Validation, Significant Change and Review deadlines
The University’s Academic Development Committee (ADC) have agreed deadlines for the approval of University programmes following validation or major review, by means of sign-off of ratification form AQ3 (for home programmes) or AQ4 (for collaborative programmes). The following deadlines apply to programmes for launch at the start of the academic year in September.
Courses advertised and applied for through UCAS, i.e. most Bachelor’s Degrees and Foundation Degrees (UH and UK Collaborative):
- New courses: 30 June for courses to be advertised in time for the full UCAS cycle.
Rationale: This is the last realistic date that approved course structures could be inputted to the student record system, to allow MarComms to populate the University’s website in time for the start of the normal UCAS application cycle.
It is advised that proposals for new courses advertised through UCAS should be received by the January meeting of ADC at the very latest.
- Changes to courses: 24 December.
Rationale: Any changes to courses need to be notified to applicants in advance of the January UCAS deadline. However, it should be noted that the earlier that changes to a course are approved, the fewer applicants need to be informed. Therefore, Schools should aim to complete major reviews and minor and significant changes earlier wherever possible.
This approval dates for validations, significant changes and major reviews allows programmes to be fully approved 9 months in advance of applicants/students starting the programme. This allows UH to comply with Consumer legislation by providing accurate information pertaining to the programme in a timely manner. It also provides the applicant/student with sufficient time to change their programme of study, should the changes be sufficient to alter the student’s view of studying on the programme.
Non-UCAS courses (e.g. Master’s courses, level 6 top-up courses):
- New courses: 31 March for a Semester A entry point or 31 July for a Semester B entry point.
Rationale: UCAS application deadlines do not apply. These courses would be advertised at least one month after approval, due to the time taken to input course structures and populate the University’s website. This deadline therefore provides a realistic timescale for recruitment purposes.
It is advised that proposals for new non-UCAS courses should be received by the October meeting of ADC at the very latest.
- Changes to courses: 31 March or 31 July for a Semester B entry point.
Rationale: Any changes to courses need to be notified to applicants, most of whom apply to the University within 6 months of the start of their course. However, it should be noted that the earlier that changes to a course are approved, the fewer applicants that need to be informed. Therefore, Schools should aim to complete major reviews and minor and significant changes earlier wherever possible.
Non-standard courses (Apprenticeships, overseas collaborative provision, etc.):
- Higher Apprenticeships, Degree Apprenticeships (new and reviewed):
31 May (or 4 months in advance of the start of the course).
Rationale: This is the latest possible time that an apprenticeship could be approved, as a 120-day lead in time is required put in place legal agreements.
It is advised that proposals for new Apprenticeships should be received by the October meeting of ADC at the very latest.
- Courses delivered by overseas collaborative partners and closed courses (new and revalidated): 30 June (or 3 months in advance of the start of the course).
This recognises that almost all of these courses are introduced for commercial reasons, and that CMA guidance does not apply in these cases.
It is advised that proposals for new overseas and closed courses should be received by the January meeting of ADC at the very latest.
- PSRB-initiated major review (following a PSRB accreditation visit, changes to PSRB regulations): These will be considered on an individual basis.
It should be noted that courses cannot be marketed prior to their approval (i.e. form AQ3/AQ4 sign-off), due to the need for the publication of ‘material information’ on the University website. These approval deadlines therefore represent the latest possible dates and earlier approval would favour the recruitment process.
Extensions to the deadlines
Any exceptions to these deadlines must be agreed with the Director of Academic Quality. An extension to the deadline may be granted in certain exceptional circumstances. These circumstances include:
- An external contract to run a programme is agreed late in the previous session;
- As a result of a professional, statutory or regulatory body accreditation visit, conditions are applied to the programme which require immediate review/validation;
- Changes to professional, statutory or regulatory body regulations force an immediate review of programmes and a delay of one year is unacceptable to that body;
- Where the Chair of ADC agrees that there is a strategic priority in validating a new programme.
An extension to a validation, significant change or periodic review event must be agreed with the Director of Academic Quality. If you require an extension, then you will need to inform and seek advice from the relevant Associate Director of Academic Quality. You must complete the and send it to your School's Academic Services Officer (Academic Quality) for permission to be sought from the Director of Academic Quality.
Should the rationale for the extension not fit into one of the circumstances above, then an extension to the 24th December deadline cannot be approved for delivery in the following September. Under these circumstances, the following could apply:
- The 24th December approval deadline could be adhered to; or
- Significant changes and major reviews can be extended by a full academic cycle. This will mean an extension of one year, however under these circumstances no further extension would be permitted. Any changes made as a result of the change/review would be applicable only to students starting as a new cohort, as transitional arrangements must be kept to a minimum. On the rare occasion where changes are necessary which will affect existing students, students must be written to and student agreement must be obtained;
- For extensions to validation deadlines, the programme start date would need to be delayed, typically by one year. E.g. an extension to the validation deadline of 24th December 2025 (for a start date of September 2026) would require the start date to be delayed to either Semester B (February 2027) or to the following Semester A (September 2027).
