Academic Appeals

If you feel the Board of Examiners or the Faculty Board have made an error in their decision or have not received all of the information that relates to your circumstances, you have the right to appeal against that decision.

Any student studying for a certificate, diploma, first degree or postgraduate degree has the right to appeal their mark if they can produce evidence for one of the following:

Their performance has been adversely affected by illness or by other factors which in exceptional circumstances, they were unable or, for valid reason, unwilling to divulge to the board of examiners or faculty board before it reached its decision.
There was a material administrative error in the conduct of the examination.
The examination had not been conducted in accordance with the appropriate regulations for that course.
Some other material irregularity had occurred.
The Board of Examiners or the Faculty Board, in reaching their decision, had erroneously concluded that they had cheated, plagiarised or attempted to gain an unfair advantage in an element of work submitted for a degree.

The University's guidelines to academic appeal can be found in the University Calendar: Section IV, Part 19.

If you want to launch an appeal, contact SUAIC for advice on steps to take. An appeals for will needs to be completed, and they can help you do this in the best possible way. Also feel free to email the VP Education and arrange a chat.

Academic Complaints

If you feel that something has affected the quality of your academic experience, whether this be learning, teaching, resources or service related, you have the right to make a complaint. The University Calendar (a big book of rules and regulations) has a specific section on academic complaints, and everything you need can be found in Section IV, Part 20. If you are planning to make a complaint, we advise that you visit SUAIC, who can offer support and advice throughout the process. The VP Education can also offer advice and support throughout the complaints procedure.

Complaints themselves can be made concerning one of four topics:

Academic programmes (e.g. tutorials cancelled or timetable issues)
Staff (e.g. poor services, behaviour, teaching or incompetence)
Facilities (e.g. Halls of Residence, poor access for the disabled or unavailability of appropriate accommodation)
Services (e.g. Library, ISS, Fees or Finance)

The first stage to making a complaint is to raise the concern. Before a complaint can be made, it is best to talk to one of the following, depending on what the concern is:

Personal Tutor or Supervisor
Students Union Advisor (SUAIC)
Fees Office
School Manager
Unit Tutor
Head of Department
Head of School
Student Representatives (to take to Student-Staff Liaison Committee)
International Office
SUSU Sabbatical Officers
Warden (if in Halls of Residence)
Hall Management
Accommodation Office
Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator
Student Appeals, Complaints & Feedback Co-ordinator

Course Handbooks

When you arrive in your first year, during your induction you will receive a school handbook for your course. This explains to you all your core and optional module choices, members of academic staff, but it also contains a lot of school specific information relevant to plagiarism policy, exam structure, feedback processes and much more.

Many students receive their handbooks at the start of their first years and do very little with it after the first term. These handbooks act as a reference for you throughout your time at university and can offer help on most if not all academic matters. If you lose your Course Handbook, or just require it for quick reference, every school office keeps a few spare, so feel free to pop in and use them. New ones can also be requested, as the school updates its handbook each academic year.