Future Hallam student was left ‘in limbo’ after being told his grades were lost

A future Hallam student from Lincolnshire was left “in limbo” after being told his grades were lost, possibly impacting his place on Sheffield Hallam’s photography course, LincolnshireLive reports.

20-year-old Adam Scott was awarded a merit after spending three years studying a Level 3 certificate at Lincoln College, meeting the requirements for the photography course at Hallam.

However, when going to collect his results on 17th August, Adam was told they had been lost due to an administrative error.

According to LincolnshireLive, Adam continued to speak to both his college and the University of the Arts London (UAL), which handles the certification process, but he felt like he was “getting nowhere”.

The issue has now been resolved, but the situation has caused stress and anxiety, making him “feel as though he didn’t exist”.

At the time of the incident, Adam told LincolnshireLive: “It feels like I’ve just wasted three years of my life, working very hard to get the grade I want, just to find out I can’t go to uni. It’s not my fault I’m in this scenario – but at the same time, I feel like I’m being blamed for it.

“I’ve already paid out more than £1,000 for my accommodation. We’re not a well-off family and that is a lot of money.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to get that back. I’m in limbo. I’ve been trapped in something and I can’t get out of it.”

6th September marked the deadline for receiving a university place and Adam said he felt he was being “forced into a gap year”.

A spokesperson for Sheffield Hallam said applicants were not held to this deadline, which is set by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Services (UCAS), however.

She told LincolnshireLive that the university would be as “flexible as possible” as the delay was “obviously” not Adam’s fault, adding that they had confirmed with Lincoln College that there had been a “clerical error” in submitting his results, causing the delay.

Also in a statement to LincolnshireLive, a spokesperson for UAL said that the only way to release grades after 17th August is through the appeals system.

He said: “Where results were not received by this deadline and in time for release on the national results day of August 17, they are confirmed via appeal from August 17 until September 16.

“This is the only permitted process by which we can award results after the national results day.”

The spokesperson explained that the appeals panel had met on Friday 1st September to “make a recommendation” about Adam’s grades and informed Lincoln College of their decision the following Monday.

Adam’s grades were then confirmed that afternoon, after 18 days of waiting.

He was informed that his place at Hallam had been secured early on Tuesday through an email from UCAS.

In response, Adam told LincolnshireLive: “It was terribly slow, but everything is alright now – thankfully. There seem to be a lot of flaws in the way things are done.

“This must happen every year: one student just falls through the cracks.”

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• 10 things incoming freshers need to know about Sheffield

• University of Sheffield staff warn students could be affected as external examiners drafted in

• Sheffield University is giving £500 to students who are graduating without all their marks