Latest Information for Students

The Government announced on 22 February that from 8 March, universities could resume in-person teaching and learning for students who are studying practical or practice-based subjects that require specialist equipment and facilities.

This means that, due to the nature of the teaching on all our courses across the portfolio, all our students are permitted to return to campus for blended teaching and learning.

Students travelling from within the UK

If you are travelling from within the UK, you are permitted to return to your term-time accommodation. This includes your family or others within your household or support bubble if they need to travel with you to transport you.

You must not travel if you have any COVID-19 symptoms or if you are awaiting a test result or have received a positive test result within the last 10 days.

You can travel by private vehicle or public transport but should make sure you follow safer travel advice. This includes:

- Avoiding car sharing with anyone outside your household or support bubble, or follow the safer travel guidance for passengers to reduce the risk of transmission to others where this is not possible.

- If using public transport, students should: plan and avoid busy times and routes and rigorously follow the safer travel guidance for passengers.

If you are travelling from areas which are undergoing surge testing, different public health guidance applies and you should ensure you get tested before you travel.

If you have recently tested positive you must isolate with your household immediately and follow the guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus infections.

Students travelling from overseas

From Monday 15 January, you are required to quarantine or self-isolate on arrival in England. You can find out more about the measures on the GOV.UK website.

If you are planning to travel back to the university, please let us know by completing this form. We will be able to support you with any necessary quarantine or self-isolation, wellbeing check-ups and access to the Test to Release scheme, where possible.

Before travelling, you should:

- Check entry requirements and restrictions that have been introduced due to coronavirus.

- Ensure that prior to departing, you have proof of a negative coronavirus test result taken within three days of departure.

- Complete a passenger locator form.

- Confirm whether you are travelling from a red-list country, there are different arrival procedures for individuals travelling from a red-list country and individuals travelling from a country not on the red-list.

If you wish to return and cannot afford the increased testing/quarantine costs you can apply to the Hardship Fund for additional support although awards will not cover the full costs.

Yes. If you are planning to return to Falmouth, you should get tested twice in your first week of return - immediately upon your arrival and then again three days later.

All students should continue to be tested twice a week.

If you have recently (within 90 days) tested positive for COVID-19, you are likely to have developed some immunity. If you have had a positive coronavirus (COVID-19) test in the last 90 days through NHS Test and Trace and been recorded as a positive case on the national system, you do not need to be tested again within that time period if you are asymptomatic.

Find out more about how to book your tests

Yes. It is essential that you continue to observe hands-face-space:

- Continue to maintain hand hygiene.

- Face coverings are expected to be worn in all university shared spaces.

- Social distancing guidelines are still in place. Maintain a 2m distance from people not in your household or support bubble. This is observed on campus to continue to keep our community safe.

We understand that your personal circumstances may mean returning to campus presents difficulties and we will allow any student who does not want to be on-campus during Study Block 2 to study remotely. However, we recommend that you do return, as this will give you the best possible experience.

Additional support will only be provided for students studying remotely where they cannot attend campus (e.g., they are clinically vulnerable or impacted by travel bans).

We will also not be able to refund rent due for university owned and managed accommodation, over and above that which we have done for the first seven weeks of the current lockdown, if you cannot attend campus.

If you hold a Tier 4 student visa and wish to study online for the remainder of this academic year, please speak to your course team and ensure you understand and consider the implications of not returning.

We have returned to the 'blended' approach to teaching and learning that we delivered in Study Block 1 last year (2020). That means you will still engage in some lectures, seminars and tutorials online, but you will have access to our technical and specialist facilities and equipment.

Although we have made minor adjustments in recognition that we are resuming mid-study block, you can expect teaching to look similar to the plans we communicated in December about what SB2 would look like. Please visit our Latest course updates page to see the revised changes for each module.

In addition, we are committed to giving increased access where possible and prioritising group work and face-to-face delivery wherever suitable (and safe), to enhance the learning experience. 

The facilities are open for booked access from Monday 8 March.

You can make advance bookings for access to campus study spaces, studios, and technical facilities from noon on 4 March.

The Libraries are open for individual study (via booking) and browse and borrow from 8 March.

Many resources are also available digitally and you can explore the Falmouth University Library Search

If the resource you need is only available in print/physical version and you are unable to visit the library to collect it, get in touch with us and the team will try to support your needs. They can also scan and email chapters from print books or journals if the item is unavailable online, and where copyright allows. Please see Digitisation for more information.

Given the continued uncertainty and the length of time we need to book activities in advance, there will be no University organised placements or study trips for the remainder of the 2020/21 academic year. We expect to be able to offer these again from the start of the next academic year.

Students on accelerated degrees will benefit from the same measures put in place for other students and there will be a clear two-week break between the last date of assessment and the start of Study Block 3. Student results will be three weeks later than they would have been, and this means that students on accelerated awards will be allowed to continue into Study Block 3 with incomplete results and your student status updated after the assessment boards.

We have a diverse range of partners both in the UK and overseas and we are working with them to ensure the measures we're putting in place for students studying with Falmouth also work for our students elsewhere, where applicable. Please check with your teaching provider how this will work for you. In particular if you are studying with an international partner, please note that they may be subject to different local government restrictions

We know that the pandemic is affecting people's daily lives no matter where they are or how they choose to study. As a result, the deadline extensions we have put in place for Study Block 2 for students who would normally be based on campus will apply to our online students too.

