Support and Wellbeing

Support and Wellbeing#

Your wellbeing is essential to your success during the IRP. If you’re facing any difficulties — academic, personal, or emotional — Imperial College offers a wide range of support options. This page outlines where to get help, how to manage challenges, and what to do if unforeseen circumstances affect your ability to complete your work.

The IRP is a full-time commitment, and you are expected to dedicate approximately 40 hours per week to it. Managing your time effectively is essential — not only to make consistent progress but also to protect your wellbeing. Be sure to take regular breaks, maintain a healthy work-life balance, and allow time for rest and recovery. Burnout can be just as disruptive as falling behind, so please pace yourself accordingly.

Personal and Departmental Support#

If you need someone to talk to or advice on any issue affecting your studies or wellbeing, the following people are here to help:

  • Personal Tutor – Your first point of contact for academic or personal concerns.

  • Senior Tutor – Available for more serious issues or if you need formal support with your studies.

  • Wellbeing Advisor – Our departmental Wellbeing Advisor, Anita Murphy, can be contacted at anita.murphy@imperial.ac.uk.

  • Module-Specific Support – For concerns specifically related to the IRP module, please contact Marijan Beg.

University-Wide Support Services#

Imperial provides a wide range of professional support services for students. We strongly recommend familiarising yourself with:

  • Student Support Zone: A central hub offering access to mental health and wellbeing services, counselling, financial support, disability services, and more.

  • Success Guide: A comprehensive resource with practical advice on how to thrive at Imperial, including guidance on study strategies, time management, wellbeing, and getting help when you need it.

Mitigating Circumstances#

Mitigating circumstances are serious, unforeseen, and unavoidable events that significantly affect your ability to complete an assessment or perform to your usual standard. Examples include a sudden illness, bereavement, a personal crisis, or an acute mental health episode.

If something affects your ability to meet a deadline or complete your IRP work, inform the Senior Tutor as soon as possible, who can advise you on whether to submit a mitigating circumstances claim and what documents are needed. Please ensure you submit a mitigating circumstances claim within 10 working days of the affected assessment and include appropriate independent evidence (e.g. medical note, support letter). Extensions or adjustments are only granted if your claim is approved. Late claims can only be considered in exceptional circumstances. If your deadline extension is granted, it also applies to the Academic Integrity Declaration submission.

For full guidance, refer to Imperial’s Mitigating Circumstances Guidelines.

The Imperial College Union also provides independent student focussed support for those facing academic difficulties. Their Advice Team offers free, confidential advice on a range of issues, including academic concerns such as mitigating circumstances and appeals, housing issues, and financial matters.

Deadline extension claims that are unlikely to be accepted#

The following types of extension claims are unlikely to be accepted:

  • Work Loss and HPC Delays: Claims based on lost work from inadequate backup practices or delays in running simulations on HPC systems (due to technical failures, limited computational resources, or any other reason). Students should commit work to their GitHub IRP repository regularly and plan timelines to accommodate potential HPC delays, especially during peak usage periods near deadlines.

  • Outside Employment: Claims related to conflicts with jobs other than approved IRP placements. The IRP is a full-time commitment, and students have agreed to prioritise their studies over other work obligations by enrolling in a full-time degree programme.

Financial Support#

IRP has no budget. As such, we are unable to offer financial support for any costs incurred during your project. This includes (but is not limited to):

  • Travel or accommodation costs (e.g. for work placements)

  • Conference or event attendance fees

  • Cloud computing resources

  • Equipment, e.g. external hard drives, adaptors, Raspberry Pi, and other hardware.

  • Software licenses

  • Books, journal articles, or other materials

  • Visa-related costs for project travel or placements

If you are considering any activity that may involve personal expenses, please discuss this with your supervisor early on and ensure that you are aware of the financial implications. In general, all IRP work should be planned in a way that does not require additional funding.

General Financial Assistance#

While the IRP itself does not provide funding, you may be eligible for broader financial support through College schemes:

  • Student Support Fund: This is a hardship fund designed to help students facing unexpected financial difficulties. It may provide support with essential living costs or one-off emergency expenses.

  • Turing Scheme: If your IRP involves an overseas placement, you may be eligible for funding through the Turing Scheme. This UK government initiative supports global opportunities in education and training and can help cover travel and living costs.

For additional advice and guidance, please visit the Student Support Zone, or contact Anita Murphy at anita.murphy@imperial.ac.uk.

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