Frequently asked questions

Clearing closes on 20 October 2020 and you can still apply via our course pages. If you’re interested in applying for 2021 entry, please visit our course pages for more information

If you're looking for a place through Clearing, for most course we will be happy to accept the higher of your A Level / BTEC (or equivalent) from your:

• Predicted grades (on your UCAS application)
• Awarded grades
• Mock grades
• Centre assessed grades

We have two main start dates for our academic year. One for students joining us from within the UK and one for international students. These are:

• UK students and returning International students - 21 September 2020
• New International students - 26 October 2020

Some courses may have an earlier start. We’ll add details once dates are confirmed and you’ll be sent the specific information for your course as part of your joining instructions.

We know that some students may be unable to resume their studies straight away due to health, travel problems and possible quarantine restrictions. We want to give everyone the chance to join us this year so, if you have any extenuating circumstances, we will be offering you the opportunity to re-enrol by Monday 26th October.

If you are unable to join us in September, don’t worry. You will be offered additional support so you can catch up with your studies and you will be sent information in advance so you can prepare as much as possible. You will also have access to our virtual events, online groups to meet other students, as well as wellbeing support if you have any concerns.

Some changes have also been made to the length of our Christmas Vacation and Semester B teaching weeks. View the academic calendar for 2020/21 to see our updated term dates.

If you have any questions, please talk to your Programme Leader.

Registration is an important step in joining University. It means you are officially a member of the University community. It is where documents are checked and you are issued with your ID card.

The process is a little different this year as we are running Registration online, rather than in person.

All students need to register – new students and those who are returning to their studies.

It's really important that you complete all stages of registration, including uploading your documents. ;Without these, there may be delays to your registration and the release of your student funding.

Please complete registration as soon as possible. The following FAQs will guide you through the registration process for both new and returning students.

There are a few steps to go through to get you fully registered as a Herts student, follow these steps below:

1. Set up an account – We would have sent you an email asking you to set up a username and password for the University.
2. Complete online registration (Stage 1) – Next, you’ll receive an email with a link to your student record. You’ll need to confirm a few details, upload a photo for your ID card and pick your modules (if needed).
3. Upload documents (Stage 2) – You’ll receive an email with a link to the registration documents portal where you need to upload a few things. See what you need here. There is a 6MB limit and documents must be pdf or jpeg.
4. Apply for funding – If you’re a UK/EU student, remember you’ll need to apply for funding if you haven’t done so already.
5. To complete your registration please login to StudyNet – Head over to StudyNet and login with your username and password to complete your registration.

Once you’ve completed the steps above, our Student Records and Enrolment team will complete Stage 2 registration. It may take a few days for your status to change to ‘Registered’. There’s nothing else you need to do, unless we find any required documents are missing – we’ll let you know if that’s the case.

You should have received your initial email to start your registration process already. If you’ve not received this, please email ask@herts.ac.uk.

If you have already contacted us please be patient, we will get back to you as soon as we can.

There are a few steps to our registration process. Once you’ve completed Stage 1 (confirming your details, uploading your photo and choosing your modules), you’ll be sent an email to upload your documents. Please don’t forget this important step as we need to check through these before we can fully register you as a student.

If you’ve completed stage 1 and not received an email to upload your documents, please make sure you completed your Student Record. If your status says ‘pre-registered’, email ask@herts.ac.uk.

If you have already contacted us please be patient, we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Most students will not have a full timetable for their first week (induction week), but instead will have an induction timetable that can be found in your Joining Instructions. Please visit https://joining.herts.ac.uk/.

Find out more information on Ask Herts.

Please check that you have not been emailed with this information, or that your joining instructions do not include the room locations. Your joining instructions have multiple documents attached, so the location details could be included there.

Please re-check the joining instruction portal as additional information was published late last week.

You should be able to access the joining instruction portal with just your student number. Please visit https://joining.herts.ac.uk/.

Yes you can – if you have not yet completed registration you can still get involved in various activities happening across the University by simply using your Student ID number. If you are having problems with your timetable, you should contact your personal tutor or course leader.