Assessments will not change and will continue to be submitted digitally for the remainder of this academic year. Staff marking assessments understand the impact on your work when it is submitted digitally and will take this in to account as part of marking and moderation.

Our Academic Board has also approved measures similar to those used successfully last year. These will compare student performance this year with that on the same or similar modules that were not impacted by Covid-19 disruption, with adjustments made by assessment boards to cohort marks, as necessary to ensure that performance is comparable.

As in 2020, we have issued and published Assessment Board Guidance which details how our Assessment Boards will manage this.

When Government restrictions required us to move to online-only delivery in January all assessments were given a two-week deadline extension in recognition of the fact that many students were working in difficult circumstances. This time is in addition to any adjusted deadlines you may have and will be applied to published deadlines over the coming weeks.

This extension remains in place. However, if you (or your group) choose to, you may submit before the deadline.

Student support services continue to be available to all students and you can access wellbeing support, whether you are on or off campus by contacting Living Support:

• Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm, 01326 255341 or livingsupport@fxplus.ac.uk
• Evenings and weekends, Glasney Lodge, 01326 253503

See further details on our support services page

In the first instance you should discuss your concerns with your course leader. If they are unable to help to find a resolution then you can use step two of the University's complaint procedure and process, more information is available on our website

We know the pandemic is affecting students financially in many ways. Additional funding has been provided to the University's existing Hardship Fund, this offers support to students who are facing hardship and particularly those who need support for the continuation and completion of their studies.

The SU's Advice Service can help you make sense of what funding is available to you. This includes regarding student loans, bursaries, grants, tuition fees, welfare benefits, income tax, council tax, financial hardship, debt problems, debt management and budgeting.

For any sessions on campus, you will need to use your student ID card to tap in on the card readers located in each of your teaching spaces. For your online sessions, these will automatically be logged when you join the online meeting. Attendance for both will appear in your Attendance Dashboard that can be accessed via the Falmouth App.

Timetables have now been updated for a return to campus.

Throughout June, as long as Government restrictions permit, all students, including graduating students, will be able to use the workshops, studios and performance spaces across both campuses.

Through the summer in July and August, as usual, the stores will also be open (excluding some short periods for essential maintenance) so you can borrow equipment to develop your practical skills through the holiday.

Specific information on opening times and the booking process will be published nearer the time.

Opening hours

• Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 8am - 4pm
• Wednesdays 8am-1pm only

Bookings are now open. You must book a test in advance.

Book a test

You must book a test in advance.

Students should take two lateral flow tests 3 days apart, as soon as possible after arriving back at university. You don't have to self-isolate between tests and the process is simple and straightforward.

1. You must book a test via the booking system before you arrive at the test site
2. Attend the Sports Centre at the time allocated to you
3. You should bring with you: a face covering, your mobile phone, laptop or tablet, and a pen

What to expect when you arrive:

1. When you arrive, you'll need to follow social distancing guidelines by staying at least two metres from other people at the test site, including staff
2. Once on site, you'll need to register your test online before you take the test. If you need help with this, please ask the site staff. They'll help you while maintaining social distancing
3. The entire process should take no more than 15 minutes

Receiving your results:

1. You should leave the test site as soon as you have taken the test
2. You'll receive a text message from the NHS within 24 hours of taking the test

After your first negative test, you should book another test for three days later, so you can be confident of the result.

If you receive a positive Lateral Flow Device test result, you and everyone you live with are legally required to self-isolate for 10 days. The NHS Test and Trace system will contact you and you should inform your close contacts that you have tested positive.

It is also important that you let us know by informing the Rapid Response Team via the self-declaration form. We will then be able to support you and ensure you receive your free digital hamper.

Any Falmouth University students who do not have symptoms can get a test.

If you have symptoms, you should not book one of these tests, but should contact the Rapid Response Team, who will support you to self-isolate and get a different type of test.

You must get a test before accessing campus facilities when you return to university.

You should then routinely have two tests a week, ideally three days apart, if you are studying on campus. This means you can be confident that you do not have Covid-19 and will not pass it on to any of your friends, housemates, academic team or our local community.

If you do not book a test, you should self-isolate for 10 days after your arrival back at university.

If you have recently (within 90 days) tested positive for Covid-19, you are likely to have developed some immunity and are therefore exempt from testing within 90 days of a positive test, unless you develop new symptoms.

You must still get a test even if you have received the Covid-19 vaccine. The impact of the vaccine on preventing transmission remains unknown and individuals who have been vaccinated may still carry and be able to transmit the virus. If you have been vaccinated, then you should continue to adhere to the national lockdown restrictions and get a test before accessing campus facilities when you return to university.

The Lateral Flow Device is a rapid antigen test. These tests:

- Do not require a lab
- Provide results in 20-30 minutes
- Are safe and free

Anyone who is a close contact of someone who has covid-19, but does not show any symptoms and has two negative test results, can go home safely and continue their self-isolation at home (10 days in total).

If you have spent the national lockdown outside of Cornwall and do not book a test, you should self-isolate for 10 days after your arrival back at university.