The Advice Service offer free, confidential & independent advice on The University of Portsmouth's academic policies and procedures. We are open 10am - 4pm Monday - Friday.

Email: advice@upsu.net
Phone: 023 9284 3478
Location: The Gun House Building (next to the Students' Union), Cambridge Road, Portsmouth, PO1 2EF.  

On This Page:

• Are you struggling to make friends?
• Are you concerned about your mental health?
• Do you have a personal situation/ something going on at home that is affecting you?
• Is your financial situation making you want to drop out?
• Are you finding your course more difficult than you expected?

Are you struggling to make friends?

It is completely normal to find it difficult to make friends whilst at University. There are plenty of opportunities to find your people.

There are a large array of student groups available to join. Including: hobby-based, culture-based, course-based, arts based and sports based groups. You can find a full list of UoP and UPSU groups here. 

If none of these take your own fancy, you can even begin your own group! This webpage explains how to get started. 

Furthermore, volunteering is a great way to make friends. Volunteering for a charity that matches your hobbies and ambitions will enhance your time at uni. It also improves your career prospects by expanding your employability skills and your experience of working in a professional environment.

The Careers and Employability volunteering service can give you 1-2-1 support and guidance with finding the right volunteering opportunity for you. 

The Careers and Employability Service are open Monday - Friday, 8.30am - 4.00pm during term time. They can also be contacted by telephone on +44(0)23 9284 2684 or by email at careers@port.ac.uk to arrange for a virtual appointment or to make a query.

Are you concerned about your mental health?

In 2022, Student Minds carried out a survey and found that 57% of respondents self-reported a mental health issue & 27% had a diagnosed mental health issue (click here to read more). This means that the majority of students are affected by mental health issues, which in turn means that you are not alone. 

The University Wellbeing Service provides free mental health, wellbeing and counselling support. They work in partnership with you to fulfil your academic potential and have a meaningful university experience. 

They offer one-to-one support like daily advice sessions and counselling, resources and guides for help with different issues, and workshops, courses, events and support groups to connect with others.

You may like to contact SolentMind, the local Mind organisation that can provide mental health support and resources to support you during your studies. 

SolentMind can be contacted using the information below:

Telephone: 023 8202 7810

Email: info@solentmind.org.uk

You can also contact Samaritans, who are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a week, and they provide confidential emotional support for people who are experiencing feelings of distress, despair or suicidal thoughts

Samaritans can be contacted using the information below:

Telephone: 116 123

Email: jo@samaritans.org

Do you have a personal situation/ something going on at home that is affecting you?

We recommend speaking to your personal tutor, they will be able to explain what support is available. 

Remember you can submit an ECF! For advice on which criteria and evidence to supply you can speak to your Student Engagement Officer. They offer a range of support to students, including: 

• Support for wellbeing, stress and motivation problems
• Accessing financial and housing support
• Dealing with personal problems
• Assistance with Extenuating Circumstance forms
• Accessing support for health and disability issues
• Integrating into the University or Faculty

You can contact the student hub to find out who your faculty's Student Engagement Officers are. 

If your circumstances are longer term, it may be recommended that you suspend your studies. Suspension is a temporary break in study, sometimes referred to as interrupting. For more information regarding this process you can speak to your personal tutor, course leader or The Advice Service. 

Is your financial situation making you want to drop out?

Here in the UK, we are seeing an increase in the cost of living and we know that you may very well be worrying about the rises to household bills, food and other living costs whilst studying at University.

See this page which outlines the financial support available to you whilst you are studying. 

The University's Student Finance Service offers information, advice and guidance on student funding, support funds and managing your money. We highly recommend that you consider the support this service can offer you.

To find out more about the support they can offer you, please see this webpage.

You can also contact the Student Finance Centre using the following contacts:
General enquiries: +44 (0)23 9284 3014
Fees and Bursaries Information Helpline: +44 (0)23 9284 3052
Email: student.finance@port.ac.uk 
Location: University House, Winston Churchill Ave, Southsea, Portsmouth PO1 2UP

Are you finding your course more difficult than you expected?

If you are thinking about withdrawing and would like to know the options that are available to you, you can speak to The Advice Service.

Each faculty has a learning support and/or development tutors' (LS/DT) service   that offers support and advice to students based within that Faculty. Support can come in the form of workshops, software tutorials, or faculty-specific course or academic skills support - this varies across faculties. 

Alternatively, you can contact the Academic Skills Unit (ASK), which is a central service and sees students across the whole University.
Email: academicskills@port.ac.uk 
Phone: +4423 9284 3462.
The service is available from Monday to Thursday from 09:00 to 5:00 and on Fridays from 09:00 to 4:00 at the Bateson Centre (The Mary Rose St, Portsmouth PO1 2BL).
If necessary, arrangements can be made for video or phone tutorials in the evenings from 5:00 to 8:00. You can find more information on their MyPort article and their Moodle page.

Summary

We understand that there are many reasons why you might be thinking about dropping out. We want to make sure you are aware of the support and opportunities available whilst you study at the University. 

However, if you do think withdrawing from the University is the right option for you, The Advice Service is able to guide you through the process.

For more information regarding withdrawing from the University see this webpage.