Q&As: General Student Queries

We recognise that students are concerned about the impact of coronavirus on their studies during this period. The University has taken major steps in altering its delivery to ensure that teaching, learning and assessment can continue.

The University remains committed to supporting you to enable you to remain engaged with your studies, meet the learning outcomes on your programmes and achieve the necessary credit to ensure that you may be awarded your degree or progress to your next level of study.

Major efforts by University staff have ensured there is wide-ranging support for active learning and progression, resources can be accessed, assessments can proceed where appropriate or offered with alternative arrangements and wellbeing and employability support is available.

Therefore in common with other Universities, Swansea University will not be issuing tuition fee refunds.

Reluctantly, we have taken the decision to postpone the summer graduation ceremonies following the government’s new measures regarding mass gatherings.

We plan to reschedule the event when it is safe and appropriate to do so and those eligible will be notified once new dates have been arranged.

This postponement does not affect the time frame for the completion of your studies.

Following the Government restrictions announced on 23 March, our Campus Libraries have now closed. For up to date information about Library and IT Services, please visit their webpages or email customer services.

Students who have purchased an annual bus pass for the academic year 2019/20and have left Swansea may have unused credit from end of March until the end of the academic year.  We are now pleased to inform you that we have had an offer from First Cymru which will see all affected students compensated for their lost credit.

The offer for our students is as follows:

1. Students returning in September 2020 and have unused credit (i.e. the last term) will only pay for term 1 and 2 and be credited with term 3 via the Mticket app. 
2. Students returning in January 2021 with unused credit (i.e. the last term)  will  only pay for term 2 and get credited with term 3 via the Mticket app. 
3. Students not returning this year, but deferring until September 2021 will have the same credit based on the above scenarios.

All credit will be added automatically via the Mticket app so students will not need to contact First Cymru

Non returning Students

Students who are in their final year, and not returning to study at Swansea and have unused credit for the whole of the last term will be dealt with on a case by case basis. These students should contact Jayne Cornelius the Sustainable Travel Officer who will forward your details on to First Cymru for a resolution. 

Please note, due to staff working remotely MyUniHub will not be able to accept any application forms, documents or correspondence by post at this time. Please use the online forms provided when submitting requests.

Swansea does not tolerate discrimination or harassment. We take all allegations of abuse and harassment very seriously. 

Students who have any concerns should please contact advice@swansea-union.co.uk or report it here. 

If you had to return home early in light of the Covid-19 situation, you can make a claim for additional travel costs incurred. 

Complete the insurance claim form. Remember to save a copy before you forward to insurance@swansea.ac.uk  Please do not send it directly to UMAL our travel cover providers.

What you need to include:-

1. You must ensure that you complete all relevant claim costs on page 3 and sign the form;
2. Provide your original travel itinerary and costs for outbound and inbound travel, including date of booking and dates of travel;
3. Highlight the additional costs incurred, but note that there is no cover if you hadn’t pre-booked your return;
4. You need to seek any refunds available and provide full detail of these. Remember, taxes on a non-refundable flight are often still refundable. Unless you provide such information, your claim cannot be considered;
5. For any trip which was curtailed prior to 24 March, please provide confirmation of reason for curtailment. i.e. curtailed or cancelled conference/placement/elective;
6. For cancellations prior to 17 March, (depending on place of travel), please provide confirmation of reason for cancellation. i.e. cancelled conference/placement/elective;

Please note that, in respect of curtailment, there is no cover for lost or unused accommodation costs

Travellers do need to pursue airlines and travel agents for refunds or vouchers for unused flights home. The travel cover with UMAL applies after all refunds and vouchers have been obtained, even if there is a delay in airlines processing these. Even if the outward flight has been made and this means the flight is not refundable, the relevant taxes and charges are refundable.

Airlines facing significant cash flow issues are making this very difficult for people seeking reimbursements.

Wherever possible UMAL will try and settle claims with these features now, with an agreement on refund of fares and taxes, rather than have these claims open for months. 

The following costs cannot be considered as our travel cover providers have only extended our curtailment cover on a discretionary basis to provide cover only for the additional costs incurred in respect of a flight home:

1. Reimbursement of a flight cost when there was no return trip booked back;
2. Reimbursement of original trips as well as the additional return trip;
3. Reimbursement of train/taxi/coach fares from the UK airport to home when that cost would have in due course been incurred in any event;
4. Personal excursions or costs for weekend return home or travel not taken or used during the placement period;
5. Shipping belongings home;
6. Reimbursement for rent, rent deposit or penalties.

We have received several enquiries about arrangements to collect personal belongings from University properties. You may be aware that the Welsh Government have now relaxed travel restrictions for students who’s tenancies are about to come to an end, as follows https://gov.wales/collecting-your-possessions-after-moving-out-your-home-coronavirus-0.

Please ensure that you speak to your housemates prior to returning to the property so that you can ensure that you are still adhering to social distancing rules and to plan for cleaning of communal areas.

You must make appropriate arrangements to remove any personal belongings left in your student property in advance of the end of your tenancy agreement.

Please see the information here for further details on collecting belongings from Halls of Residences and SAS properties.

Students can remain in the their accommodation until the end of tenancy, there are no plans to close halls of residence.

The following measures have been proposed for students in Singleton Residences, UPP Bay Residences, Beck House and Hendrefoelan Student Village: 

• Any student who no longer wishes to continue staying in the above accommodation at the end of the current rent period (27thMarch) will be released from their Tenancy Agreement. This means that students not staying in Swansea do not need to pay the third instalment of their Residence Fees which would have been due on 7th May 2020.
• Students who want to remain or who cannot leave by this Friday will be charged for any additional weeks up until their key is returned.
• Students who wish to remain in residences for the duration of their contract  may do so, subject to any changes in Government guidance, and we will continue to support you.

Information is being sent to students via your accommodation account that you must complete should you wish to be released.