This information is in your joining instructions or please visit https://joining.herts.ac.uk/. You don’t need to be registered to be able to see your timetable as you can see this on StudyNet once you have received your joining instructions. This will show your core modules.

Guidance on how to subscribe to your timetable and module calendars using the ical feed is available on our website.

Find out more information on Ask Herts.

Yes. This is a separate process and doesn’t impact your ability to move into our on campus accommodation.

We are processing high volumes of registrations, please be patient we will get to your registration as soon as we can. Please don’t worry if you’ve not yet had confirmation that your registration has been completed. You do not need to be registered on your course to start your studies.

We are working as fast as we can to make sure that everyone gets their maintenance loans. Further details can be found here.

You can collect your ID card by visiting Ask Herts where you can fill out a quick request form, we’ll then contact you with an appointment to come and collect your card.

However, with the exception of some particular students that require an ID card to access labs/rooms, most students will not need an ID in the first weeks of their studies with us.

Please check the size of the document you are trying to upload. The maximum we can accept is 6MB and it has to be a JPEG or a PDF format.

Please do check you are using the right username when logging into the portal. It should be in this format “username@herts.ac.uk”.

You won’t get an email confirmation of your upload but do check in the “Uploaded Documents” section of the portal that it now contains the documents you have uploaded.

We are working through checking all the documents for all our students as quickly as we can. You don’t need to be registered to start your studies.

Your Semester A timetable for the 2020-2021 academic year is now available via the timetable link at the top of your homepage in StudyNet. View your lesson timetable online. If you have an error on the page please refer to Helpdesk on 01707 284678 or email helpdesk@herts.ac.uk.

A video guide on how to navigate your timetable and link your timetable with your personal calendar on your computer or mobile device is available here.

Find out more information on Ask Herts.

You may not see a complete timetable until you are fully registered and enrolled on all of your modules. Completing your registration includes logging in to StudyNet after 1 September to confirm your studies. If you haven’t yet enrolled on your modules please contact the Ask Herts Hubs at ask@herts.ac.uk who will update your student record. Once enrolled you will be allocated to activities and your timetable should be updated within 2 days.

Find out more information on Ask Herts.

If your timetable is not showing the modules you are registered on correctly, please contact the Helpdesk on 01707 284678 or helpdesk@herts.ac.uk.

Find out more information on Ask Herts.

You must be fully registered with us, and we must have confirmed that fact to The Student Loan Company.

The earliest date that The Student Loans company release any monies is the first day of your course date which will be on your letter from them. It can often be later, once you are confirmed as a registered student with Herts it can then take 3 working days for your payments to arrive.

We have introduced a number of safety measures to make sure all of our accommodation is safe and COVID- secure before you move in. These measures include:

• All rooms will be left vacated for a minimum of 72 hours before you move in.
• All areas within our accommodation have had enhanced cleaning using products which meet European and British standards assured to maintain hygienic conditions.
• All rooms and communal areas have been inspected and maintenance completed.
• Daily or routine cleaning will focus on high touch point areas in common spaces, such as main entrance doors, lifts and stairwells and hand sanitiser will also be available.
• Weekly kitchen inspections will check to see if hygiene levels are acceptable and waste removed.
• Clear signs will be in place to ensure all staff and students comply with social distancing when required.
• When collecting post or visiting helpdesk receptions, screens and a clear queue system will be in place, with a limited number allowed into the area.
• Laundry facilities will be limited to one person in at one time, to maintain social distancing, these will be regular cleaned.
• Students will be asked to keep a safe distance at assembly points and during fire drills and evacuations.
• All Staff visiting halls we be complying with government guidelines on PPE and social distancing.

To give reassurance and flexibility during the 2020-21 academic year, all students renting on-campus accommodation from the University will be able to apply to pause their accommodation contract in the event of any new COVID-19 lockdown affecting the whole of England. Find out more.

When you move into your accommodation you will form a household bubble with your new housemates and will have plenty of opportunities to socialise with them. You will not need to practise social distancing with those in your household bubble, but we do ask you to be mindful of social distancing in the first 14 days and to follow the cleaning protocols displayed in your kitchen.

Yes, you can apply with a conditional offer. We will hold your application on file until your offer of a place to study progresses to unconditional.

