Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR)

What is the HEAR and what does it include?

All of our Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught students receive a Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) at the end of their studies.

This report is a comprehensive record of all your university achievements, including some of the extra-curricular activities that you took part in during your time at the University of Bolton.

Your HEAR is a digitally signed document, and replaces the traditional academic transcript and Diploma Supplement. As well as showing your academic results, the HEAR also provides information about your programme of study and grading scheme, along with any additional achievements that have been verified by the University such as extra-curricular activities, prizes, employability awards, and student union accredited roles.

All entries to your HEAR are verified by the University of Bolton, so that anyone viewing your HEAR (such as future employers) can be assured of the accuracy and authenticity of the information.

The list of verifiable achievements is reviewed and extended annually, so speak to the SU, Careers team or your personal tutors about what is included.

When and how will I get my HEAR?

Your HEAR is a secure digital document which is accessed and shared electronically. If you’re amongst the student groups able to access a HEAR then once you’ve enrolled with the University, you’ll receive an email invitation from Gradintelligence to register for your HEAR. (Gradintelligence is the University’s technology partner for delivering the HEAR).

Once you register, you will be able to access your HEAR electronically whenever you wish and watch it develop as you progress through your time at University. When you qualify for your final award, your HEAR will be locked. You will however still be able to access it, and share it for as long as you wish, with prospective employers and postgraduate admissions tutors. This can be done by sending them a digital ‘token’ to allow them to access your HEAR within a specified period.

Your name, student reference number and date of birth.

Qualification details such as name of qualification, main field of study and name of awarding institution (i.e. the University of Bolton).

Level of study, duration, and entry requirements.

The programme structure and requirements, aims, learning outcomes and any distinctive characteristics, your individual grades/marks/credits obtained, grading scheme and your overall result. (Only modules you have passed appear on your HEAR ).

Information on further study and professional status (if applicable).

Your verifiable co-curricular activities, awards and prizes, in three categories:

Additional awards
Additional recognised activities
University, professional and Students’ Union prizes

For an achievement to appear in section 6.1 of the HEAR the University has to have approved it as an eligible activity and verified your achievement.

Date of your award, Academic Registrar’s signature and University of Bolton crest.

Description of higher education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

You can see a sample HEAR here

You can see that the HEAR provides a fuller picture than a traditional of your achievements whilst at University, including more detailed information about your course and University-verified co-curricular achievements. The HEAR doesn’t replace your CV but records your academic achievements and any verifiable co-curricular achievements during your course. CVs of course contain information that is not verified by the University, such as reflection and self-promotion, skills and attributes you possess, work experience and part-time jobs.

The HEAR is now widely used across the UK with over 90 providers of higher education now issuing them. The Higher Education Academy provides the national support for the implementation and maintenance of the HEAR.

FAQs

No. The current system dictates that a separate HEAR is issued for each individual programme of study you have engaged with. This is because each programme has its own title, aims, learning outcomes, content, etc, so including more than one programme would create a potentially unwieldy record and undoubtedly exceed the nationally imposed limit of 8 pages when in printed form.

No. A University of Bolton HEAR is only issued for study and achievement successfully undertaken at, or formally recognised by, the University of Bolton. For example, if you started or completed a programme of study at another institution and then started a new course at the University of Bolton, your University of Bolton HEAR will ordinarily only record those studies and achievements successfully undertaken whilst at the University of Bolton. One exception will be where your previous academic study was recognised by the University of Bolton as fulfilling some of the requirements of your University of Bolton programme of study (Recognition of Prior Learning or RPL), in which case reference to this previous study will be included on your University of Bolton HEAR.

Information on the HEAR is nationally defined and cannot normally be changed unless it is inaccurate. However, co-curricular achievements (in section 6.1) can if you wish be blocked (once and for all time) from appearing on your HEAR. Also, if your achievement is already showing on your HEAR then you can ask for it to be removed (again, once and for all time). To request any of the foregoing please email: hear@bolton.ac.uk.

We do recognise that some students will not have anything additional to put in section 6.1 of their HEAR for a range of reasons. Remember though, it is for your benefit if your HEAR is a good showcase for your skills, attributes, abilities and experiences. Your HEAR will be verified by the University and it could therefore be considered to be more valid than a CV. You can continue adding verified achievements to your HEAR right up until you complete your programme of study.

If you know your Gradintelligence user-id and password you can access your HEAR at www.gradintel.com. However:
If you can’t access your University of Bolton email account and haven’t activated your Gradintelligence account, please contact: hear@bolton.ac.uk.
If you can access your University of Bolton email account you should have received an email from Gradintelligence with a link to activate your Gradintelligence account. If you have deleted the email or the activation link has expired please email hear@bolton.ac.uk from your University of Bolton email account and a new activation link will be sent to you.
If you’ve activated your Gradintelligence account but forgotten your user-id or password please contact customerservices@gradintel.com. Make sure you include your full name, University of Bolton email address and student number.
If you’ve activated your Gradintelligence account but can’t access your University of Bolton email, then log into your Gradintelligence account using your existing logins and update your email address in the ‘User Settings’ section. If you have any problems in doing this then please contact customerservices@gradintel.com. Make sure you include your full name, University of Bolton email address and student number.
If you have any other problems accessing your HEAR you can email Gradintelligence at customerservices@gradintel.com or complete their ‘get in touch’ form and they will respond to your query, normally within eight business hours. Make sure you provide as much detail as you can about your query so they can deliver the appropriate assistance; in particular your full name, university email address and student number.

To find out about potential skills gaps and how to fill them, you can talk to a range of people in the University, such as your Personal Tutor, other people in your school, as well as our Careers and Employability Service, Bolton Award staff, Volunteering staff, and Students’ Union. Also, see below for co-curricular activities which, once completed and verified, be included in section 6 of your HEAR.