Jargon Buster - A B
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Academic Department
Each student belongs to an academic department who is responsible for their learning, teaching etc. They may have classes outside their department, if they are taking modules as part of their degree which are offered by another department.
Academic Year
The academic year consists of thirty weeks divided into two semesters each of fifteen weeks. The year usually starts in late September, and runs through to June, with breaks for the Christmas and Easter vacations.
ALF
ALF stands for Access to Learning Fund. Students can apply to be awarded a small sum of money, which is provided by the Government to allow the University to support students who are in financial difficulty.
Alumni
Students who have successfully passed a course at university; a graduate.
AHRC
AHRC stands for the Arts and Humanities Research Council. They provide funding for research in arts and humanities subjects.
Approved modules
An approved module is one from a selection of courses that your department will allow you to take and are listed directly underneath the core modules in the course regulations.
ART ID Number
The Automated Response Technology Identification (ART ID) number is an eleven-digit number that is used to uniquely identify your personal student finance account. You will automatically be issued with one when you apply for financial support. You will need to use it to log in to your account on Student Finance Direct and have it to hand when phoning them. The University does not keep a record of this number.
Autumn Semester
The Autumn semester usually starts in late September and consists of twelve teaching weeks before Christmas and, after the Christmas Vacation, a three-week examination period when the modules taken during the semester are assessed.