An academic appeal is a submission by a student seeking an amendment or reversal of an academic
decision taken by the Board of Examiners, Director of Learning & Teaching of the Graduate School or
Academic Conduct Panel.

A complaint is defined as ‘an expression of dissatisfaction which requires a response’. The University aims to resolve most complaints and concerns quickly and informally. Stages 1 and 2 are dealt with internally at UoSD. Stage 3 is escalation to UoS UK and stage 4 is external escalation.

Students may submit their complaint to the student retaining the right to escalate the matter to the University Grants Commission (UGC). Such escalation must be undertaken in accordance with the provisions of the UGC (Redressal of Grievances of Students) Regulations, 2023 for review if they remain dissatisfied following completion of the University’s procedures. Usually this must be submitted within one year of the date of the Completion of Procedures letter, but the letter itself will specify the deadline.

Students may also escalate their complaint to the Ombudsman should they be unsatisfied with the outcome of the previous
stages.

Students wishing to submit an academic appeal should use the Regulations Governing Academic Appeals by Students. These describe in detail the process to be followed by students wishing to appeal. It is essential that students refer to the full Appeal Regulations, however a simple summary of the process Academic Appeals summary.pdf

Students are strongly encouraged to speak with their Personal Academic Tutor and to review the FAQs in the Useful Downloads below, prior to submitting an academic appeal.

The Stage 1 appeal form. If you cannot log in to access the form for any reason, please contact Studenthub@delhi.southampton.ac.uk or casework@soton.ac.uk.

Key information
What type of appeals are likely to be rejected

• Appeals concerning academic judgement, e.g. disagreement about the marks awarded
• Appeals that relate to personal IT issues, such as the student’s computer crashing or failing to save
  their work
• Appeals where the reason provided for not applying for Special Consideration is not compelling, e.g. “I didn’t know about the process” or “I didn’t think I would need to ask”, because we consider that all our students are informed about the process in several different ways and so they should be aware of it.

Likely or possible appeal outcomes

• Remove a late penalty
• Allow an additional attempt at the next usual opportunity
• Remove the capping of a mark at supplementary examination/assessment or repeat year
• Reconsider an Academic Responsibility and Conduct Panel decision

There are also other possible outcomes; these are just some of the most usual

Unlikely or impossible outcomes

• Increase a mark to allow a pass
• To permit the student to progress into the next year of studies without meeting the criteria. In particular, the student must pass the Part they are in before they can progress
• To award a higher degree classification outside of the usual Regulations
• To allow more than one supplementary examination/assessment attempt in the same academic year
• Re-marking work
• Reverse any progression review/milestone decisions for PGR students without the need for further assessment
• Allowing very large amounts of additional credit at referral

These outcomes listed above aren’t possible because they are contrary to a wider Regulatory framework. There are also other outcomes, not listed here, which we wouldn’t be able to agree with.

A student may submit their appeal to the UGC for review if they remain dissatisfied following completion of the University’s procedures. Usually this must be submitted within one year of the date of the Completion of Procedures letter, but the letter itself will specify the deadline.

A complaint is defined as ‘an expression of dissatisfaction which requires a response. The University aims to resolve the majority of complaints and concerns quickly and informally. The Regulations Governing Student Complaints explain in detail the process to be followed by students pursuing a complaint. It is essential that
students refer to the full Complaint Regulations. Under these Regulations, students may raise complaints or concerns relating to most issues including academic programmes, University Staff, facilities, and services. Stage 1 and 2 are dealt with at UoSD, stage is escalated to UoS UK and stage 4 is external escalation.

There is a separate Regulations Governing Complaints from Applicants and Academic Appeals.

Once a student has completed the internal complaints process, the University issues them with a Completion of Procedures letter. Students may submit their complaint to the student retaining the right to escalate the matter to the University Grants Commission (UGC). Such escalation must be undertaken in accordance with the provisions of the UGC (Redressal of Grievances of Students) Regulations, 2023 for review if they remain dissatisfied following completion of the University’s procedures. Usually this must be submitted within one
year of the date of the Completion of Procedures letter, but the letter itself will specify the deadline.

Students may also escalate their appeal complaint to the Ombudsman should they be unsatisfied with the outcome of the previous stages.