If your offer of a place to study is unconditional, we hope to start sending out accommodation offers in June. If your offer is conditional, we will hold your accommodation application on file until your offer of a place to study progresses to unconditional.

You do not need to make any payment until you are sent an offer of accommodation. Once you receive an offer of accommodation you have 7 days in which to pay the deposit of £150 and set up a payment plan or pay in full. The payment plan allows you to pay termly with the due dates being October, January and April. No payments except the deposit are taken before this date.

Home students are due to move in between Wednesday 16 and Sunday 20 September. All students will be allocated time slots to move in and once they are settled, housemates will become ‘household bubbles’, allowing them to socialise as normal.

We offer various contract lengths to meet your needs. You can apply for accommodation to live on campus for 42 or 50 weeks. Most students will choose the 42-week option as this will give you plenty of time to complete your studies. If you are an international student, a student on an extended course, or want to stay on campus over the summer then apply for a 50-week contract.

Due to COVID-19, you can cancel right up to the start of your course as long as you have not taken possession of your room and informed us in writing by emailing accommodation@herts.ac.uk before 23:59 BST (British Summer Time) the day before the official start date. For most students the first day of your course is 21 September 2020 and for international students this is 26 October 2020. We have extended our cancellation terms and conditions to cover government restrictions and other specific issues relating to Coronavirus. If you cancel your contract your deposit payment will be refunded.

Yes, as long as you meet the criteria for eligibility. The guarantee is explained fully here.

Join our Facebook groups to get to know your new uni friends and flatmates before you arrive.

Once you have accepted your offer of accommodation, you will be asked to complete an induction process and as part of that we will give you information on items you might like to bring with you. In the meantime, there is lots of useful information in these two booklets that you can have a look through:

• College Lane - A student guide to living on campus
• de Havilland - A student guide to living on campus

Yes, our launderettes are open, with social distancing in place.

To ensure we maintain social distancing during arrival at your accommodation, only you and one other person will be allowed on to campus to move in. This will help us to keep our campus COVID secure and ensure you, our students and staff can remain safe.

If you have a difficulty or disability which means that you may need more people to help you, please contact us.

For those of you who have recently travelled to the UK, we will provide you with further advice before you arrive on campus.

• If you develop any COVID-19 symptoms when you are living in halls; a new continuous cough, high temperature or loss/change of sense of smell/taste within your 14-day isolation period you must follow these instructions:
• Register for a test on the NHS website
• Notify the University by emailing studentsupport@herts.ac.uk
• You will be contacted and supported throughout your isolation period and we will notify your housemates and provide the relevant information.

In recognition of the increasing difficulties faced by students because of the impact of COVID-19, we have changed and extended our cancellation terms this year to give you peace of mind and more flexibility when deciding on whether to accept your accommodation contract or not:

Extended cancellation terms for campus accommodation

• If you have already received an offer for campus accommodation, you can accept your campus accommodation offer now and you then have up to the day before the official start date (for most students the first day of your course is 21 September 2020 and for international students this is the 26 October 2020) to cancel for any reason, without incurring charges, as long as you request the cancellation by emailing accommodation@herts.ac.uk before these dates.
• If you receive an offer for campus accommodation and accept it after the start of your course you will still benefit from a seven-day cooling off period form the date of acceptance. To be eligible, you can’t have already accessed your accommodation and you must cancel by emailing accommodation@herts.ac.uk

The only reason you would be able to apply for release after the contract start date is if you were subject to a Government imposed travel restriction i.e. you are prohibited from leaving your country or entering the UK.

The alternative to this option is to reject your offer of accommodation and contact us at accommodation@herts.ac.uk once your travel is booked (providing a specific arrival date); we will then support you with the accommodation options that we have available at the time.

Residential parking on College Lane Campus is very limited. You can apply here and you must fall into the relevant criteria. Residential parking is £171.60 for the year. There is no residential parking in de Havilland Campus.

