Source differences and clarifications
Open questions identified in official sources checked 6 November 2026. No University clarification has yet been obtained. Student pages carry actionable notices where these could change a decision.
Extension notice period
Framework §§4.1, 5.4 and 5.6 discuss extensions normally in the final three months and require application before the maximum end date. Regulation D5.5 requires application at least three months before the maximum end date. Do not tell students they can safely wait until the last three months. Extending maximum registration recommends starting early and written confirmation of the applicable timetable.
Early submission approval
Framework §6.4 requires School RDC approval on RD-ES; D5.4 says applications go to the RDEB. The wiki preserves both and asks the School/Operations Team to confirm routing. See Early or late submission.
Grace period authority and cohort
Framework §4.1 says RD19 is considered by School RDC and automatically applies to pre-March-2025 students except Published Works; nearby wording says grace is “never automatic”. D3.2/D5.1 describe RDEB/Convenor discretion. The forms page labels RD19 “2025/6 students onwards”, leaving a March-2025 cohort ambiguity. Grace period retains the exact framework exception and requests confirmation rather than treating the forms label as a new rule.
Registration periods
Framework §§4.1/9.3 and D5.1 give 48 months GTA, but D3.7 gives 60. Framework §4.1 gives 36 months professional doctorates, D5.1 gives 36–48, and §9.2 describes a minimum three/maximum four-year programme. Confirm recorded end dates. Registration periods and route pages flag these differences.
RD5 timing and LLMRes omission
RD5 tables omit LLMRes, unlike RD4, and use “second calendar year of study” for part-time doctoral dates. This can be read inconsistently with D5.7’s 18-month maximum. RD4 and RD5 deadlines transcribes rather than silently reinterprets. Ask for an unambiguous month/year and LLMRes limit.
RD6 frequency
Framework §4.5 describes annual standard-registration RD6 for part-time and Masters students, then twice yearly for all in grace/post-submission. The official FAQ says every six months with no exceptions. RD6 reflective review follows the detailed framework distinction and alerts readers to confirm local requirements.
Final award approval
Framework §§6.6, 7.15, 8.1 and Appendix 2 refer to RDEB approval; §8.1 still calls the date the “ACDC meeting”. §§1.2, 8.2 and Appendices 1a/1b/6 describe URDC final award approval. D2.3 establishes URDC governance with delegated RDEB work but does not remove this inconsistency. Completion and graduation and Final thesis deposit require formal Operations Team confirmation rather than naming one as conclusively final.
Simultaneous registration
Framework §2.8 lists exceptions including SRDL-approved short courses. D4.2 specifies RDEB Convenor permission for another award. Registration and study commitment asks readers to confirm authorisation, not rely on an assumed blanket exception.
Stipend during suspension
§5.4 contains a general no-stipend entitlement statement except medical/family leave, but §§3.5/5.4 also allow School discretion, especially for short breaks. Stipends during study breaks preserves the general rule, discretion and explicit medical/family provisions. Confirm arrangements on RD7.
Visa absence threshold
Framework §§3.9/5.4 say over five days, with a fixed-holiday exception in §3.9; the forms page says 5+ days. Exactly five days and fixed-holiday treatment need confirmation with Visa and International Support. The visa note does not give an assurance of compliance or re-entry permission based solely on a summary.
Outcomes and route-specific rules
§9.4 restricts Published Works outcomes to pass/minor/major/fail and excludes resubmission/lower awards, but refers to obsolete option “vii” although D6.6 lists five. Do not impose the standard fail-resubmit route on Published Works. §7.11 omits LLMRes from the second-viva exception; D6.6 expressly exempts both MRes and LLMRes. Appendix 7’s award-standard wording (“original and significant”) is stronger than §1.7’s MRes description. Masters students should discuss award expectations with supervisors.
Post-examination timing
§7.10 says paperwork within 10 days; Appendices 6/7 say feedback within 10 working days. §7.13 describes examiner reports within four weeks for amendments/six for resubmission; appendices describe one month for amended-thesis judgement. Outcome-letter dates remain the student’s timing anchor. The wiki does not promise an exact result date.
Internal cross-references and legacy terms
Many references to suspended study still say §5.3 (actual §5.4); post-viva extensions are §5.5, maximum-registration extensions §5.6. §4.4 points to §1.8 for criteria (actual §1.7). §3.4 points to Appendix 4 for debt (actual Appendix 5). §2.11 refers to an ATAS list in Appendix 3, which is an SRDL remit. Several ACDC/DCEB/Office names remain. Wiki citations point to actual headings and current role names while retaining a record of discrepancies.
Intellectual property and open access
§1.4’s broad University ownership statement and §6.7’s staff scholarly-copyright/licensing text should not be collapsed into a definitive statement about student copyright or a blanket CC BY thesis requirement. Intellectual property and research data and Thesis embargo and open access direct specific questions to the relevant policies/Repository Team.