Academic appeals
There are two important documents that you'll need to be familiar with before submitting an academic appeal.
- The procedure which tells you how your appeal will be handled
- The policy which is the formal document setting out how our regulations should be applied to your situation
The regulations around academic appeals can be complex so we've put together some information below which might help you when trying to establish whether you have grounds for appeal and explaining the timeframes associated with the process.
If you're unsure about what to do, we recommend speaking to the Students' Union, education advisors who will be able to offer you guidance.
We've put together some FAQs that explain our appeals process, these should be read in conjunction with the policy and procedure which contains the full detail for each of these scenarios.
What is an academic appeal?
An academic appeal is a way for you to ask for a review of the decision made by academic board or panel on your progression, assessment, award, or extenuating circumstances outcome.
It is an involved process which can take several weeks to conclude and there are only a few grounds under which an appeal will be considered, please visit the Academic Appeal - guidance on completing the form webpage before completing the form.
If your academic appeal is upheld, there are a number of possible outcomes, depending on your individual circumstances. If your academic appeal is not upheld after investigation, then the final decision made at your academic board or panel will remain.
The appeals procedure is available to all registered students who meet the requirements set out in the policy.
What decisions can I appeal against?
You have the right to appeal the final decisions associated with
- Your ability to progress to the next year of study
- Termination of studies
- The classification you have been awarded
- Fitness to practice outcomes
- The outcome of an extenuating circumstances claim
Circumstances that can and cannot be appealed against
You will need to establish a case for one of the following situations as grounds for appeal
- A procedural irregularity that has disadvantaged you or affected the decision made
- Prejudice or bias (or perception of) on the part of the examiners can be proven
- Manifestly unreasonable decision making by the board or panel
- Your performance was impacted by circumstances that the board or panel was unaware of at the time a decision was made (evidence is needed to prove this)
What can't be appealed
- Perceived shortcomings in tuition, supervision or support (although you may be able to make a complaint about the quality of your teaching or supervision, which if upheld could have an academic outcome)
- Matters of academic judgement
- Disagreement with the mark awarded for a piece of assessed work
- Appeals against provisional marks
How do I submit an academic appeal?
Timescales
The academic appeal process has some key timescales that you'll need to be aware of:
- Appeals must be submitted within 1 month of you receiving the decision you wish to appeal against.
- Should you wish to request an extension to the deadline for a submission for any reason, please email the Academic Appeals team outlining your request.
- Academic appeals received outside of the 1 month timeframe, without an agreed extension, may be accepted for consideration but you would need to provide a reason, supported by evidence, as to why you were unable to submit your appeal sooner. There is a section on the appeal form that allows you to provide the necessary information, should you be submitting outside of the required timeframe.
- Once submitted, an appeal will be reviewed by one of our specialists who will let you know if it does not meet the requirements of the policy, and you will be provided with guidance on why your appeal cannot be considered and the next steps available to you.
- If your appeal is accepted for consideration, your case will go through a number of stages, including an investigation. You will normally be sent an outcome within 90 days of submission.
- Whatever the outcome of the appeal, you will receive a detailed email from us explaining the outcome and how the decision was reached. We will include details of the next steps in that email, but these can vary depending on your circumstances.