Everything you need to know

In line with the Government announcement on Saturday 31 October, England will be going into a second lockdown from Thursday 5 November until Wednesday 2 December, but the University will remain open. Please be assured that the health and wellbeing of everyone in our community remains our top priority. We realise that you may have concerns about this so we wanted to explain what the impact of this will be.  

Within our University the number of active cases of COVID-19 has been on a steady decrease and remains low. While this may show that our COVID-19 security measures are working, there is no room for complacency, and these restrictions have been put in place by the Government in response to the rising number of cases across the country. 

The Government continues to prioritise education and schools and universities will remain open. Teaching will continue as planned with our blended-learning approach and current research activities. Travel remains permitted for work and education purposes. Many social distancing measures are already in place across campus to keep our community as safe as possible and to ensure that you can continue with your teaching sessions. 

The Library and study spaces remain open for students to use whilst adhering to social distancing measures. Details about these can be found on our Covid19- FAQ webpage.

You can still socialise with the people you live with, either in on-campus or private accommodation, so long as you remain within your household bubble. You must not meet up with people from other households. 

All our new students will start their studies as planned, through a blended learning approach that combines both online and on-campus teaching.

What does this mean?

• Lectures will be delivered online. These are interactive sessions where there will be opportunities for you to ask questions and engage with lecturers and other students. 

• As part of Aston’s commitment to a blended learning approach, you will also be invited to attend a number of on-campus small group learning sessions and activities as part of your course.

• Academic staff are keen to support you with your learning, through regular office hours where you can ask specific questions, or via a Personal Tutor allocated to all students 

• You will also have access to a mix of online and on-campus student support and Library Services. We will provide more details about these in a future email, as we take account of the latest health advice.

Our intention is to gradually introduce more on-campus teaching and support as social distancing rules are relaxed/removed and it is safe to do so. Our top priority is the health, safety and wellbeing of our students and staff and we are working hard to ensure your learning experience is of our usual high quality.

Watch Pakhi's video about blended learning at Aston University

Click here to learn about Piyushi’s recent experience of online learning.

If you are in China, click here to learn about Meng’s recent experience of online learning.

Yes, there is an offer acceptance deadline. This can be found in your offer letter. It is sometimes possible to extend this deadline, please contact pgadmissions@aston.ac.uk. 

To make the most of your learning experience, we strongly encourage you to travel to the UK and join us on campus, and so we have invested resources on social distancing and cleanliness.  We understand, however, that you may not currently be able to leave your home country.  For this reason, we will allow you to enrol and study online from January and join us when you are ready during term one. 

There may be some courses which require you to attend our campus in person (for instance, some laboratory based courses), so please check with your School Programme Office. 

ABS School Office
+44 (0)121 204 5454  |  abs_studentsupport@aston.ac.uk 

EPS School Office
+44 (0)121 204 3535  |  eas_reception@aston.ac.uk

SSH School Office
+44 (0)121 204 3760  |  lss_studentsupport@aston.ac.uk

We have welcomed students onto campus in September and we will continue to welcome students for the January 2021 intake. Blended learning is likely to be the preferred option throughout the coronavirus pandemic. The University is putting significant resources into ensuring that this will be a positive experience for you. 

There will be on-campus teaching, personal tutor support and other activities related to your programme available, and we encourage you to join in with the on-campus sessions to get the best learning experience.  Your programme will also be available online, and you will not be penalised if you choose not to attend any sessions in term one. 

There may be some courses which require you to attend our campus in person (for instance, some laboratory based courses), so please check with your School Programme Office. 

ABS School Office
+44 (0)121 204 5454  |  abs_studentsupport@aston.ac.uk 

EPS School Office
+44 (0)121 204 3535  |  eas_reception@aston.ac.uk

SSH School Office
+44 (0)121 204 3760  |  lss_studentsupport@aston.ac.uk

We have welcomed students onto campus in September and we will continue to welcome students for the January 2021 intake. Blended learning is likely to be the preferred option throughout the coronavirus pandemic. The University is putting significant resources into ensuring that this will be a positive experience for you. 

Watch Pakhi's video about blended learning at Aston University

For Aston Business School, teaching will start on 11th January. For all Engineering & Social Science courses teaching will start on 25th January.

