To help you settle in at Solent, we've provided a list of names, terms, and phrases you may hear around the University, but may not be quite sure what they mean to begin with!
Finding your way around
Buildings
TS - The Spark. Our newest teaching building. Home to The Pod and you'll also fine the Student Hub and Re:So here.
JM - John Millais Building. Located between the Library and The Spark, the JM building is home to our television and film studios, and computing labs, as well as the media hatch.
A - Michael Andrews Building. Here, you'll find the hair and make-up studios, the art and design studios, and the architecture studios.
RM - Reginald Mitchell Building. This building is connected to the Michael Andrews Building and is home to the nursing simulation ward and the biomedical science labs.
HC - Herbert Collins Building. Home to the fashion studios and the photography cove.
SC - Solent Sports Complex. As well as the gym and sports halls, you'll find our sport teaching facilities, such as the sport therapy suite and sports science labs.
CC - Christopher Cockerell Building. Currently undergoing refurbishment for the South Coast Institute of Technology engineering labs. The building is due to reopen in 2025.
Solent Library. The Library is located between the MA and JM buildings. Here, you'll find essential resources, services, and expertise to support your learning and research.
Maritime Simulation Centre. Located in the Michael Andrews building concourse, it's the UK's largest ship and port simulation centre and is used by students of the Warsash Maritime School.
Services
Sensory room. Located in JM110. A calm and quiet space for students to use. This might be helpful if you are feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or experiencing sensory overload.
The Workshop. Located in JM108. An informal space for students t work collaboratively or take a break. It has kitchenette facilities.
Solent Creatives studio. Located in JM109. Solent University's student-powered creative agency, linking businesses with the creative talent at Solent.Â
Faith rooms and prayer rooms. Located in JM112. Multi-faith spaces and prayer rooms. There is an additional faith room in the Library.
These services are all located in the Student Village
Food and drink
C-Store. Located in the RM Building, the shop sells groceries, confectionery, sandwiches and hot and cold drinks.
The Dock. Located in the RM Building, the Dock is the main restaurant offering a wide selection of food options for breakfast and lunch. You can also use the Dock's click-and-collect service.
East Park Deli. The East Park Deli is in The Spark and offers hot and cold food for breakfast and lunch. There's a Starbucks located in here too.
Costa Coffee. Located in the Andrews Building, you'll find everything you'd expect from a Costa.
Support teams
Access Solent. Our disability and neurodiversity advice service for students.
Accommodation Team. The team can assist students with queries related to Solent accommodation, as well as provide advice on private housing.
Guided Learning. The team can help with digital skills, technology assistance, and system access. They also run workshops and activities for students.
International Support Team. The Team are available to answer queries from international students, such as visa or BRP queries.
Safeguarding. If you have a non-urgent safeguarding concern for a fellow student, you can complete a safeguarding form to submit to the team. If it's an emergency, you should report to the relevant authorities.
Solent Careers. Solent Careers is the University’s careers, employability and enterprise service.
Student Achievement Team. The Team helps to support student retention and achievement through a series of targeted initiatives - all students will likely be contacted by the team during their studies.
Student Funding Team. The Team provides information and advice on financial support, as well as information about bursaries, grants, and scholarships.
Student Hub. Your first point of contact for any queries or personal matters which may be affecting your studies. You can visit them in person in The Spark.
Student Registry. If you have any queries about your student record, including your grades, credits, and modules, get in touch with the team by email.
Students' Union (SU). Run by students for students, the SU organises social events, societies, and sports teams. They can also offer independent advice to students.
Therapy and Mental Health Team. The Team help to support students who are experiencing difficulties during their time at Solent, including talking therapy and advice.
General terms
Academic misconduct. Any action which produces an unfair advantage for a student in relation to their assessment.
Academic year. The teaching year which typically runs from September to June/July.
Academic. A member of teaching/research staff within the University.
Alumni. People who successfully completes a course at University and graduate.
Assessment. A process that appraises an individual's knowledge, understanding, abilities, and skills.
Assignment. Work undertaken by a student - can be in various styles such as presentations, exams, written assignments, and more.
Assistive technology (AT). Products or systems that support and assist individuals with disabilities, restrictive mobility, or other impairments.
Attempts. Students will be offered four attempts at a module - a first attempt and three further referral attempts for each element they need to pass.
Attendance monitoring. All students are required to mark themselves as in attendance at the start of each lesson. Your attendance is monitored to support your achievement while at Solent.
Bank letter. A letter addressed to a chosen bank for students to prove their university status when opening a bank account - you can request this through Gateway.
Biometric Residence Permit (BRP). A card issued to international students by the Home Office to evidence their immigration permissions.
Bursary. A non-repayable monetary award which offers financial support to students - the amount is determines on a number of factors.
Campus. The land on which the University's buildings reside.
Campus card. Multipurpose card used to gain access on to campus and to use library services. This contains your student ID number and picture.
CATS. Credit accumulation and transfer scheme - see also 'Credits' definition.
