What are the requirements of evidence I need to provide for my mitigating circumstances application?
The evidence you provide must be:
- In writing.
- Written by an independent third party, such as your doctor. Your documents can’t be produced by you.
- Supportive of your claim and provide evidence of the circumstance that you are submitting.
- Signed and dated by the person who wrote the document and printed on headed paper.
- Written in English or be an original document in another language accompanied by a translation in English. Information about the source of your translation must also be included.
Important to know: Please ensure all files submitted are labelled. If you require a scanner, you can find one in our libraries.
Types of evidence depending on circumstance
Select a heading below to jump to your relevant circumstance and additional evidence requirements.
Mental ill health
Please provide confirmation of the illness, the impact the illness would have/has had on the affected assessment(s) and the dates concerned. This should be provided on:
- An original medical certificate; or
- Correspondence from King’s support services who have been actively supporting you; or
- Correspondence from external support services who have been actively supporting you.
Important to know:
- If you are not already engaged with our Counselling & Mental Health Support Service, please do not register to receive support with your evidence. The service might not be able to meet with you before your evidence deadline, so we recommend you reach out to your doctor or another service who already knows about your mental health difficulties.
- Please read our article Support for students with mitigating circumstances for guidance on looking after your mental health and wellbeing.
Physical ill health
Please provide confirmation of the illness, the impact the illness would have/has had on the affected assessment(s) and the dates concerned. This should be provided on:
- An original medical certificate (from a UK-based medical practitioner or one recognised by UK authorities); or
- A letter from King’s support services who have been actively supporting you; or
- A letter from external support services who have been actively supporting you.
- Where you indicate that the reason for illness as Covid, you should provide a photo of the lateral flow test, photographed alongside your student ID card. Any falsification of evidence (e.g. using old tests or others’ tests) will be taken very seriously, and treated as misconduct.
Important to know:
- Please do not submit images or photos of medical injuries as part of your evidence.
Long-term medical condition or disability
Please provide a King’s Inclusion Plan (KIP) that confirms the medical condition or disability and explicitly states that the KIP may be used as evidence to support mitigating circumstances. Learn more below about using a King’s Inclusion Plan (KIP) as evidence within the heading 'Providing supporting evidence for your mitigating circumstances application' further below.
Most KIPs will not have this explicit statement. If your KIP does not, please follow the procedure above for physical ill health.
You can discuss your future requirements directly with Disability Support; take a look at our article How can Disability Support assist me with my disability?
Hospitalisation
Please provide confirmation of the illness, the impact the illness would have/has had on the affected assessment(s) and the dates concerned. This should be provided on an original medical certificate/letter (from a UK-based medical practitioner or one recognised by UK authorities).
Important to know:
- Please do not submit images or photos of medical injuries as part of your evidence.
Family illness
Please provide confirmation of the family illness, the impact that this would have/has had on the affected assessment(s) and the dates concerned. This should be provided on:
- An original medical certificate/GP letter (from a UK-based medical practitioner or one recognised by UK authorities); or
- A letter from King’s support services who have been actively supporting you; or
- A letter from external support services who have been actively supporting you.
Bereavement
Please provide:
- A letter confirming the death from an independent person (usually not a family member) with their contact details provided and including a view on the closeness of the relationship to you; or
- Where the closeness of the relationship is evident (e.g. a close relative – a parent, sibling, or child), a death certificate or order of service; or
- Where the closeness of the relationship is less obvious, a death certificate or order of service should be accompanied by a letter from an independent person, as outlined above.
Homelessness
Please provide confirmation of the circumstances, the impact that these would have/have had on the affected assessment(s) and the dates concerned. This should be provided on:
- A letter from King’s support services who have been actively supporting you; or
- A letter from external support services who have been actively supporting you.
Pregnancy-related issues
Please follow the requirements for illness, hospitalisation or other appropriate circumstance if there is a specific incident during pregnancy.
Victim of crime
Please provide a police report that includes a crime reference number. If the incident has resulted in your seeking medical attention, then the requirements for illness should be followed.
Financial hardship
Please provide confirmation of the circumstances, the impact that these would have/have had on the affected assessment(s) and the dates concerned. This should be provided on:
- A letter from an independent authority (e.g social worker, counsellor); or
- A letter from King’s support services who have been actively supporting you; or
- A letter from external support services who have been actively supporting you.
Computer systems and/or network issues
These are not normally considered but certain circumstances might be considered. Please provide screenshots of the issue(s) and, in your summary of circumstances, describe the impact on the affected assessment(s) and the dates concerned, e.g. what prevented you from submitting.
For network issues, please ensure that you have done all that you can to check that your internet connection is functional and to rectify any issues locally (e.g. restart your router, or contact your internet service provider).
For systems issues, e.g. problems related to KEATS, please ensure that you have contacted IT to look into the issue.
Representing the university or country at a significant or prestigious event
Please provide confirmation from the relevant organising body and a supporting statement from the student and/or member of staff explaining why the event should be considered significant or prestigious. Student athletes with an international commitment (such as an international training camp or world-standard competition) should supply third-party evidence of the commitment.
