Academic Rights: Appeals

We know that sometimes you’ll receive a grade or an outcome you aren’t happy with. If you just think you should have received a better grade, you are not able to appeal this decision as it is classed as academic judgement, however, some decisions about your academic outcomes are open to appeal.

WHAT DECISIONS MAY I APPEAL AGAINST?

You may submit an academic appeal against the following decisions made by the University:

• A decision made by the Board of Examiners
• A penalty imposed under the regulations on academic misconduct
• The termination of your registration through the formal warning procedure
• A decision made by a fitness to practise panel
• A decision made in relation to access arrangements for assessment

Decisions made on the basis of academic judgement in relation to a grade or mark are not eligible criteria and cannot be appealed.

It is important to note that appeals look into the process undertaken to reach the outcome you have received, and only if they find the correct process was not followed are they able to uphold the appeal and change your outcome.

WHAT ARE THE DEADLINES?

You have 15 working days (not including weekends or bank holidays) to appeal from the date that you received the decision that you are appealing. Late appeals are unlikely to be considered by the University. However, if you are unable to obtain evidence before the appeal deadline, you must still submit your form before the deadline and explain why you are unable to include evidence at the present moment, and when you expect to be able to provide it.

WHAT ARE THE GROUNDS FOR APPEAL?

The potential grounds for appeal can be read in more depth in the Appeals Guidance for Students but here is a brief outline of the decisions that can be appealed below.

For an appeal against a decision made by the Board of Examiners: (i.e. a progress decision, termination of registration due to exam failure, etc.), examples of grounds to appeal could be;

• Your performance in the assessment was substantially affected by extenuating circumstances of which you could not have made the University aware of at the time and which you could not have disclosed before the outcome of the assessment had been determined. For guidance on submitting extenuating circumstances please see our help page.
• There were procedural irregularities in the conduct of the assessment, or administrative errors, which might have affected your performance.
• There is evidence of prejudice, bias or inadequate assessment on the part of one or more of the examiners such that the outcome should not be allowed to stand.

For appeals against a penalty imposed under the regulations on academic misconduct, appeals against termination of registration through the formal warning procedure, or appeals against a decision made by a fitness to practise panel, examples of grounds to appeal could be:

• There is evidence of a failure to follow the procedures set out in the regulations which might impact the fairness of the decision.
• New evidence can be presented which the student could not have presented before the decision was made and which might impact the fairness of that decision.
• The decision was perverse given the evidence which was available at the time.

For appeals against requests for reconsideration of a decision made in relation to access arrangements for assessment, examples of grounds to appeal could be:

• There is new evidence to be taken into account which you could not have disclosed at the time of the original application.
• There is evidence of administrative or procedural errors, which might impact whether the outcome would have been the same if the irregularities or errors had not occurred.
• The original conclusion reached by the Board of Examiners was unreasonable given the evidence with which it was presented.

How do I appeal?

If you feel you may have the right to appeal based on these grounds, you should submit your appeal using the online form. Please be aware that you cannot save the form mid-way through completion, and therefore you should ensure that you have access to all the relevant information and/or evidence you require before starting to complete the form.

Appeals are designed to be one of the last points of call in University processes, for when extenuating circumstances were not able to be submitted or if procedures were not followed correctly which led to you receiving the outcome you have.

What happens next?

Once you have submitted your appeal, a member of the Academic Investigations team will review your form and the evidence you have presented to ensure that all the information has been received. You will be notified via email within 10 working days that your appeal has been registered successfully.

The appeals process is lengthy; the University aim to deal with academic appeals within two months of receipt so please take this into account when submitting your appeal. Whilst your appeal is under consideration, please assume the original decision previously advised will not change. You should make any necessary arrangements and decisions (such as regarding resits) on that basis.