How to apply for permission to submit your assignment late

You are expected to plan your time in order to be able to submit work by the deadline. However, if you find that you are not able to do so then you should refer to the Late Submission policy, which provides links and information explaining the circumstances (and timescales) within which you may apply for permission to submit late.

Read the relevant section below (based on your course type) for instructions on how to apply for permission to submit your assignment late.

How to apply for permission to submit your assignment late (award-bearing courses)

These instructions are for students on award-bearing courses and accredited postgraduate-level short courses (who log in via Study and Canvas). Students studying an undergraduate-level short course (who log in via Portal) should follow the guidance for short online courses.

To apply for permission to submit an assignment late:

  • Locate the relevant assignment submission page on your course site and open it.
  • Scroll down to the Submission status section, and select the Request permission to submit late link on the Extensions row.
  • In the Extension length (days) drop-down menu, choose the number of additional days (after the due date) required. (Note: If your request is more than 21 days after the due date, you should select the maximum number of days listed in the drop-down menu and give the specific details of your request in the “Reason for proposed extension” textbox.)
  • Indicate whether you are happy for the reason for your request to be shared with your course director.
  • Enter the supporting information for your request in the text boxes. Please give as much detail as possible.
  • If you are requesting permission to submit more than seven days after the due date, please contact your course administrator to advise whether you have any evidence to support your extension request, such as a medical certificate or email from a line manager at work, and to discuss how this information should be provided.
  • Click Request permission.
  • You will see a confirmation on screen that your request to submit late has been submitted. Click Continue to return to the Submission status screen.

Requests will be acknowledged, and, in most cases, a decision will be made within two working days. If you make your request five or more days before the deadline, you can expect to receive a decision before the deadline. If you submit your request after this, you may not receive a decision until after the deadline. You should continue to work towards the original deadline until notified otherwise. Once a decision has been made, you will receive an email informing you of the decision and giving the new assignment due date, if appropriate. Please note that all correspondence concerning late submission will be sent to your University email address.

At any time, you can review the status of your request for approval of late submission by opening the relevant assignment submission page. You will see the extension status marked as Pending, Accepted or Rejected and can click on the associated link for full details of the status of your request.

Increasing the length of a previous request to submit late

In certain circumstances, you may apply for permission to increase the length of a previous request to submit late, for example, if you originally requested an extension of seven days but due to continued illness, you need more time to complete your assignment.

If the combined total of your original request and the extra time you need to complete your assignment is 21 days or less you should follow the steps above to make a new request for the additional time required. Please note that your new request should only be for the additional days you require (not the total length of the extension from the original assignment due date). For example, if your original request was for seven days and you need three additional days to complete your assignment, your second request should be for three days (not ten days). You should include details of why you need the additional time in the textbox on the Request permission to submit late page.

If the combined total of your original request and the additional days you require to complete your assignment is more than 21 days you should select the maximum number of days listed in the drop-down menu and give the specific details of your request in the “Reason for proposed extension” textbox.

How to apply for permission to submit your assignment late (short online courses)

These instructions are for students on short online courses (who log in via Portal). Students studying award-bearing courses or an accredited postgraduate-level short course should follow the separate guidance for their courses.

To apply for permission to submit an assignment late:

  • Locate the relevant assignment submission page on your course site and click to open it.
  • Scroll down to the Submission status section, and select the Request permission to submit late link on the Extensions row.
  • In the Extension length (days) drop-down menu, choose the number of additional days (after the due date) required. (Note: If your request is more than 21 days after the due date, you should select the maximum number of days listed in the drop-down menu and give the specific details of your request in the “Reason for proposed extension” textbox.)
  • Indicate whether you are happy for the reason for your request to be shared with the course director.
  • Enter the supporting information for your request in the text boxes. Please give as much detail as possible.
  • Click Request permission.
  • If you are requesting permission to submit more than seven days after the due date, please contact latesubmission@conted.ox.ac.uk to advise whether you have any evidence to support your extension request, such as a medical certificate or email from a line manager at work, and to discuss how this information should be provided.
  • You will see a confirmation on screen that your request to submit late has been submitted. Click Continue to return to the Submission status screen.

Requests will be acknowledged, and, in most cases, a decision will be made within two working days. If you make your request five or more days before the deadline, you can expect to receive a decision before the deadline. If you submit your request after this, you may not receive a decision until after the deadline. You should continue to work towards the original deadline until notified otherwise. Once a decision has been made, you will receive an email informing you of the decision and giving the new assignment due date, if appropriate. Please note that all correspondence concerning late submission will be sent to the email address you used to register for your short online course.

At any time, you can review the status of your request for approval of late submission by opening the relevant assignment submission page. You will see the extension status marked as Pending, Accepted or Rejected and can click on the associated link for full details of the status of your request.

Increasing the length of a previous request to submit late

In certain circumstances, you may apply for permission to increase the length of a previous request to submit late, for example, if you originally requested an extension of seven days but due to continued illness, you need more time to complete your assignment.

If the combined total of your original request and the extra time you need to complete your assignment is 21 days or less you should follow the steps above to make a new request for the additional time required. Please note that your new request should only be for the additional days you require (not the total length of the extension from the original assignment due date). For example, if your original request was for seven days and you need three additional days to complete your assignment, your second request should be for three days (not ten days). You should include details of why you need the additional time in the textbox on the Request permission to submit late page.

If the combined total of your original request and the additional days you require to complete your assignment is more than 21 days you should select the maximum number of days listed in the drop-down menu and give the specific details of your request in the “Reason for proposed extension” textbox.

If you need to contact someone about your late submission request, please email latesubmission@conted.ox.ac.uk.