Commuting students and visitors can either use the Park and Ride, multi-storey car park or use an e-permit. The Park and Ride (AL10 8HS) is available for all students, staff and visitors to use, it is £1 for the day per vehicle to use the shuttle bus that goes to both College Lane and de Havilland campuses. The multi-story car park next to the Forum is available for use using RingGo. It is free for 30 minutes, £3 up to 5 hours and £5 over 5 hours. E-permits are available for qualifying students and staff, these are £3 for the day.

Find out more information about parking.

There is a Medical Centre on College Lane Campus that is solely for staff and students. You can register there as soon as you know the address of your accommodation in Hatfield.

We have a number of shops of campus and these are well stocked to provide students with all the essentials you need.

We’re making plans for start of term, but don’t worry, you won’t be left alone. We have an app to help you find your way around campus. Download it now to take a look.

The University is introducing enhanced cleaning regimes across all University buildings, with additional information about hand washing and hand gels available across campus.

Yes. Like our other services, we have had to make a few changes to our cafes and restaurants to ensure we can implement social distancing and keep you all safe. This means seating areas will be more spaced out, there will be queuing markers on floors and some changes to our menus. We will continue to provide vegan, vegetarian and Halal options.

The following outlets will be open Mondays – Fridays.

College Lane Outlets

• Subway
• Starbucks
• Café Rore
• Retail Shop
• Joe de Frango chicken (The Forum Restaurant)
• Elehouse*

de Havilland outlets

• Café Ambition
• Café Sport
• Retail Shop

Details of opening times will be confirmed in the coming week so please keep on the look out for more updates.

*The Elehouse will also have opening hours over the weekends. More information will be available soon.

The LRCs will reopen on Monday 21 September for independent study for Herts students and staff only. College Lane LRC will be open 24/7 with reduced capacity after 10pm and de Havilland LRC will be open from 7am to 10pm with alternative study space available overnight.

For details on how to keep safe in the LRCs, how to access resources, and how to get help, please visit Ask Herts.

Most of our facilities will be available for use. However, due to the current safety measures in place, such as social distancing, some of our facilities may operate with a limited capacity and reduced hours.

The following facilities will be open for students to use:

• The LRCs: The LRCs will reopen on Monday 21 September for independent study for Herts students and staff only. For details on opening times, how to keep safe in the LRCs and how to access resources, please visit Ask Herts.
• Hertfordshire Sports Village (HSV): The Sports village has now reopened and the HSV staff have been working hard to provide a safe environment for you to keep active. You can find out more about their safety measures and their opening times over on the HSV website.
• Parking facilities: Residential parking on College Lane Campus is very limited. You can apply here and you must fall into the relevant criteria. Residential parking is £171.60 for the year. There is no residential parking in de Havilland Campus. Commuting students and visitors can either use the Park and Ride, multi-storey car park or use an e-permit.
• Uno Bus: Both the intercampus shuttle and the park ride will be available from Monday 21 September, to allow students to travel to and from our campuses. Please visit the Uno Bus website for the latest timetables and updates on Uno bus services and safety information.

The Student Wellbeing Centre on College Lane Campus is available for all students to use. They provide support with any emotional, mental health, disability and health related issues.

From September, our Student Wellbeing support will continue to be delivered online and by telephone. All of our advisors and counsellors are well equipped to working online, without compromising on the quality of the support we offer.

Face to face appointments will only be available for those with specific requirements and where online appointments are deemed unsuitable. In these cases, student’s needs will be assessed and the government guidelines of keeping a 2m distance and wearing PPE will be adhered to.

To access the service, students can use our self-referral form.

More information can be found here.

You can also call the team on +44 (0)1707 284451/50 or +44(0)1707 281010 out of hours.

For Undergraduate Tuition Fees, you need to register at your uni or college before Student Finance can make your first payment. You’ll usually do this in the first week of your course, and you may have to take your student finance entitlement letter with you.

Your Tuition Fee Loan is paid directly to your university or college in three instalments during the academic year.

For undergraduate students who are self-funded, and for all postgraduate students, the university offers a variety of ways you can pay your Tuition Fees.

Tuition fee payment and liability dates, and what are you liable for, can be found here.

Many of our programmes are taught through small-group settings such as seminars, laboratory classes and tutorials. We will continue to teach these in person, while following any national safety guidelines in place at the time, to ensure you have every opportunity to engage with our academics and course mates.