If you are not able to travel to Birmingham, or even to the UK, or need to stay at home for health reasons; we will provide online study options to help you continue with your course until you are able to join us.

You will have access to learning materials and be able to fully engage with tutors and other academic staff on an individual basis. You will also have access to our library, Learning Development Centre (which offers study skills support), as well as student and academic support facilities. As soon as you are able to join us we will work with you to arrange this.

EU applicants should note that following the government announcement, EU students will not be eligible for a Home Fee status from the academic 2021/2022 year (starting from 1st July 2021 onwards). This means they will not be eligible for student finance to cover their tuition fees and will not be paying home fees. Aston University will charge EU students international fees starting from September 2021 onwards. The course fees are listed on the individual course pages. If you think you still may be eligible for UK student fees, please contact us at astoninternational@aston.ac.uk to confirm your fee assessment.

No, your fees will not increase in January 2021. However, there will be additional visa requirements for you to follow. For more information, please refer to our Brexit FAQs. 

Yes, the UKVI have made a special concession during the Covid-19 period, which means we are allowed to sponsor you to study in this way. 

If you have any questions specifically related to your Tier 4 Visa or your CAS, please visit our visa webpage or contact casqueries@aston.ac.uk and our expert visa team will be able to help you.

If you are not currently in the UK, then you do not need to have been granted a visa to start your course online. You will be able to join us online until your visa has been granted. If you are currently in the UK, then please contact one of our International Student Advisers for advice. 

If you have any questions specifically related to your Tier 4 Visa or your CAS, please visit our visa webpage or contact casqueries@aston.ac.uk and our expert visa team will be able to help you.

 We aim to have CAS’s issued within 5 working days after your pre-CAS questionnaire is approved, so long as you have an unconditional offer and have paid your deposit or provided their financial guarantee letter.

If you have any questions specifically related to your Tier 4 Visa or your CAS, please visit our visa webpage or contact casqueries@aston.ac.uk and our expert visa team will be able to help you.

A CAS is valid for 6 months, so we need to have a good idea of when you are going to arrive in the UK before this is issued. 

If you have any questions specifically related to your Tier 4 Visa or your CAS, please visit our visa webpage or contact casqueries@aston.ac.uk and our expert visa team will be able to help you.

Yes, you will be eligible for the new Graduate Route visa as long as you arrive in the UK before 6^th April 2021 and you are awarded your degree in the Summer of 2021 onwards. 

If you have any questions specifically related to your Tier 4 Visa or your CAS, please visit our visa webpage or contact casqueries@aston.ac.uk and our expert visa team will be able to help you.

It may be possible to apply for a brand new visa from inside the UK.  Please contact our International Student Advisers for free professional advice and guidance and they will explain your options astoninternational@aston.ac.uk. 

If you have any questions specifically related to your Tier 4 Visa or your CAS, please visit our visa webpage or contact casqueries@aston.ac.uk and our expert visa team will be able to help you.

Once you are safely in the UK, you will be required to show you are actively engaging with your studies, as this is a requirement of your visa. For term one, we will allow you to demonstrate this engagement using our online activities, but we recommend that you take advantage of the campus- based sessions as well where possible. Some areas, such as MBChB (Medicine) are required to attend in person to achieve all the learning outcomes, so please contact us for discussion, advice, and adaptation of the timetable if possible (a leave of absence will be considered if necessary.)

If you have any questions specifically related to your Tier 4 Visa or your CAS, please visit our visa webpage or contact casqueries@aston.ac.uk and our expert visa team will be able to help you.

We will always try and accommodate students on campus if there is availability, no matter when they apply. We would signpost you to other providers off campus if we do not have any availability.

Yes, you will have access to the kitchen to make drinks and cook for yourself, but there are additional safety measure in place for students who are self-isolation.

Steps you can take to reduce risk whilst using shared kitchens and bathrooms: 

• Only use the kitchen when other flatmates aren’t in there 
• Clean down shared kitchens or bathrooms after use 
• Wear PPE if possible when in communal areas 

Unite residence have a range of bedding and kitchen packs available to purchase and can be ready in your room when you arrive.

https://www.unitestudents.com/Products

If you are living off campus, then you may be able to purchase similar packs from your accommodation provider, or arrange for a package to be delivered from Amazon.    

Call our Campus Safety team on (+44)121 359 2922. We’re available 24 hours to support you.