Change of circumstance. This is a process undertaken by the Student Registry Team to update or amend student details with Student Finance.
Clearing. A system that matches applicants to university places that are yet to be filled.
Collusion. Unpermitted or illegitimate cooperation between more than one student to complete work submitted for an assessment.
Commuter student. A student who doesn't live near campus and commutes to and from Solent - typically located three or more miles from campus.
Compensation. The process by which an assessment board, in consideration of a student's overall performance and engagement, recommends that a credit be awarded for a module in which they failed to satisfy the assessment criteria.
Council Tax exemption certificate. A letter specifically for full-time students to give to the council, allowing them to be exempt from paying Council Tax at their term-time address.
Credits. Each module you undertake during your course has credit points assigned to it (CATS).
Cross-sessional. Courses that do not follow the standard academic year (eg, January to January).
Defer/deferral. A further uncapped attempt at an assessment requested by a student and granted through extenuating circumstances where a student was unable to submit the previous attempt due to unforeseen circumstances.
Department. The University has five academic departments: Art and Music, Business and Law, Film and Media, Science and Engineering, Social Sciences and Nursing, and Sport and Health.
Dissertation. A lengthy essay on a subject, usually written and submitted at the end of a university degree programme.
DSA. Disabled Students Allowance.
Estranged student. A student who is irreconcilably estranged from both biological and adoptive parents, or only living parent, has been financially independent for 36 months prior to starting their course, or has been in local authority care for at least three months after their 16th birthday.
Extension. Extensions can be granted on completion of an accepted extenuating circumstances application - extensions are for seven calendar days.
Extenuating circumstances (EC). Short-term adverse circumstances outside of a student's control that prevent them from completing assessments. You can apply for EC through Gateway and, if accepted, you can get a seven-day extension or defer your assessment until the next assessment period.
Falsification. Unauthorised creation, alteration, or reporting of false information in academic activity.
Fresher. A student who has just started university.
Gateway. Solent's student records system and where you can make selections and changes relating to your studies.
GP registration. Students are required to register with a GP surgery - you will need register with a GP directly in your catchment area.
Guided learning. A range of on-demand and in-person activities/events that allow students to enhance their learning experience.
Late hand-in. Work that is submitted seven days late without extenuating circumstances - this results in a penalty mark of 0.
Mature student. A student who enters undergraduate higher education aged 21 or over.
Maintenance loan. A loan paid directly to the student, normally in three instalments. It is provided by the Student Loans Company (SLC) and is intended to cover living costs while studying.
Module. A block of learning on a subject or topic that forms your degree study.
Must-pass module. A module which contains elements that must be passed and cannot be compensated.
MySolent app. Mobile app providing quick access to university services.
Ordinary degree. A degree passed without achieving the conditions to gain honours - the student will have passed at least 300 credits.
Pass mark. The minimum students must achieve to pass a module, which is 40%.
Placement year. A year where students can gain work experience in their chosen field.
Plagiarism. Where a student incorporates another person's or body's work by unacknowledged quotation, paraphrase, or other device in any work submitted for an assessment in a way which suggests it's the student's original work.
Portal. Solent's internal website which provides information for students and staff.
Postgraduate degree. Also known as a master's degree. These are higher-level qualifications which usually require you to have completed an undergraduate degree first.
Private accommodation. Renting a room or property from a company, letting agency, or a person who owns the building, usually called a landlord.
Refer/referral. A further capped attempt at a module in which a student has previously failed to achieve an overall pass mark of 40.
Referencing. All written assessments are required to be reference using the Harvard Solent referencing format.
Referral/deferral period. Also known as the 'resit period'. Specified point in the academic year where students can submit work for referral/deferral modules.
Repeat module. A module that was not passed after the referral/deferral period and the student was not able to proceed to the next level of their studies. The module is attempted again with attendance, and all previous marks are not carried forward. Grades for repeat modules are not capped, and students cannot progress with a failed repeat module.
SOL. Solent Online Learning - the University's online learning platform.
Student number. This forms part of your Student ID – located on your student card.
Suspension. If you are absent from studying for more than 20 working days, we will normally advise you to suspend your studies and start again the following academic year.
Term/semester. Both describe how the academic year is divided into sections.
TWIMC. To whom it may concern letter – details a student’s studies. Can be requested though Gateway.
Trailing module. A module trailed from a previous level in which a student has not passed their first or second attempt, but where the student has been able to proceed on to their next level of their course.
Top-up degree. These courses deliver 120 credits of study, allowing you to top up a HND or foundation degree to a full honours degree.
Transcript. An official record of modules undertaken, marks awarded, and allocated credits.
TurnItIn. Online method for uploading assignments on SOL.
Withdrawal. When a student withdraws from their studies.
Fit to sit. This means that you are responsible for deciding that you are fit to submit an assessment. If you submit the work, you have therefore declared yourself fit to do so. Any EC claims will be disregarded.Â
