Welcome Week

Aston Welcome Week 2020 is your opportunity to learn all about life at Aston and settle into your time at University. We have a packed programme this year, with plenty of opportunities to make friends and get to know your peers at virtual events organised by our student wellbeing team, the chaplaincy team, and the Aston Students' Union.

Welcome week - Frequently Asked Questions

To access university welcome week events you will need to log into the Get Ahead platform on our Blackboard interface. For details on how to do this watch our Get ahead video.

Aston Student's Union are also running events, visit the SU site form more information and to book your place.

Aston Welcome Week 2020 Timetable

Make sure you check your compulsory academic timetable and attend as many optional events as you like during your free time.

You can access your academic and welcome week timetable via My Aston Portal (MAP)

Latest news following the announcement of Birmingham, Sandwell and Solihull being categorised as Areas of Intervention

We’ve been working hard to ensure Aston is as safe as possible for students and staff, so life on campus will feel a little different this September. The measures we’re taking will help us maintain our high-quality learning and teaching experience whilst working to keep our staff and students safe. When you come to campus it is highly recommended that you wear a face covering. A voucher or credit will be issued to you so that you can purchase a washable or reusable face covering.

For more details watch the video below:

International Students - Arrival Information

We know that planning travel to arrive in the UK this September has not been easy and there is still a lot of uncertainty in relation to flight availability. For this reason we are providing as much flexibility as we can for our international students, particularly in relation to when you can arrive on campus this autumn. Our FAQs for international students is constantly updated in line with the latest guidance and provides full details on starting your studies with Aston this academic year. Read more.

Self-isolation Guidance

If you are travelling to Birmingham from overseas, you should check if you are required to self-isolate for 14 days on arrival in the UK. You may not have to self-isolate if you come from one of the ‘Travel Corridors’ listed in the information.

If you are required to self-isolate, then you should travel to the main accommodation where you will be living in Birmingham, although you are permitted to stay overnight in a safe accommodation (such as a hotel) if you have had a long journey. It is possible to travel to Aston’s campus by public transport but you must wear a face covering.

Before you travel you will be asked to complete an online passenger location form up to 48 hours before you arrive in the UK. The form can be found here.

If you are required to self-isolate in your accommodation, Aston University has a food delivery service which can provide hot food during the isolation period. Details can be accessed by viewing our food delivery.

For more information about preparing for your studies, please see our International Student page and review our pre-arrival FAQs.

Students Support Services

Learning Development Centre

Library Services

Aston Students' Union

Information for international students

How to prepare and settle in

Healthcare in the UK for international students

How to see a doctor and get medical help

Aston Virtual Campus

Aston Students' Union have created Aston Virtual Campus as a space for all Aston Students to stay connected

Download my Aston App

MyAston app is designed to improve your experience of studying at Aston

Get ahead at Aston

At Aston we want to ensure that all new students have a smooth transition into university life and as such we are launching our ‘Get ahead’ programme, an engaging learning platform to help orientate all new students to life at Aston.

As a new Aston student you will automatically be enrolled on the ‘Get ahead’ programme and will receive information on how to access our virtual learning environment ‘Blackboard’ for the first time. The programme offers a blend of on-campus and online support to ensure that you are prepared for the change in learning style from school or college to university.

Are you ready to ‘Get Ahead’?

At Aston we want to ensure that all new students have a smooth transition into university life and as such we are launching our ‘Get ahead’ programme, an engaging learning platform to help orientate all new students to life at Aston. You can find more information here.

You can access Get Ahead and welcome events using Blackboard, click here for more information.

Our ‘Get ahead’ programme will support you with your academic transition by providing information on:

How university differs from school or college
How to make the most of the blended combination of online and on-campus learning
Understanding your timetable
Being an independent learner
Essay writing and referencing in essays
Time management techniques
Maths at university
Finding your voice in class
Getting the most from working with your personal tutor
Connecting with others through peer mentoring
Looking after your health and wellbeing and student support services
Finding your way around our city-centre campus

Aston Together

We’re proud of our Aston University community and how we look after each other. We have never needed each other more than we do today. Help us to help each other by being considerate to others and behaving appropriately at all times. By working together we can all help to make Aston a safer place.

