General points about procedures

Student complaints, 'appeals' or reviews: general points about the formal procedures

The University has established a range of procedures, designed to cover academic, non-academic and personal matters. The principal procedures and processes for student complaints, reviews and appeals are summarized within the tabs available on this website.

The University’s procedures have been developed in line with guidance issued by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) and Universities UK. They reflect, moreover, advice, recommendations or good practice observations received from the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA). Account has also been taken of NUS reviews of institutional complaints and appeals procedures.

Some procedures are quite specific as to the domains and particular circumstances which they designed to cover (e.g. examination reviews, fitness to study), or are delimited as to the grounds on which representations or applications may be made (e.g. medical fitness to practise); other procedures have general applicability, where no other, discrete procedure is available. Students are expected to exhaust informal routes to resolution wherever possible, and to use the correct procedure for the matter they wish to make a formal complaint about.