Jury Service (UK)
Please provide a letter from the Court.
Court/Tribunal Service Attendance (UK)
If you are required to attend a tribunal or court as a witness, defendant (not for ‘Criminal Conviction’) or plaintiff, please provide a solicitor’s letter including the dates of the legal proceedings and the requirement for you to attend.
Road traffic incident
If you have been involved in a road traffic incident, either as a passenger or as the driver, please provide evidence detailing the time and place that the incident occurred including:
- A police report that includes a crime reference number; or
- Insurance reference number/record of the event.
Providing supporting evidence for your mitigating circumstances application
How do I upload evidence to support my Mitigating Circumstances request?
To upload a document as evidence:
- Click on the Upload Evidence button within the Upload Evidence container.
- Then click on ‘Browse My Computer’
- Select the relevant document and then click 'Open'
- Select the most appropriate type of evidence from the drop-list. If none of the options are applicable, select 'Other' and then provide a brief description when prompted.
- Click the 'Upload' button. Wait a few moments for the document to complete uploading and then click 'Next'.
- You will then see the document listed in the 'Uploaded Evidence' container. Here you can choose to view or remove the document from your request, if necessary.
- Repeat the above steps to upload as many documents as necessary to support your request.
- You will then be asked whether you want to upload further evidence at a later date, to which you must answer Yes (I would like to upload more evidence later) or No (I do not wish to upload evidence later). Even if you answer No (I do not wish to upload evidence later) to this question, you may still be asked to provide further evidence as part of the decision-making process.
- You will need to provide a brief summary of evidence provided within the free-text field. If you are planning on uploading further evidence at a later date, you should provide a summary of the evidence you are awaiting and an estimated date for when you expect it to be made available. If you are unable to submit any evidence to support your request, you should provide an explanation within this field.
- Once you have finished uploading your evidence, click 'Next' to proceed to the final stage (Summary and Confirmation).
How much evidence should I submit?
You should submit enough evidence so that it covers all the content requirements for your specific circumstance(s) listed above. If one piece of evidence covers everything, then that is all you will need to submit.
Submitting multiple pieces of evidence that confirm the same details will not make it more likely that your application will be accepted.
Important to know: Please ensure all files submitted are labelled
How do I submit my King’s Inclusion Plan (KIP) as evidence?
If your KIP explicitly states that it can be used as evidence to support mitigating circumstances, then you can upload it at the ‘Upload Supporting Evidence’ stage of a new mitigating circumstances request on Student Records.
If you are recorded as having a KIP in Student Records, then you will be given the option to submit this as supporting evidence (if relevant to circumstances), in which case it will be automatically uploaded as evidence.
Can I still submit a mitigating circumstances request while I collect the appropriate evidence?
Yes, you can submit your request while you collect or wait to receive the evidence you need. To learn more about when we must receive your evidence, please read our article Application deadlines for mitigating circumstances.
We've provided basic instructions on how to let us know that you are submitting evidence at a later date. You can view detailed screenshots of the functions and instructions on Page 7 of the Student Guide for Submitting a Mitigating Circumstances request via Student Records PDF.
To let us know that you’re submitting evidence later:
- At the ‘Upload Supporting Evidence’ stage of your request, you will be asked ‘Do you want to upload further evidence later?’ Please select ‘Yes, I wish to upload evidence later’.
- In the ‘Summary of Evidence’ free-text field, include details of the evidence/information you are waiting for and when you expect to provide upload it.
If you are not planning on submitting any evidence to support your request, you should provide your reason within the ‘Summary of Evidence’ free-text field. Please bear in mind you might still be asked to provide further information once staff are reviewing your request.
How do I submit evidence after I've submitted my request?
To upload your evidence after you have submitted your request:
- Log on to Student Records.
- Select ‘Student Home Page’ within the banner at the top of the homepage.
- Select ‘My Mitigating Circumstances’ within the ‘My Modules’ area.
- Go to the ‘Requests Under Consideration’ area of the Mitigating Circumstances homepage.
- Select the ‘Upload Evidence’ button to add files and write a brief description of what you’re uploading. You can also say whether there is still more evidence to come.
- Important to know: For guidance on how to upload evidence to your submission, please read our article Evidence to support your mitigating circumstances application.
How will I be informed if further evidence or information has been requested?
To view comments on your request:
- Log on to Student Records.
- Select ‘Student Home Page’ within the banner at the top of the homepage.
- Select ‘My Mitigating Circumstances’ within the ‘My Modules’ area.
- Go to the ‘Requests Under Consideration’ area of the Mitigating Circumstances homepage. You will see that the ‘Upload Evidence’ button is highlighted blue, which signifies that further evidence / information has been requested.
- Select the ‘Upload Evidence’ button to view the comments and upload the requested information. If you are unable to provide the requested information, you should provide a reason in the ‘Summary of Evidence’ free-text field.
Important to know: The Students’ Union have an advice team, KCLSU Advice, who provide free, impartial and confidential advice and support to students. They can help you by explaining how the mitigating circumstances works, providing advice on how to complete requests, and giving you the time to talk about your personal circumstances.