Your Students’ Association over the last year has partnered with Alkhemy to deliver independent Academic Advice for students. Over this time the service has helped a lot of students but we have also learnt a lot about what more support you need.

Therefore, we’re making some positive changes to how the academic advice service is delivered, so you can get advice more easily, quickly, and at times that fit better around your day.

Until now, the Advice Service has been operating from 6pm - 9pm on weekdays, but from Monday 20^th April 2026, the academic advice service will move from evening-only sessions to daytime hours, more than doubling the time dedicated to giving students advice, and with closer links to the Student Hub and other support teams. 

What support can you get?

The service continues to offer free, independent, confidential advice on:

• Academic appeals
• Academic Misconduct
• Extenuating Circumstances
• Breaks in Learning
• Fitness to Study and Fitness to Practise
• Academic – related complaints

What’s changing isn’t the advice, it is how and when you can access it.

So, what is changing?

Under a new agreement with Alkhemy you will see the following changes to the service:

• Advice will be available during the working day, not just in the evening
• The service will be more closely connected to the Student Hub and other student support teams
• Referrals and responses will be faster and more straightforward

This means you can be referred to the service at the point you raise an issue, rather than having to wait and search for the service later.

Key dates

These improvements will have a positive impact for students but does mean that we need to temporarily pause the service whilst the changes take effect. Here are the key dates to be aware of:

• The service will operate as it currently does, with an evening-only service, until Monday 13^th April 2026.
• Service will be closed from Tuesday 14^th to Friday 17^th April while changes are made.
• The new service will launch on Monday 20^th April 2026.

During this short pause (14-17 April), the Students' Association website will still be available and will signpost you to alternative sources of support. This includes the Student Hub and other university services which are still available and can help if you have an urgent query.

Students who are already receiving advice from the service will be contacted by the advice team with information on what to do whilst the service is temporarily paused.

New opening hours

The biggest change is to the services opening hours, moving from evening-only to daytime hours. This will mean from 20^th April the service will operate:

• Monday to Thursday: 09:30 – 16:30
• Friday: 09:30-12:30

How you can access the service?

You’ll be able to contact the service in the exact same ways as before by:

• Online enquiry form – available through the Get Advice Page
• By email - ardenadvice@alkhemy.org.uk
• Via referral from the Student Hub and other support teams that can direct you straight to the service.

Because advisers are now available during the day, things move faster. For example, if you speak to the Student Hub at 3pm and are referred to the advice service, you can submit your enquiry straight away – and in many cases receive an initial response on the same day or by the next working day.

What does this mean for you?

Ultimately, we hope these changes result in a more positive and impactful experience for students who need our advice and support. In practical terms this means:

• More hours – advice across the working day, not just evenings
• Easier access – referrals at the point you first ask for help
• Same independence – advice remains independent of Arden’s decision‑making, and is still delivered through AUSA

Behind the scenes, the service model is changing – but the commitment to independent, student‑focused advice stays exactly the same.

Our aim is a more responsive, more accessible service that fits around when students are studying, contacting the Student Hub, and raising academic concerns.