SLC and HESA Date Definitions

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Version 1.0 Produced 2022-09-14

The definitions between the Student Loans Company (SLC) and the HESA Student record are aligned when it comes to returning dates. This document sets out to explain the definitions and gives some examples to help reinforce this. 

Start date / attendance

Start date

HESA considers a student to be attending if they have started a course. A student is considered to have started a course if they have engaged with a course by:

  • attending a class or lecture
  • attending another timetabled activity, which may be online or include induction/freshers week*
  • accessing online materials

If a student has started a course then the student is in coverage, even if they are not yet registered. They should be treated as starting at the point where they are expected to engage with the course, in most cases this would be the start of term. Students may access physical or virtual preparatory materials prior to the start of the course this should not be treated as having engaged with the course.

*If induction periods immediately precede the start of teaching, the Engagement.ENGSTARTDATE should be the start of the induction period. If there is a significant gap between the two, the Engagement.ENGSTARTDATE should be the start of teaching.

SLC attendance

Attendance on a course means active and on-going engagement with the activities and learning opportunities made available by the provider within the course duration, including, but not limited to, scheduled learning and teaching activities.

Examples

Scenario 1 – student attends induction / freshers week prior to the start of the teaching. Engagement.ENGSTARTDATE should reflect the start of the induction / freshers week. 

Scenario 2 – student attends induction / freshers week which occurs significantly before the start of teaching. Engagement.ENGSTARTDATE should reflect the start of teaching.

Scenario 3 – student accesses physical or virtual preparatory materials prior to the start of the course. Engagement.ENGSTARTDATE should not include this time and it should be when the induction or teaching starts. 

Scenario 4 – student registers on their course prior to starting. Engagement.ENGSTARTDATE should reflect the date they engage with the course.

Scenario 5 – student registers after their course has started. Engagement.ENGSTARTDATE should reflect the date they engage with the course (which in this example will be before they have registered).

End date / leaving

End date

This is the date of last scheduled activity by a student and should include the end of the scheduled exam period but excluding retakes.

Taught students

For the purpose of HESA returns, completing Engagement is defined as being the point at which the taught or structured part of the Engagement, including planned exam periods and any formal writing-up period, is completed, i.e. once the student is no longer actively following the course, and not any later stage such as, for example, final confirmation of award. This may mean that Leaver.RSNENGEND is completed using code 98 Left but award of credit or qualification not yet known.

In some cases, students have not withdrawn from a course but have completed the taught or formally structured part of their course and are expected to complete the necessary assessment as a later date. For example, a student completes 2 years of teaching on an HND course and is allowed additional time to complete their assignments. In these cases, the final StudentCourseSession recording the student's activity on the taught or formally structured part of their course would be returned with StudentCourseSession.RSNSCSEND = 04 'Ended' and with a SessionStatus update recording that the student moved to a dormant status the day after the end of the StudentCourseSession. At this point, a Leaver entity would not be returned as the outcome for the student is not known and they have neither qualified nor withdrawn. Once the outcome for the student is known, (in a subsequent reference period), the student would be returned again with a Leaver entity and any applicable QualificationAwarded entities. The Leaver.ENGENDDATE would be backdated to the point when the student finished their engagement with the taught or structured part of the course.

Resit Exams and/or Results from Late Exam Boards

Students who complete their Engagement, but whose final confirmation of award by exams may be after a designated period, should have a Leaver entity returned, with a date left at the time assessment took place. If their results are unknown, then 98 'Left but award of credit or qualification not yet known' should be returned in Leaver.RSNENGEND. When the result is known this would then be updated with the appropriate Leaver.RSNENGEND.

Research students

For research students the award should be recorded when the provider's Senate, or other body or person empowered, formally approves the award. For such students this field should be completed with the same date.

Examples

Scenario 6 – student finishes the teaching elements of their course and then sits their exams. Leaver.ENGENGDATE should reflect the date the exams are finished. 

Scenario 7 – student finishes the teaching elements of their course and then sits their exams / assessments. They then need to retake some of their exams / assessments. The Leaver.ENGENGDATE should reflect the date the exams / assessment are finished, but not include the retakes. 

Scenario 8 – a postgraduate research student finishes writing up their PhD. They then wait until the award is formally approved. The Leaver.ENGENGDATE should reflect the date the provider's Senate, or other body or person empowered, formally approves the award. 

Scenario 9 – a HND student finishes the taught elements of their course. They are then allowed additional time to complete their assignments, before their qualification is awarded. The Leaver.ENGENDDATE would record the point when the student finished their engagement with the taught or structured part of the course.

Withdrawals

Withdrawals 

When a student withdraws from their studies, the Leaver.ENGENDDATE should be the point at which the student stops engaging with any scheduled learning, teaching and assessment activities and other active engagement ends.

SLC Withdrawal

A withdrawal refers to the point at which scheduled learning, teaching and assessment activities and other active and on-going engagement end in agreement with the provider.

A withdrawal applies where there is no intention on the student to re-engage and means there is no further obligation on the student to pay fees to the provider. A withdrawal results in termination of a student’s period of student finance eligibility.

SLC Suspension

A suspension is where a student with the agreement of their provider, ceases to actively attend a course, with the intention to return to the same course at a later date.

Examples

Scenario 10 – student starts their course at the provider. The student then decides to withdraw from the course. The Leaver.ENGENDDATE reflects the point at which the student stops engaging with any scheduled learning, teaching and assessment activities.

Scenario 11 – student starts their course at the provider. The student then decides to withdraw from the course. The Leaver.ENGENDDATE reflects the point at which the student stops actively engaging with resources, including library or online materials.

Scenario 12 – student studies remotely for their course. The student stops engaging with their course and decides to withdraw. The Leaver.ENGENDDATE reflects the point at which the student stops engaging with any scheduled learning, teaching and assessment activities and other active engagement ends.

 

 

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