New students

Who should I go to if I have need support with my academic studies?

Please contact your Personal tutor for support with your studies.

If you have not yet been allocated a Personal Tutor, then please contact your Programme Leader.

Alternatively, please visit the Student Information Desk who will be able to guide you towards relevant support for you.

What does my timetable look like?

New university students are advised to check your timetable daily for the first few weeks as it can be subject to change. Please go to Student timetables or read the timetable FAQs for more information.

What will my teaching be like?

Please refer to your Welcome Pack for information on how teaching will be delivered on your chosen university course.

I am an international student. When do I enrol?

Please visit International student support web pages or check our enrolment pages for enrolment information for new international students.

How do I book my face to face enrolment?

You can book your face to face enrolment using the booking form.

What do I need to bring for my face to face enrolment?

Please bring a form of ID, preferably a passport, and have your new student ID number to hand when you arrive. If you are an international student, it is important that you have your passport, BRP card and CAS information. See our Enrolment Information page for further details.

How do I pre-enrol?

Please see our step by step guide to pre-enrolling.

It’s a week before my enrolment, but I haven’t receive my pre-enrolment email?

If you have received a confirmation of your place but not received your (pre-enrolment email title) and you’ve already checked your spam filter, please contact enrolment@northampton.ac.uk.

If you have not heard back from us before your enrolment, please still attend your enrolment and where we can help you.

What happens if I arrive late?

Please contact enrolment@northampton.ac.uk if you believe you will be arriving late. The regulations allow you to enrol up to 2 weeks after your start date, but your enrolment will be late and you may have missed classes. Enrolment closes on Monday 7 October 2024 for September 2024 intake. If you cannot arrive within this time, you may have to defer your studies.

Health and wellbeing

Doctors’ surgery

You should register with a doctors’ surgery as soon as possible so you can avoid any delays if you need treatment. We have a doctors’ surgery at Delapré Place, Waterside Campus (opposite The Market). If the doctors is closed, you should contact 111 for advice only. Please only use the 111 service if your problem cannot wait until surgeries are open.

If you are living in the town centre you will have a choice of local doctors’ surgeries. You can find local doctors on the NHS website.

Counselling and Mental Health Services

If you are struggling to adjust to life at university, or are experiencing mental health difficulties, you are not alone. The Counselling and Mental Health Team offer confidential and professional services to help with personal and emotional issues that may impact on your studies.

Contact:

• counsellors@northampton.ac.uk
• or mha@northampton.ac.uk and visit our wellbeing blog [student login required]

Support for students with additional needs and disabilities

ASSIST (the Additional Student Support & Inclusion Services Team) offer support for students with additional needs, including medical conditions, disabilities, and neurodiverse conditions like dyslexia, autism and ADHD. ASSIST can support you with the enrolment process and provide campus orientation – find the team at the start of the enrolment route.

Keeping safe

The University takes your health and safety very seriously and will make all reasonable efforts to ensure that the University is a safe place for you to live and study. Our Security and Community Safety Team provide round the clock security response and support that can be called upon 365 days a year. If you require first aid attention or would like to report an incident or suspicious activity, please contact Security and Community Safety on the emergency number 01604 892777.

Who do I talk to if I need some advice?

Visit our Supporting You pages on the website and the Student Hub (access available after you have enrolled) for information about how we are here to support you. We have a wide range of support available including:

• Student Services
  • ASSIST
  • Counselling and Mental Health
  • Financial Guidance
  • International Student Support
  • Student Information Desk
  • Student Support and Advice
• Library and Learning Services
• IT
• Students Union
• Changemaker
• Personal Tutor

If you are unsure which team to contact, then please get in touch with the Student Information Desk on 01604 892833 or SID@northampton.ac.uk.

For more information about how we can support you, please visit our Supporting You pages.

Changing your course

If you are feeling unsure about whether you have chosen the right course or module and you wish to change, you should speak to your Personal Academic Tutor, programme leader or a Student Support Officer. If you are thinking of changing your course then you can request to do this within the first two weeks of your first term of study. You will need to speak to the Programme Leader of the new programme to ensure that there are spaces available and that you meet the entry requirements.

Finance queries

The Financial Guidance Team in the Learning Hub can help with student finance queries including applications, eligibility and ensuring you’re receiving your full entitlement. They also provide budgeting guidance and may offer short-term loans and additional funding to those experiencing financial hardship.

Council Tax Certificate Requests

Full time students should not have to pay council tax. Council Tax Certificates (known as Certificates of Full-Time Student Status) are emailed to eligible full time students at the beginning of each academic year together with their enrolment confirmation.

You are a full time student if you meet all the following criteria:

• your course lasts at least one academic year;
• you study for at least 24 weeks of that year;
• you study a minimum of 21 hours each week (this includes tuition and self-study time)

Please use your Certificate of Full Time Status to prove your exemption from paying council tax. The enrolment confirmation page is for your information only.

To find your certificate, search ‘Council Tax’ in your mailbox (including your spam and junk folders). The email is from noreply@northampton.ac.uk and has a pdf which contains:

• Your enrolment confirmation form on page one; this is for your record only, and not for council tax exemption.
• Certificate of Full Time Status (if eligible) on page two, which is for council tax exemption. If you are applying for council tax exemption/ reduction, you need to submit this page only to the Council; please either remove the enrolment form from the attachment or take a screenshot/photo of the Council Tax Certificate.

If your certificate has the wrong term-time address, please email counciltax@northampton.ac.uk to confirm your new address details and request a replacement certificate. Please attach a copy of your signed tenancy / rental agreement, mortgage agreement or deeds as evidence of your move-in date. If you are living with family, please ask the homeowner to confirm this in writing and the date effective from.

Further information about students and council tax including council tax reduction or exemption can be found at:

• Student Housing Council Tax – Citizens Advice
• Discounts for full-time students – GOV.UK

Please note that the university does not endorse or guarantee the content of external websites.

If you have any further council tax queries, please do contact us on  counciltax@northampton.ac.uk.

If you’re British, or a Commonwealth or Republic of Ireland citizen, you are entitled to register to vote in all elections in Britain. This might be something that you want to do during your time at University. Citizens of European Union states are entitled to register to vote in local and European elections.

Why should I register?

You need to register in order to be able to vote. If you aren’t registered to vote, you will not have the chance to have a say on who represents you.

Some people also register to vote because they want to apply for credit. This is because credit reference agencies use the electoral register to confirm where someone lives when they apply for credit in order to counteract fraud.

As a student, you can register at both your term time address and at the address you live at outside of term time.

About voter registration

You need to register in order to be able to vote in elections and referendums. The way you register to vote changed in 2014 so that now everyone is responsible for registering themselves, before it was the responsibility of the head of household.

The new system means that you can now register online. You will need to provide a few details to register – including your National Insurance number and date of birth. This makes the electoral register more secure.

How do I register?

Registering to vote is quick, easy and secure. Fill in your name, address, date of birth and a few other details. You’ll also need your National Insurance number, which can be found on your National Insurance card, or in official paperwork such as payslips, or letters about benefits or tax credits.

Look out for confirmation from your local electoral registration staff to say you’re registered.

I thought I was already registered to vote?

If you have registered yourself at your current address since 10 June 2014 in England and Wales or 19 September 2014 in Scotland – and you have not moved home since – you will be registered to vote under the new system. You will also be registered to vote if you received information at your current address telling you that you are registered under the new system.

If you are unsure whether you are registered under the new system, contact your local electoral registration staff.