Sick note for university, signed by a UK doctor
Ill before a deadline or on the day of an exam? If your university asks for medical evidence, a GMC-registered UK doctor can assess you online and, if it is clinically right, sign a note for your extenuating circumstances claim.
- Medical evidence for extensions, missed exams and extenuating circumstances
- Online questionnaire, no appointment or waiting room
- Assessed and signed by a GMC-registered UK doctor
- Full refund if the doctor cannot issue a note on clinical grounds
£47 · No appointment needed · UK-registered doctors
£47
What your note contains
- Your name and date of birth
- The dates the doctor assesses your illness affected you
- The medical reason, worded accurately by the doctor
- Doctor’s name, GMC number, signature and date
- A PDF you can upload to your claim
The short answer. Yes, you can get a sick note for university, but first check whether you need one. There is no national rule: each university sets its own policy on medical evidence for extenuating or mitigating circumstances, extensions and missed exams. Some let you self-certify a short illness. If yours asks for medical evidence, a doctor has to assess you and decide whether a note is right.
When a university asks for medical evidence
Universities use medical evidence to decide claims that your illness affected your studies. The process has different names: extenuating circumstances, mitigating circumstances or exceptional circumstances. It usually covers three things:
- Extensions to a coursework or assignment deadline
- Missed exams, where you were too ill to sit the paper
- Performance affected by illness, where you sat or submitted but your illness affected the result
Each university sets its own rules on what evidence it wants, who it should come from, how it must be dated and when it is due, and departments can differ. Before you get any note, find your university’s policy and read the evidence section.
Can you self-certify at university?
At some universities, for a short illness. Their policies let you declare it yourself, with no doctor involved, but with limits on how long and how often. The two published policies below show how much the rules vary. They are examples only, not a guide to what your university does.
| Example university | Self-certification | When evidence is needed |
|---|---|---|
| University of Nottingham (UK campus) | Absence from exams for up to 2 consecutive calendar days in an exam period, without evidence | Absence of more than 2 consecutive days, or a further claim in the same exam period |
| University of York, Language and Linguistic Science (one department) | Up to 3 assessments or exams a year, with no medical evidence | Illness during an assessment period: evidence from a medical professional, dated within that period, giving the illness and how long it affected your work |
The self-certification rules for employees, where you can cover the first 7 days off work yourself, are a workplace rule. They do not apply to your course. If you also have a part-time job, self-certification at work is covered separately, as are sick notes for time off work.
Getting a note from your GP
Your GP surgery is one route, but there are two things to know. First, the NHS fit note is a statement about fitness for work. A letter for your university is a different thing, so ask your surgery whether it writes one for students and whether it charges. Second, even for fit notes, GPs are not required to issue one for the first 7 days of an illness, and may charge for one covering 7 days or less.
The routes to a sick note are compared side by side, including the NHS App.
A private doctor’s note for university
A GMC-registered UK doctor can assess you through an online questionnaire, with no appointment. You tell the doctor what your symptoms were, when they started, how they affected your studies and the dates involved. If the doctor thinks a note is clinically appropriate, they sign one with their name and GMC number. It costs £47.
Your university decides whether it accepts a private medical certificate. Some policies ask for evidence from a medical professional, which a registered doctor is, but the decision is theirs. A note is evidence for your claim, not an extension in itself: the university still decides the outcome. If you are unsure whether an online note will be taken seriously, what makes an online note genuine explains what to look for.
Timing matters
Claims usually have deadlines, and some policies want evidence dated within the assessment period you are claiming for. Get assessed while you are ill, or as soon as you can afterwards. A doctor can only certify what they can assess. If you were ill some time ago and saw nobody, see whether a sick note can be backdated before you order.
Mental health and your studies
Anxiety, depression and stress can stop you studying as surely as flu, and the doctor assesses them in the same way. For problems that last, your university’s wellbeing or disability service can offer longer-term support. See how a mental health assessment works.
Need help now? If you have seriously harmed yourself, or you do not feel you can keep yourself safe, call 999 or go to A&E now. For urgent mental health help, call 111 and choose the mental health option. Samaritans are free to call on 116 123, day or night.
Who this is not for
- Benefit claims. Universal Credit and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) need an NHS fit note. A private certificate is not a substitute for one.
- Illness a doctor has not assessed. The note records a doctor’s clinical judgement, not a deadline you want moved.
- Emergencies. If you need medical help now, use NHS 111, or call 999 if it is life-threatening.
The doctor may decline if a note is not clinically appropriate, or if you need to be examined in person. If a note cannot be issued on clinical grounds, you get a full refund.
How it works
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1
Tell the doctor what happened
An online questionnaire about your symptoms, the dates and the deadline or exam affected.
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2
A UK doctor assesses you
A GMC-registered doctor reviews your answers and decides whether a note is clinically appropriate. They may contact you if something needs clarifying.
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3
Your note, or a full refund
If the doctor issues a note, it arrives as a signed PDF by email, ready to upload. If the doctor declines on clinical grounds, you are refunded in full.
Common questions
Can you get a sick note for university?
Yes. A doctor can give you medical evidence for your university if they assess you and think it is clinically right. What your university accepts, and when it wants evidence at all, is set by its own extenuating circumstances policy, so read that first.
How do I get a doctor’s note for university?
Check your university’s policy to see what evidence it asks for and by when. Then ask your GP surgery whether it writes letters for students and what it charges, or use a private doctor. With us, a GMC-registered UK doctor assesses you through an online questionnaire and decides whether a note is appropriate.
Do universities check doctors’ notes?
We cannot say what any one university does. A genuine note names the doctor and gives their GMC number, so anyone can check the doctor is on the medical register. Never submit evidence that was not written by the doctor named on it.
Can I get a sick note for a missed exam?
If you were ill on the day, yes, provided a doctor assesses you and can support it. Universities often have tight deadlines for exam claims, and some want evidence dated within the assessment period, so get assessed as soon as you can. A doctor cannot certify an illness they have not assessed.
Can I get a sick note for anxiety or depression at university?
Yes. Mental health can affect your studies as much as a physical illness, and the doctor assesses it in the same way. If your university has a wellbeing or disability service, it can also help with longer-term support.
Related
Sources. The legal, pay and clinical facts on this page were checked against these primary sources on 27 October 2026. Rules and rates change, and your employer’s own policy may add to them, so check your contract or HR policy too.
Need medical evidence for your university?
Answer a short questionnaire online. A GMC-registered UK doctor assesses you and, if it is clinically right, signs a note. £47. Check your university’s policy first.
Start your assessmentAssessed by a GMC-registered UK doctor. Full refund if a note cannot be issued on clinical grounds.