Together we ask that you:

Be respectful

Show consideration towards other students, staff and visitors. Respect those whose personal circumstances differ from yours, and who may need to adopt different safety measures.

Be observant

Follow guidance on social distancing and health and safety measures, and adhere to signage and instructions around campus to maximise the safety of yourself and others who are sharing space with you.

Be kind

Show empathy towards others and be supportive to those in need. Offer friendship, be inclusive, and speak out to a member of the Aston team if you think someone needs assistance.

Face coverings are expected to be worn inside University buildings including circulation spaces, shared spaces, corridors, stairs, lifts and toilets.

If you show Covid-19 symptoms, follow Government guidance to self-isolate, get tested and inform us via Covid19Reporting@aston.ac.uk

Enrolment 2020

Enrolment details for September 2020

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Rising to the challenges of COVID-19

Keeping safe

Stay safe on Aston campus

SafeZone

A safety and security app designed to optimise safety around campus for both students and staff

Freqently asked questions

What happens on A-Level/BTEC results day?

UCAS track opens at 08:00 am on A-level results day:

Aston will normally have made decisions on your results prior to this time (unless there is missing information or pending GCSEs)
On results day, make sure you check your UCAS Track first to see if you have been accepted
We can’t give you information about your grades. Your school or college will give these to you.
You might get a place on either your firm or insurance choice, depending how well your exams go.
You might be offered an alternative by the university – a 'changed course offer' (which you'll need to accept or decline). Please check your emails for any instructions on accepting or declining an alternative offer.
You might not get a place, but you can search through UCAS Clearing service to see what courses still have vacancies.
Clearing vacancies change all the time – they can disappear and appear throughout Clearing. As soon as Universities change the status of one of their courses, this’ll be reflected in the vacancy search.

Pre-Enrolment

How do I view my Timetable?

At the start of the Academic Year your teaching timetable is published as a PDF document to your My Aston Portal (MAP) Student Homepage and will be available to you once you have enrolled or re-enrolled. If your timetable isn't available yet, the date that your timetable will be made available to you will be displayed inside the MAP Timetable container.

Once made available to you, your timetable will be updated on a nightly basis to include any changes made by your Academic School, so you must check your timetable regularly to ensure that you are seeing the most recent version of it.

Your timetable is split into Terms or Teaching Periods and the timetable for each Term will be available on MAP shortly before the start of term.

Assessment

How will my course be assessed?

Assessment for each degree programme is different. They vary by course but may include:

Exams
Written assignments
Oral exams for languages
Group work/Presentations
Lab work for sciences/Engineering
Dissertations/Project work
Placement Projects

How do I know my place at Aston is confirmed or definite?

You would have to login to your UCAS track and see if Aston have confirmed your place, once you have an official confirmation on UCAS you can sit back and relax until September!

When do I have to come to enrol?

Enrolment will take place online via MyAston Portal (MAP). More information can be found on our enrolment page.

How do I apply and pay for accommodation?

You must have formally accepted your academic offer before you apply for our on campus accommodation. For more information on accommodation at Aston, please visit our accommodation page.

You can log in and complete the application form via our Accommodation Portal. You’ll need your UCAS personal ID/Aston student ID and your date of birth to register. Once this is done you will have to complete all the stages of the application process, make sure all the details on your application are correct then click ‘submit’. Once submission of the application is complete you will soon receive an email summarising your application.

Are the accommodation fees included in the tuition fees?

No. Accommodation fees are not included in the tuition fees.

Should I wait for the unconditional offer before applying for a CAS and accommodation?

Students can apply for accommodation with conditional offers; in fact we encourage it.

When is the latest I can submit my IELTS scores/results?

It would be ideal for us if you can submit your IELTS results on the 1st of August, with the latest being before A level results day. If you can’t submit your results during the time scale we would not be able to make a decision on your application. However, if you’re having trouble submitting on those deadlines please send us an email so we can come up with a solution.

Welcome Week 2020