I just wondered if anyone has experience of this type of situation or any advice about how to proceed.

My partner has applied to do a part-time Masters at a UK university. She has told them she is currently doing a postgraduate module by distance learning (this is unrelated to the Masters, and she's not attempting to count it towards the Masters - it's just something else she has been studying).

The university has responded by making her Masters offer conditional on her finishing and passing the module, even though it is unrelated and is not something they would normally ask for. Furthermore, there is an overlap of about two weeks between the start of the Masters and the end of the module, and they've said they won't allow this and the distance learning course needs to be finished before proceeding.

None of this sounds right to me. Firstly, they're asking the impossible. Secondly, they've made a conditional offer on an irrelevant qualification. Thirdly, she's only going to be doing the Masters part-time and surely it is none of their business how she spends the rest of her time.

Anyone got any thoughts on this?

This is due to the university regulations I would expect. My university does not allow students to study concurrent qualifications, this may explain why they have made the offer they did. With a conditional offer they can be sure the module has been completed. it would be worth contacting the course leader though to discuss the situation given the overlap is only two weeks.

If it was irrelevant, why was it included int he application? I guess you would have included it in the academic history section. Well best you can do is 1. either defer the offer to the next available start date (if possible since its conditional), or 2. see if you can take the module exam early (probably not possible).

If admin at the UK uni persists in being intransigent, I am afraid deferring or shopping around for other offers may be your only choice.

Thanks for your replies. My partner has spoken to the course administrator so we're awaiting further advice. Fled, the information about the module was included because the application asked for education/work history and she didn't foresee any problem with disclosing a course she's currently doing just out of personal interest.

Just tell them she has quit it even though she hasn't... how are they going to know?

This was my first thought....

Some unis have a form stating completion or suspension of current studies which has to be filled in by the other institution and handed/sent in before the admission. As others advised, check the regulations.

Thanks folks. We're just waiting on the uni coming back to us now with advice on how to proceed. It would be nice if there was a way for her to quietly finish the other course while telling them she'd quit. Apart from anything else, we paid for it because it was something she wanted to do, so it would be annoying to be forced to quit it with nothing to show!

If she's in the final stage and there isn't a lot of coursework left on this other module, the uni will probably allow it since it won't greatly affect her work on the masters, especially it being a part-time programme.
Fingers crossed everything sorts out...

Thankfully, the uni has decided to allow my partner to finish her other course with a two week overlap between it and the Masters. Phew!

Excellent! Common sense has prevailed...