Season's Greetings

The end of term is here and we hope you enjoy a very well-deserved break. We are sending you warm wishes this festive season, and we can't wait to welcome you back in 2024.

Below, you can watch a Christmas video message from your Vice-Chancellor and see what's happening across campus over the break, including opening times for our teams and services on campus.

We also have some advice for our international students on staying safe over the holidays and protecting yourself from scams and cyber-crime.

With the holiday period coming up, we want to remind you of some tips for staying safe and looking after yourself over the holidays, including spotting the signs of potential scams and cyber-crime.

Be aware of scams and cyber-crime

Scams can take place over the telephone, through social media channels such as WeChat, and through cyber-crime. International students are often targeted in fraudulent scams. These can look like they come from a genuine source, for example, your embassy, the Home Office, the police, or the National Health Service (NHS).

If you are unsure of whether you have received a fraudulent call or message, do not engage in conversations or click on any links and please check with a staff member. You can find more information about current scams that we are aware of and who to contact on this page.

How to access healthcare

Please remember that most NHS treatment in the UK is free of charge and the NHS should not contact you to ask for any payment. You can find useful healthcare advice on the new International Student Support pages.

Stay safe in public places

If you are travelling to public places or outside of the UK over the break, remember to be vigilant and keep your valuable personal belongings secure, such as your phone, wallet, bank card and Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), to avoid loss or theft. This is particularly important when visiting busy areas over the holidays, such as shopping centres or Christmas markets.

If your BRP is lost or stolen, don’t panic – follow this guidance.

Support and opening times

For more information and support, please see our International Student Support pages. You can find opening hours for teams and services on campus over the holidays on our Christmas pages.

A reminder that you can also get support if you are experiencing exceptional unforeseen circumstances which are outside your control and might have a detrimental effect on your studies. If you are struggling, please see the process for submitting mitigating circumstances and reach out to the Wellbeing and Student Support team for wellbeing advice.