Attendance and engagement for research students

A new Policy and Procedure Student Attendance and Engagement has been developed to provide an up to date institutional approach to monitoring student attendance and engagement, and is being implemented from September 2024.

In respect of PGR students, attendance and engagement expectations, arrangements and the responsibilities of students, research degree supervisors and other staff members, are formulated and specified in the code of practice, but are underpinned by, and are in overall alignment with the provisions of the new policy and procedure.

We must ensure that all Postgraduate Research students who hold a visa satisfactorily engage with their programme of study, and we expect that Postgraduate Research Students will actively engage with their research and undertake regular meetings with their supervisor/s.

The academic life of a Postgraduate Research Student is normally made up of 'milestones' (1 milestone covers a 3-month period of study). These milestones can be seen on your Research Compass and will be covered during induction and confirmed by your Faculty. Research students are normally expected to meet with their supervisor each month and record at least one meeting during each milestone, recording the details of the discussion on Research Compass.

Student Visa holders are not permitted to undertake their programme remotely within the UK, there must be some face-to-face “learning”. This will include supervisory meetings, undertaking required laboratory work and/or undertaking research or fieldwork. Arrangements and opportunities for face-to-face learning will be confirmed by your faculty, with a minimum of one supervision meeting being recorded on your Research Compass during each milestone.

Where it appears that a Postgraduate Research Student is not having regular supervisory meetings, the Student Immigration Team will contact the supervisor to determine the reason. If we conclude that a student is not engaged with their research the University will consider withdrawing sponsorship of the visa and reporting this information to UK Visas & Immigration.

In addition to monitoring engagement with regular supervisory meetings, Faculty/Supervisor may report any concerns about your engagement and participation to the Student Immigration Team.

Your Minimum Points of contact during Year 1 of your studies

	Contact Point	When	What Does It Involve
1	Enrolment	On your matriculation	Complete online enrolment. Upload colour photo/scan of your passport and visa through link on your Student Portal.
2	Research Induction Event	Held in October and March	Compulsory completion of one of the Institute for Advanced Studies induction sessions.
3	Meeting with Supervisor	Within the first month	Following your meeting with your Supervisor you should record a summary via your Research Compass.
4	Skills Analysis	Within the first 3 months	Completion of the Skills Analysis module undertaken via Research Compass.
5	Meeting with Supervisor	By month 6	Following your meeting with your Supervisor you should record a summary via your Research Compass.
6	Meeting with Supervisor	By month 9	Following your meeting with your Supervisor you should record a summary via your Research Compass.
7	Meeting with Supervisor	By end of first year	Following your meeting with your Supervisor you should record a summary via your Research Compass.
8	Annual Progress Review	Every 12 months	Submit a written report and attend a review meeting with Faculty Panel

Your Minimum Points of contact during Year 2 of your studies

	Contact Point	When	What Does It Involve
1	Enrolment	On anniversary of matriculation or when requested	Complete online enrolment. If you have changed your passport or visa and not advised the university, please contact the Student Immigration Team with new copies.
2	Meeting with Supervisor	By month 15	Following your meeting with your Supervisor you should record a summary via your Research Compass.
3	Meeting with Supervisor	By month 18	Following your meeting with your Supervisor you should record a summary via your Research Compass.
4	Meeting with Supervisor	By month 21	Following your meeting with your Supervisor you should record a summary via your Research Compass.
5	Meeting with Supervisor	By month 24	Following your meeting with your Supervisor you should record a summary via your Research Compass.
6	Annual Progress Review	By end of second year	Submit a written report and attend a review meeting with Faculty Panel

Your Minimum Points of contact during Year 3 of your studies

	Contact Point	When	What Does It Involve
1	Enrolment	On anniversary of matriculation or when requested	Complete online enrolment. If you have changed your passport or visa and not advised the university, please contact the Student Immigration Team with new copies.
2	Meeting with Supervisor	By month 27	Following your meeting with your Supervisor you should record a summary via your Research Compass.
3	Meeting with Supervisor	By month 30	Following your meeting with your Supervisor you should record a summary via your Research Compass.
4	Meeting with Supervisor	By month 33	Following your meeting with your Supervisor you should record a summary via your Research Compass.
5	Meeting with Supervisor	By month 36	Following your meeting with your Supervisor you should record a summary via your Research Compass.
6	Annual Progress Review	By end of third year	Submit a written report and attend a review meeting with Faculty Panel

Your Minimum Points of contact during Year 4 of your studies

Contact Point	When	What Does It Involve
1	Enrolment	On anniversary of matriculation or when requested	Complete online enrolment. If you have changed your passport or visa and not advised the university, please contact the Student Immigration Team with new copies.
2	Meeting with Supervisor	By month 39	Following your meeting with your Supervisor you should record a summary via your Research Compass.
3	Meeting with Supervisor	By month 42	Following your meeting with your Supervisor you should record a summary via your Research Compass.
4	Meeting with Supervisor	By month 45	Following your meeting with your Supervisor you should record a summary via your Research Compass.
5	Meeting with Supervisor	By month 48	Following your meeting with your Supervisor you should record a summary via your Research Compass.
6	Notification of intent to submit	At least 2 months before intended submission	Completion of notification process available via Research Compass.
7	Submission of thesis	Thesis submitted	Submitting copies of the soft-bound thesis for examination by the maximum end date for the programme.
8	Viva	Following submission of thesis and appointment of Examining Committee	Attendance at oral examination

Following the viva, students who are recommended by the Examining Committee to complete corrections, amendments or re-submission are still required to meet with their Supervisor/s during the remaining period of their visa.

Your visa will not normally be extended for the purposes of your Viva or minor corrections. If you do not have enough time left on your visa to undertake the viva or submit minor corrections then you should return home and apply for Short Term Student Visa if you are required to return to the UK. You may also be permitted to submit minor corrections remotely from home. If a full resubmission is required and you wish to undertake this work in the UK, you may be eligible to extend your visa.

Your Immigration Responsibilities

Your Immigration Responsibilities are to:

Ensure you complete administrative enrolment on time when requested by the University.
Monitor your student email account and follow guidance/instructions from the Student Immigration Team.
Upload your passport and current visa or Biometric Residence Permit when requested by the University.
Actively engage with all your administrative and academic contact points listed above.
Maintain your UK contact address details via the University Portal.
Gain approval, via Research Compass, should you wish to embark on fieldwork or take annual leave.
Gain approval from your Supervisor should you wish to complete your studies from your home country.
your supervisor and Academic Registry staff (email: ask@stir.ac.uk) if you intend to suspend your studies or withdraw from your research programme.
Ensure that you continue to retain a valid visa by extending or applying for a new visa before your current visa expires and that you provide the University with a copy of any new visa.
Ensure that you continue to retain a valid passport and provide the University with a copy of any new passport issued.
Provide your new visa to the Student Immigration Team should you move into a new immigration category.
Ensure you do not breach the conditions of your visa: - for example, do not work more hours than permitted or claim public funds.
Register with the Police, if required, and update your Police Registration Certificate within 7 days of any change to your circumstances.

The University Visa Responsibilities

The University has responsibilities and obligations as a visa sponsor. We must comply with our obligations in order to retain our visa sponsor license and continue to sponsor international students applying to study at Stirling.

The University is required to report students to the Home Office (UK Visas and Immigration) if they breach any of the conditions of their visa. We must also report any significant changes to your conditions of sponsorship e.g. if you change programme or you complete the programme earlier than expected.