Undergraduate and Postgraduate long Covid statistics

The request was partially successful.

Dear University of Chester,

Under the Freedom of Information Act, I would like to request the following information on the number of undergraduate and postgraduate students impacted by long Covid at your university.

How many postgraduate and undergraduate students were recorded to have had long Covid at your university at any time in the period between September 2020 - September 2021?

How many postgraduate and undergraduate students from your university:
a) Deferred their studies citing long Covid as the reason
b) Took a leave of absence until the following academic year citing long Covid as the reason
c) Permanently dropped out of their course, as a result of developing long Covid

What were the five longest periods in days that postgraduate and undergraduate students took a leave of absence from their course due to long Covid in the time period between September 2020 - September 2021?

Does your university offer any specialised support for postgraduate and undergraduate students living with long Covid? If so could you please provide details of these services.

What plans, if any, are in place to improve the support available to postgraduate and undergraduate students who have long Covid at your university?

Yours faithfully,

Grace Pritchard

University of Chester FOIA, University of Chester

Dear Grace,

 

Thank you for your recent request (dated 19/11/21), Please find below
response from the University:

 

How many postgraduate and undergraduate students were recorded to have had
long Covid at your university at any time in the period between September
2020 - September 2021?

 

The University does not hold this information, our Covid reporting
mechanisms do not differentiate long Covid from any other form of Covid.

 

How many postgraduate and undergraduate students from your university:

a) Deferred their studies citing long Covid as the reason

b) Took a leave of absence until the following academic year citing long
Covid as the reason

c) Permanently dropped out of their course, as a result of developing long
Covid

 

The University does not record the reasons why students request
interruptions of their studies at this level of detail.

 

What were the five longest periods in days that postgraduate and
undergraduate students took a leave of absence from their course due to
long Covid in the time period between September 2020 - September 2021?

 

The University does not hold this information.

 

Does your university offer any specialised support for postgraduate and
undergraduate students living with long Covid? If so could you please
provide details of these services.

 

What plans, if any, are in place to improve the support available to
postgraduate and undergraduate students who have long Covid at your
university?

 

We would provide support to students with a diagnosis of Long Covid in the
same way we would  for any student with a chronic condition, and this
support would be facilitated through our Disability and Inclusion Team.
Students in this situation would receive reasonable adjustments through
the implementation of an Inclusion Plan, which could contain a range of
adjustments, dependent on the need, such as: Modified reading; one to one
explanations; alternative formats; rest breaks in exams; use of computer
in exams; support in presentations; support in the library.

 

Disability and Inclusion would also assist students in obtaining the
correct medical evidence for Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) by
confirming it is ‘long term’ in nature and detailing the ‘day to day
impact’. Where students may not be eligible for DSA, for instance,
International students, the University could provide in its place
adjustments such as loan equipment and Non-Medical Helper support.

 

Yours

 

Please send responses to [1][email address]

 

Thank you and kind regards.

══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

University of Chester
Parkgate Road
Chester
CH1 4BJ

[2][email address]
[3]http://www.chester.ac.uk/

 

show quoted sections