This paper explores the extenuating circumstances that have a direct impact on Higher Education students' academic progress. It looks at the rules and regulations of two Higher Education Institutions in the UK to determine whether they are in line with basic human rights policies. It also seeks to find out how students' educational progress has been affected by mitigating circumstances. The paper utilises case studies of students who have experienced difficult circumstances over which they had no control, and have therefore had extended interruptive periods in their education, which adversely affected their education progress. The paper also reviews the rules and regulations of the two institutions concerned. The findings from the analysis of the case studies and the two institutions' rules and regulations show that mitigating circumstances do have some negative impact on students' academic progress. The findings also show that educational institutions need to pay closer attention to basic human rights principles in helping students to progress. [For the complete Volume 12 proceedings, see ED597979.]