What is an academic appeal?
Important note:
There are other types of appeals, such as Misconduct, Disciplinary, Professional Suitability and Fitness to Practice. For more information about these, please refer to the relevant linked pages.
An Academic Appeal is a request for a review of a decision of a Board of Examiners charged with making decisions on student progress, assessment and awards or, for a postgraduate research student, the outcome of a formal progress review.
It is important to mention you cannot challenge academic judgement and that you can only appeal based on one or more of these grounds:
a) That there is evidence that the assessment(s) may have been adversely affected by extenuating circumstances which the student was, for valid reasons, unable to make known to the Examiners or progress review beforehand;
b) That there were procedural irregularities in the conduct of the assessment(s) and/or assessment procedures, which adversely affected the result achieved;
c) That there is evidence of prejudice or bias on the part of one or more Examiners or members of staff conducting a progress review; and/or
d) That there is evidence of inadequate assessment on the part of one or more of the Examiners or members of staff conducting a progress review.
If you don’t meet any grounds for appeal, then it is likely that your appeal would not be successful.
Process
The Academic Appeals process follows a clear structure displayed in the order of the drop-downs below.
Early Resolution Meeting
Early Resolution is the first step in the Appeals process and is designed to be simple and informal. You must complete an Early Resolution before you can submit a Stage 1 Academic Appeal.
This should be arranged within 5 working days of when you were informed of the decision you are appealing. If you are unable to meet this deadline then you will need to explain why there was a delay.
You will need to contact a relevant academic staff, such as your personal tutor, supervisor, module leader or course director to arrange an Early Resolution Meeting in which to discuss your results. You can set this up in person or via email.
Each College also has a Results Service with a designated staff member for each course who can discuss any concerns about results:
College of Business, Arts & Social Sciences (CBASS)
College of Engineering, Design & Physical Sciences (CEDPS)
College of Health, Medicine & Life Sciences (CHMLS)
The member of staff who takes your Early Resolution meeting should complete a Record of Early Resolution Form and submit this to your college’s ACSM Team.
After you have had this meeting, you should receive a completed version of this form which will inform you if your Early Resolution has been successful.
Outcome of the Early Resolution
Once you receive the completed Early Resolution Form from the academic you had your meeting with, you will find out whether your issue has been resolved at this stage. If you are happy with the resolution proposed, you can accept this and your appeal will come to an end.
If you are unhappy with the outcome you can proceed to a Stage 1 Academic Appeal.
In order to submit a Stage 1 Appeal, you will need a copy of your Early Resolution form.
Stage 1 Form
You will need to complete the Stage 1 Academic Appeal Form.
This needs to be submitted within 10 working days (this means not including weekends or bank holidays) from the date your results were confirmed by the Board of Examiners and published on your eVision/emailed to you.
Or within 3 working days from when you receive your Early Resolution outcome form.
If you would like support filling the form out, please get in touch with us and we can guide you through the process. You should email us with your draft appeal and supporting evidence as soon as possible. It is important to include all evidence you have available at this stage.
However, if it is nearing your appeal deadline; due to the high volume of referrals we may not be able to get back to you within the 10 working days. Therefore, we suggest you submit your appeal on time even if it means you cannot get feedback from us.
Once you submit this, the Academic Appeals team will send you confirmation email which is normally issued within 2-5 working days.
Outcome of the Initial Consideration
Once you have submitted the Stage 1 form, you will receive confirmation from the Appeals team that they have received it. They will send you an email with the outcome of your initial consideration, which informs you whether or not you meet the grounds for appeal.
Generally, you should receive the outcome of the initial consideration of your appeal within 10 working days. Please note that this may take longer at busy times of the year.
PASS
If your appeal passes the initial consideration, then it will then be passed to the ACSM Team in your College for further consideration.
DISMISS
If your appeal is dismissed at the initial consideration and you disagree with this decision, then you will need to query this. If you agree with the dismissal and/or do not want to query this decision, then you will be issued with a Completion of Procedures (COP) letter. Once you receive this, you cannot progress your appeal.
Querying the Outcome
If your appeal has been dismissed at the Initial Consideration, and you disagree with this decision then you can query this once.
