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Understanding the appeals process

here's how to submit an academic appeal

Welcome to the Academic Appeals webpage, designed to guide and support you in understanding and navigating the process.

You’ll find information here on:

  • Getting advice;
  • The grounds for appealing;
  • How appeals are reviewed.

Read the appeals procedure

Submit a Stage 2 or Stage 3 appeal

Working Together Respectfully

We recognise that casework and complaints processes can sometimes be challenging. To support constructive engagement and help ensure a safe and respectful environment for everyone involved, we have published our Working Together Respectfully Guidance. This guidance explains the standards of behaviour we expect, our commitment to respectful communication, and how to request reasonable adjustments.

Read the Working Together Respectfully Guidance (PDF)

Which decisions can be appealed?

  • Decisions made by an exam or assessment board about student progression, results, or awards;
  • Decisions from a postgraduate research review panel, an interim panel, or examiners at a viva voce;
  • Decisions by an End Point Assessment Organisation (for degree apprenticeships);
  • Decisions about Extenuating Circumstances applications.

Which decisions cannot be appealed?

  • Marks, unless you can provide evidence of a significant or material error in the marking process (as any other appeal of this nature involves questioning the academic judgement of the marker(s)). Please note that the marking criteria, your own interpretation of a mark or self-assessment cannot be accepted as valid evidence of an error;
  • Decisions relating to ongoing processes;
  • Exclusion due to non-payment of tuition fees, in which case the exclusion letter will detail the relevant appeal process.
  • Appeals relating to decisions reached under the Student Conduct Policy (see section 7 - Appeals)
  • Appeals relating to decisions reached under the Academic Misconduct Policy (see section 7 - Appeals)
  • Appeals relating to decisions reached under the Fitness to Study Policy (see section 6 - Appeals)
  • Appeals relating to decisions reached under the Fitness to Practise Policy (see section 6 - Appeals) 

When to appeal

You should appeal as soon as possible after receiving the decision that you want to appeal. In most cases appeals must be submitted within 10 working days of the decision. 

Getting advice

Before submitting an appeal, you should seek advice about:

  • whether your circumstances meet the appeal grounds;
  • what evidence may be required;
  • what outcomes may be available through the Appeals Procedure;
  • whether your expectations are realistic.

Get advice from:

Your personal academic tutor can advise you on the mark verification processes followed in your school and can advise you on who to approach.

The UPSU advice team (staff and peer advisors) offer advice and support throughout the appeals procedure.

A representative from the Students’ Union can go with you to any meetings.

Please contact the Advice Service by following this link, or emailing [email protected].

Your Head of Department has a good understanding of how the assessment boards work. They can advise on procedural matters, including who to approach for your Stage 1 appeal. 

If you're an International student, the International Student Advisers can offer advice about visa implications relating to appeals. 

Contact them by following this link, or emailing [email protected].

If you are a Degree Apprenticeship student, then the End Point Assessment Organisation may have their own appeals procedure which should be followed where the decision was made by them. 

The Student Casework team can provide advice on all aspects of the Appeals Procedure, although as the team responsible for the Appeals procedures, they cannot advise you on whether your appeal is likely to be valid. Get in touch at [email protected].

What are the grounds for appeal?

There are two possible reasons why an appeal might be made:

  • The University or End Point Assessment Organisation has made an administrative error/not followed its own procedures when arriving at the decision being appealed, and the student can provide evidence of this; or
  • The student was prevented from completing a process/procedure for reasons related to their personal circumstances, that they were unable to disclose, for a sound and acceptable reason related to the circumstances themselves, before the decision they are appealing was made.

 

What happens if my appeal is successful?

A successful appeal does not automatically mean that your mark, progression decision or award will be changed. 

The outcome of a successful appeal will depend on:

  • the grounds for appeal;
  • the nature of the issue identified;
  • the stage of the assessment process affected; and
  • what outcomes are permitted under the University's regulations. 

For example, if an appeal is upheld because personal circumstances affected your ability to complete an assessment, the usual outcome is not automatic progression, additional credit or a higher mark. Instead, the University will normally provide a further opportunity to complete or attempt the assessment.

Similarly, where an appeal identifies a procedural error, the usual outcome is that the decision will be reconsidered through the appropriate process. A successful appeal does not automatically mean that the original academic decision was wrong. 

Examples of appeal outcomes may include:

  • reconsideration of a decision;
  • a fresh assessment opportunity;
  • referral back to the relevant assessment board or decision-maker;
  • correction of an administrative error;
  • another outcome permitted by University regulations.

The University cannot normally:

  • amend marks simply because circumstances were difficult;
  • award academic credit that has not been achieved;
  • overturn academic judgement;
  • guarantee progression or an award following a successful appeal. 

What are the Stages of the Process?

All appeals begin at Stage 1, and cannot be submitted until you have received the official communication from the University outlining the decision you wish to appeal against.

The decision letter will provide details on who to contact to submit your appeal. For example, if you are appealing a Board of Examiners’ decision to exclude you from the course, you will need to refer back to the exclusion letter, which tells you who to contact. Similarly, if you are appealing the outcome of an Extenuating Circumstances application, the ECF outcome email gives details of who to contact to appeal.

You will have 10 working days from the day you received the decision to submit your appeal to the designated person/team. If you are unsure where to send your appeal, please contact your Head of School.

You should send your appeal by email, including the following information:

  • Context of your situation, what decision you wish to appeal and why;
  • Your grounds for appealing (as explained above);
  • Any supporting evidence you may have;
  • You should explain the outcome you are seeking. However, the University may not be able to provide the specific outcome requested and will determine any outcome in accordance with the Appeals Procedure and University regulations.

