An undergraduate student has been put at risk of homelessness following a decision by the Examination Access and Mitigation Committee (EAMC) to refuse an application for double time.

Prior to the current academic year, double time was formally known as “Extension to Period of Study”. It has since been renamed “Adjusted Mode of Study” (AMS), as part of broader changes made by the University to its exam adjustments system.

In most situations, it is used to allow a student to study the content of one year over two years, and is offered as an alternative to intermission.

Intermission is a far more common method of academic mitigation, described by the Students’ Union (SU) website as being designed for students “dealing with illness or serious personal issues”. According to the SU’s Disabled Students’ Campaign, 200-250 students make use of the process each year.

Following a series of serious illnesses in Michaelmas, James* suffered from chronic fatigue, leaving him unable to keep up with his academic work. This was compounded by him having to take “a whole week off” during Michaelmas, with James telling Varsity that keeping up with work “becomes really problematic when you’ve missed as much as I did”.

Due to his background in the care system, he and his college saw a traditional application to intermit as being unrealistic, as this would leave him without a place to live while not at Cambridge.

James lives in college year-round, but this accommodation is conditional upon him actively studying at Cambridge. Additionally, both the maintenance grant and Cambridge Bursary require the recipient to be studying, and would not be available while intermitting.

In a letter dated 11/03, the EAMC said that “the threshold for an AMS had not been met” and it would therefore deny the application. In justifying the decision, the committee pointed to the fact that a GP letter did not “confirm an underlying health condition, nor a long-term prognosis,” and went on to suggest that the condition could be improved by “further medical investigation and treatment during a period of intermission”.

However, in comments to Varsity, James explained that intermitting would leave him in a difficult financial and personal position, with no permanent place to live until he can return to Cambridge. Additionally, the uncertainty of the intermission process is likely to exacerbate James’s pre-existing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which stems from abuse in his childhood, as well as a previous episode of homelessness.

“I’ve experienced that [uncertainty] so many times in my life,” James told Varsity. “I left the care system, I’ve been homeless […] When you are in those sort of really horrific situations […] you can’t mentally or physically recover because you are trying to figure out what you are going to do.”

This is not the first time that concerns have been raised about double time. A 2023 Varsity investigation found evidence of students being left for months without a response, and highlighted that many members of staff at the University responsible for student welfare were not aware of double time as an option.

In response to a request for comment, a spokesperson for the University said: “The University of Cambridge provides reasonable adjustments for all disabled students in relation to study and assessments, as outlined in the Code of Practice for Disabled Students. Where any student is unable to engage with their studies due to their health or other grave cause, they can take a break and return when they are able to study. The University cannot comment on individual applications.”

*Name has been changed

The student’s college was contacted for comment.