To query the outcome, you will need to write a response to the email which you received your Stage 1 outcome from. In your response, you will need to outline why you disagree with the reason your appeal was dismissed and provide more information about this. It is important to note, you cannot submit anymore evidence at this stage to support your query.
You can use the following template:
Dear Manager of the Office for Student Complaints, Conduct and Appeals
I wish to query the appeal being dismissed at the initial consideration stage.
My name is ......., student ID: X........ I am not happy with the results of the Academic Appeal and I would like to query this decision.
My appeal was rejected for ..............., however, I believe my appeal should be still accepted due to .............. Please, read though the following thoroughly to understand the circumstances and what impact they had on me.
Stage 1 Outcome
If you queried the outcome of your Stage 1 appeal and it was been dismissed, you will be issued Completion of Procedures (COP) letter.
If you passed the initial consideration stage and your appeal has been referred back to your college ACSM team for investigation, they can either dismiss or uphold your appeal.
In your college, an Academic Investigation Team will look into your case further, and once complete, their decision will be reviewed by the Chair or Vice-Chair of Academic Appeals Committee. Possible decisions may be:
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Your appeal may be upheld in full, or in part, with recommendations about how to resolve it;
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Your appeal may be referred to an Academic Appeals Panel, if they determine it requires further consideration;
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The VCR may make a recommendation for an alternative outcome in consultation with the Investigation Team.
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Your appeal may be dismissed;
Panels
If your appeal is referred to a Panel, you will be able to attend this to present your case. At this stage you will be provided with all the evidence gathered during the Investigation stage which will be considered by the Panel. The Panel will have 3 academic members of staff and a representative of the Investigation Team. Both parties can call witnesses and they are responsible for ensuring their witness attends. Once the meeting is done, the Panel will make a decision and communicate it to all parties in writing.
After there has been an investigation and/or Panel, you will receive an outcome letter informing you of the final decision. If you are happy with your Stage 1 outcome then you can accept this and the process will be finished. If not, then you can progress your appeal to a Stage 2.
Stage 2 Form
If you are not happy with the Stage 1 outcome you have received for your appeal, you can progress your appeal to the final stage. You must ensure you have received your Stage 1 outcome and have not yet received a Completion of Proceeding (COP) letter.
In order to submit a Stage 2 appeal, you will need to complete the Stage 2 Academic Appeal form within 10 working days (this means excluding weekends and bank holidays) of when you received your Stage 1 Outcome letter.
If you would like some guidance on how to submit a Stage 2 appeal, please get in touch with us at the Advice Service by looking at our About page.
If you have any questions for the University Appeals Team, you can email them: academic-appeals@brunel.ac.uk
Please avoid sending duplicate emails as this can cause further delays.
Important information about Appeals:
1. You can only appeal grades that have been confirmed by the Board of Examiners.
2. You should check with your department when the Board of Examiners takes place so you avoid missing the deadline.
3. If you are an international student, and you want to submit an academic appeal against a decision to withdraw you from your course and have concerns about your immigration visa, you need to contact the immigration team, which you can do via Brunel Help or immigration@brunel.ac.uk.
If you have any questions or need our support in regards to Academic Appeals, please see our About page to see how to get in touch. Alternatively, you can submit an enquiry through the Advice Service Enquiry Form
Our role
We can help you navigate through the Academic Appeals process and answer any of your questions.
However, please make sure you read the Appeals Guidance carefully.
Ways we can help:
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We can attend and support you in an Early Resolution meeting.
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We can provide guidance on completing the Stage 1 and Stage 2 Appeals Form.
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We can provide you feedback on your statements and evidences.
What we cannot do:
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We cannot write or submit your appeal for you.
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We cannot ask for update on your behalf.
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We don’t make any decisions about your appeal.
Your role
Our advice is offered in good faith on the basis of the information you provide us with, so it is your responsibility to provide us with clear and correct information we ask for.
Your responsibilities:
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You must take responsibility for your decisions.
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You should engage in the process and follow the guidance.
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You should communicate with us and Appeals Team/your college in timely-manner.
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You should avoid sending duplicate emails to various departments as this might cause delays.
Helpful Resources
Academic Appeals Page - Brunel University
Academic Appeals Guidance PDF - Brunel University
Senate Regulation 12