What is condonement?
Condonement is where you have not passed a module on your course, but the University allows you to continue your studies or graduate without having to take the assessment again.
You are treated as if you passed the module, and you receive the credits, even though your mark was below the pass mark.
How condonement is decided
The decision to condone a failed module is made by the Assessment, Progression and Awarding Committee (APAC), also known as an Exam Board. The APAC look at all your marks at the end of each stage of your course (usually the end of the academic year).
It is not possible to apply for condonement.
To condone a failed module on an undergraduate programme, the following rules must be met:
- You can’t have failed more than a quarter of your stage
- Your overall average (weighted by credits) for your stage must be at least the pass mark.
- The module must be listed as "condonable" in your programme specification (some modules, such as core or professional ones, cannot be condoned).
Alternatives to condonement
Referred assessments
If your failed module cannot be condoned, the Exam Board will normally offer you a referral. This means you can have another attempt at the assessment (often called a resit or reassessment) without having to attend the module again.
Visit the Referred/Deferred Assessment webpage for more information about when referrals will be sat and how much they cost.
Find out which modules are non-condonable on your programme specification.
Resit without Attendance (RWA)
You may be offered to sit the assessment the following academic year if you deferred your assessment to the summer referred/deferred period and then:
- fail the module
- do not meet the criteria above for condonement
This means you would not progress to the next stage of your programme. Instead, you’d complete any outstanding assessments in the next academic year.
After your assessments, the Exam Board checks your grades to confirm you can progress to the next stage of your programme the following year.
Visit the RWA guidance page for more information.
Exceptions for Engineering and CEDAR programmes
View the different condonement rules for Engineering programmes.
For Cedar programmes, modules are non-condonable.
This means for your programme of study, students must meet and pass all module requirements in order to progress and/or receive their award.
If you fail a referred assignment (also known as a resubmission attempt), this will result in failure of the module and the programme. Failure of the programme will result in withdrawal from the programme of study.