing Student Finance decisions is in this leaflet.

Having a budget can help you manage your spending by setting aside money for essentials like rent and showing how much you have left for day-to-day spending. Visit our Budgeting page for tips.

The University has a hardship fund you can apply to if you are in financial hardship. There are also smaller emergency loans, which you would have to pay back. These are administered by Student Services; visit their page for more information. More information about alternative income sources is on our Charities and Grants page.

GPs and emergency treatment

A GP (general practitioner) is a local family doctor and the main point of contact for general healthcare. If you live away from home during term, we advise registering with a local GP so you can access healthcare quickly. Find local GPs using the NHS Find a GP search. Consider how far away they are, how easy it is to get there, and their opening hours. Keele Practice is on campus in the Horwood area and is the nearest practice for students living on campus.

If you become unwell and are not registered locally, you can still contact your nearest practice for emergency treatment for 14 days. After that, you will need to register as a temporary resident or permanent patient. Read about registering for temporary medical care or visit an NHS Urgent Treatment Centre for minor injuries and illnesses.

Dentists

You do not have to register with a dentist in the same way as a GP; contact a practice to check if you can make an appointment. If you want NHS treatment, check whether the practice is taking new NHS patients. You may need to join a waiting list or pay for private treatment. Search for a local dentist on the NHS website.

Keele Practice is the nearest GP surgery for students living on campus and is in the Horwood area. Well Pharmacy is in the row of shops outside the Students’ Union building and can provide some medical advice as well as fill prescriptions.

Keele students can also access the Spectrum.Life Student Assistance Programme (SAP), a confidential 24-hour helpline offering support from trained counsellors and advisers. Support includes mental health, stress and anxiety, family issues, bereavement, financial wellbeing, childcare, relationships, domestic abuse, legal and medical information, housing, alcohol and drug issues, and consumer issues. More information about Spectrum.Life is on the Keele website.

More information about mental health support is on our Mental Health page. The University has a free counselling service on campus; visit the Counselling webpage for details and self-help resources.

Keele students can access the Spectrum.Life Student Assistance Programme (SAP), a confidential 24-hour helpline with trained counsellors and advisers. You can also talk to your GP about support, which could include NHS mental health services or medication.

• Samaritans — talk anytime, in your own way, about whatever is getting to you.
• PAPYRUS - Prevention of young suicide — confidential help and advice to young people and anyone worried about a young person. Tel: 0800 068 41 41.
• Shout — free, confidential, 24/7 text support. Text SHOUT to 85258 to start a conversation with a trained volunteer.
• Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Wellbeing Service — 0300 303 0923.
• Student Minds / Student Space — resources and support through your time at university, including tailored support for students facing additional challenges.
• Beat - Beating Eating Disorders — helplines, support and UK self-help groups. Tel: 0845 634 1414.
• MindLine Trans+ — a UK mental health helpline for trans+, agender, gender-fluid and non-binary people and anyone wanting to talk about their gender identity.
• The Dove Service — local bereavement support in Hanley.

Moving to University can feel exciting, but it can also be overwhelming. Give yourself time to adjust and remember other people may be having similar feelings, even if they seem to be having a great time. Try not to put too much pressure on yourself.

If you’re feeling homesick, shutting yourself away can leave you feeling more isolated. You may find you have more in common with people on your course. Joining a society or team or taking part in volunteering opportunities and activities such as Crafternoons can help you meet people. Student Minds also has resources to help you adjust to university life.