We are a campus-based University, which makes us well placed to deliver valuable face-to-face teaching in a COVID secure environment, efficiently following and responding to national safety guidelines. Therefore, our emphasis will remain on face-to-face delivery.

There will be some activities that cannot be delivered safely face-to-face and these will be delivered online. This includes live, synchronous online teaching sessions (e.g. large lectures), pre-recorded academic content integrated with online support, some social activities, student wellbeing and other support services. Some services will continue online until it is safe to resume a normal service.

All rooms in our accommodation have fast wi-fi and network connection sufficient for studies and personal use.

The intercampus shuttle bus is currently not running but is due to resume service in September 2020. Students can get on any scheduled bus that goes between campuses for free on presentation of their ID card. The park and ride is also closed until further notice.

Please visit the Uno Bus website for the latest timetables and updates on Uno bus services.

If you are a new student, you will receive an email from the University inviting you to complete Stage 1 Registration (there are three steps in total). The email will be sent to you on the week commencing 17 August and include instructions and a link for you to follow. If you have any problems, get in touch with our Student Information Team by emailing ask@herts.ac.uk. You can read more about what you need to do before you arrive on our New Students page.

If you are a returning student, you will also receive an email that week, inviting you to re-enrol on your course. Please read the instructions and if you have any problems re-enrolling, get in touch with our Student Information Team by emailing ask@herts.ac.uk.

During this current period, our Wellbeing services are available 24/7 by contacting Security on +44 (0)1707 281010. Our team will then arrange a secure connection for a video call to provide assistance and reassurance. Students can also access a one-off same-day appointment by emailing deanofstudents@herts.ac.uk.

The University has its own bus company, with discounted tickets available for students.

Uno bus have a number of measures in place to ensure social distancing is observed on their buses and The Shuttle. These include:

• A reduced passenger capacity on each bus
• Areas of seating which are cordoned off
• Signage regarding 2m spacing
• Hand sanitiser dispensers on the door to the bus

Passengers are also asked to take extra safety measures to keep everyone on board safe including hand washing, contactless payments and the wearing of face coverings.

Visit the Uno bus website for more information

All our plans will be communicated to you by email. Check our website herts.ac.uk and our social media channels for our latest news and updates.

Face coverings are not PPE or Medical Devices and do not protect the wearer. However, they may protect others and help our community to feel safer. 

Face masks and medical masks should only be used in medical and clinical settings. See our table below to see the different between face coverings:

If you rely on lip reading and require staff to wear a clear face covering, please get in contact with studentwellbeing@herts.ac.uk.

Yes! Plans are well underway to ensure events, sports and socialising opportunities are available on campus from September and we will soon be sharing our timetable of events. Health and safety remains our priority therefore students can expect to see a mixture of online and face-to-face activities.

Find out more about events taking place on campus.

This year's Freshers' programme will be held over several weeks to give everyone the chance to enjoy the events, whilst prioritising the health and safety of our students. We will have a mix of face-to-face and online events for students to get involved with, including an outdoor cinema, campus walks, Drinks on the Green, and a Great British Tea Party. There will also be lots of support available to help all students settle back in to university life.

The University is working closely with Hertfordshire Students’ Union to provide an inclusive and safe experience at the start of term and we will continue to share updates with our students as our activities are confirmed.

We’ll all need a big celebration when things get back to normal, we’re looking forward to the Freshers’ Prom as much as you are! How and when this will take place will very much depend on social distancing rules and Government advice as we move through the year. We’ll let you know as soon as we have some details.

Yes. Our HertSquad team are working hard to ensure you all have lots of opportunities to keep active while you study. Safety is of course the priority, so the team are working through the finer details of their events to ensure everything will be safe for you to have fun and enjoy yourselves!

Our Active Students team will be back to a full term-time programme from Monday 28 September. You can expect to see a mix of face to face and virtual classes to get involved with including yoga, badminton and Zumba.

You can! Our Student’s Union societies are a big part of uni life so they will be open for new members to join. There will be some changes to how societies are run which you can read about on our Student’s Union website.