The member of staff will have 10 working days from receipt of your appeal to consider it and inform you of the outcome in writing.

If you are still unhappy when you receive the Stage 1 response, or you have additional information which you were unable to provide at the first stage (for a sound and acceptable reason related to the circumstances themselves), you can submit a Stage 2 appeal.

You have 10 working days from the date you received the Stage 1 decision notice to submit a Stage 2 appeal.

Complete Stage 2 Appeal Form

We will acknowledge receipt of your appeal within 5 working days. 

Once the submitted information has been reviewed, one of the following outcomes will occur:

  1. The appeal may be referred to another University process, such as the Student Complaints Procedure. In this case, the Student Casework Team will contact you to explain the next steps.
  2. The appeal may be rejected because it does not meet the criteria in 3.2.2 above. You will be advised of this by the Student Casework team. You will then have the right to request a review (see below) at this point. 
  3. If the appeal meets the criteria, it will be accepted for formal consideration and assigned to a member of the Student Casework Team.

You will receive the outcome of your Stage 2 appeal within 20 working days, including the following information: 

  • Whether the appeal has been upheld or not upheld;
  • The reasons for the decision;
  • Any actions that either you or the University staff need to take;
  • Information about your right to request a Stage 3 review;
  • The valid grounds for requesting a review (see Section 3.3.2);
  • The deadline for requesting a review—10 working days from the date of the Stage 2 outcome letter.

We aim to resolve all appeals at the first two stages of the procedure. 

However, if you consider that your appeal meets one of the following grounds, you may ask for a formal review of the second stage.

The grounds for requesting a review are:

  • There has been a procedural issue with the handling of the appeal.
  • You have new evidence that could not reasonably have been provided earlier, for a valid reason related to the circumstances themselves.
  • The decision reached was not reasonable given all the available evidence.

You have 10 working days from the date you received the Stage 2 outcome letter to submit a Stage 3 appeal. 

Complete Stage 3 Appeal Form

 

The Academic Registrar or their delegated representative will consider all requests for review and will provide an outcome within 10 working days. 

If your appeal is rejected at this stage, you will be issued with a Completion of Procedures letter

 

 

If you feel your appeal has not been properly handled, you can apply to an independent body, once the University has issued the Completion of Procedures letter. The Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) handles individual complaints once a student has exhausted the internal procedures of their university.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. You cannot appeal simply because you disagree with an academic decision or academic judgement.

For example, you cannot appeal because you believe your work deserved a higher mark. However, you may be able to appeal if you can provide evidence of a significant procedural error or if you were unable to disclose relevant personal circumstances before the decision was made.

Academic judgement refers to decisions made by academic experts about matters such as:

  • the quality of academic work;
  • marking and grading;
  • professional or academic standards;
  • progression and award decisions.

The University will not normally consider appeals that challenge academic judgement.

Yes.

You should provide any evidence that supports your appeal, including evidence relating to personal circumstances or procedural concerns. The University will normally expect evidence to be provided as early as possible during the process.

Not usually.

A successful appeal does not automatically result in a higher mark. The University cannot normally increase marks because circumstances were difficult or because an appeal has been upheld.

Any outcome must be consistent with University regulations.

Not necessarily.

A successful appeal does not automatically mean that you will progress to the next stage of your course, receive academic credit, or be awarded a qualification.

The outcome will depend on the circumstances of the case and the options available under University regulations. 

Not automatically.

The University will consider the evidence provided and whether there was a valid reason why the circumstances could not have been disclosed before the original decision was made.

Even where an appeal is upheld on the basis of personal circumstances, the usual outcome is normally a further opportunity to complete an assessment rather than automatic progression, additional credit or higher marks.

Yes.

Depending on the circumstances, a successful appeal may lead to a further assessment opportunity or referral of the case back to the relevant decision-making body for reconsideration.

In most cases you must submit your appeal within 10 working days of the decision you wish to appeal.

Normally, you should provide all available evidence as early as possible.

If you wish to rely on new evidence at a later stage, you will normally need to explain why that evidence could not reasonably have been provided earlier

Yes.

Support and advice are available from:

  • the Students' Union Advice Service;
  • your Personal Tutor or Supervisor;
  • your Head of School or Department;
  • International Student Advisers (where relevant);
  • the Student Casework Team.

Once the University's internal procedures have been completed, you may be able to ask the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) to review your case. The University will issue a Completion of Procedures letter when its internal processes have concluded. 

Policies and Regulations

Our key policy document, the Academic Appeals Procedure, explains what decisions can be appealed, the grounds on which an appeal may be submitted, and how the University will consider and respond to appeals. 

We review and update the Academic Appeals Procedure regularly to ensure it remains fair, effective and aligned with sector guidance, University regulations and regulatory requirements. The version of the procedure in force at the time you submit your appeal will normally apply, unless we tell you otherwise. 

It is important to understand that a successful appeal does not automatically result in a change to your mark, progression decision or award. Appeal outcomes depend on the grounds for appeal, the circumstances of the case and the outcomes available under University regulations. For example, where personal circumstances have affected your performance, the usual outcome is normally a further assessment opportunity rather than automatic progression or the award of additional credit. 

In rare circumstances, we may need to make temporary changes to the procedure to ensure appeals are handled fairly and efficiently. If this happens, we will notify you of any changes that affect your appeal and explain the reasons for them.

Other policies

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