*Please note that university regulations change from time to time, so check the current regulations to ensure you are using the correct ones. They should be available on the university's website.*
Academic Appeals
Grounds
- Material circumstances: circumstances materially affected performance but were not known to the relevant Board, with reasonable grounds why they could not have been raised beforehand.
- Procedural irregularity: a significant procedural error materially affected the decision and disadvantaged the student.
- Prejudice or bias: evidence of prejudice or bias by an examiner/marker, or reasonable grounds supporting its perception
Formal Appeal Stage
- Deadline: within 10 working days of notification of the academic decision.
- If no grounds are established, the appeal is dismissed with reasons. If there is a case, the Faculty investigates and may provide an appropriate remedy.
- The University should normally aim to resolve the appeal within 30 calendar days, or explain any delay.
Appeal Review Stage
- Deadline: within 10 working days of notification of the Formal Appeal decision.
- Grounds:
- further material circumstances/evidence which could not reasonably have been submitted earlier;
- procedural irregularity during the Formal Appeal;
- bias during the Formal Appeal; or
- a decision which no reasonable body properly directing itself and taking relevant factors into account could have reached.
Academic Appeal Committee
- Student receives at least 5 working days' notice.
- Documents are normally provided 5 working days beforehand.
- Student may attend, present their case and have a supporter.
- Committee may uphold, partially uphold or reject the appeal.
- Summary outcome normally within 5 working days.
Mitigating Circumstances
Evidence-free extension
- 7 calendar days, including weekends.
- Once per assignment, maximum 4 times per academic year.
- No evidence required.
- Available up to 24 hours after the deadline.
- Not available for exams or timed/short-duration assessments.
Evidence-based mitigation:
- Normally 1 or 2 weeks.
- Required where more than one week is needed or all four evidence-free extensions have been used.
- If two weeks is insufficient, the assessment may be deferred to the next assessment period.
- Exams can only be deferred, not extended.
Applying
- Applications can be made from 4 weeks before until 24 hours after the assessment deadline.
- Evidence can be submitted with the application or within 10 working days after the deadline.
- Outcome normally within 7 working days.
Late Applications
- Late/retrospective applications are exceptional and require evidence explaining why the student could not apply at the appropriate time.
- Examples include serious illness preventing engagement with the procedure, an emerging health condition, hospitalisation or an unexpected traumatic event.
- Being unaware of the procedure, or being able but unwilling to disclose circumstances, will not normally justify a late application.
Circumstances Not Normally Accepted
- minor illness;
- holidays;
- foreseeable/preventable circumstances;
- poor time management;
- poor IT practice/lack of backups;
- lack of awareness of assessment dates; and
- submission errors.
Academic Misconduct
Department Level:
- Student invited to meeting and may provide evidence, mitigation and a supporter.
- ACO determines whether an offence occurred.
- Penalty up to Tariff B.
- Outcome normally within 10 working days.
Faculty Level:
- Student receives documents at least 5 working days before the meeting.
- Student may attend, provide evidence/mitigation and have a supporter.
- Panel determines the offence and may impose up to Tariff D.
- Outcome normally within 10 working days.
University Committee of Academic Enquiry:
- Used for Severe Academic Misconduct.
- Student receives evidence at least 5 working days beforehand and may attend, provide evidence, call witnesses and have a supporter.
- Committee may impose Tariffs A–G.
- Written decision normally within 5 working days.
Examination Misconduct
- Student normally has 5 working days to provide their statement and circumstances.
- A Review Panel considers the case.
Penalties
- A: warning.
- B: zero with resubmission.
- C: zero with resubmission, capped at pass.
- D: zero, with limited/no referral depending on circumstances.
- E: zero for relevant module/year, with limited/no referral.
- F: zero for affected modules/year and possible loss of registered degree, with lesser award potentially available.
- G: expulsion with no credit.
Mitigation may affect the penalty, but does not normally excuse misconduct.
