What is the difference between the two?
“Complaint”: A complaint is about the service provided or how staff have dealt with a specific issue. A Student Complaint is the expression of a specific concern about matters that affect the quality of a student’s learning opportunities. Usually complaints arise when you are unhappy about something. You may feel you have not been dealt with properly, that information given to you was incorrect or that there has been an unacceptable delay.
“Appeal”: An Appeal is a request for a review of a decision of an academic body charged with making decisions on student progression, assessment and awards. In this instance, you feel that the wrong decision has been made and would like it re-examined. There are however ‘grounds’ on which an appeal can be made - these are in the Academic Appeals Policy.
The table below has some examples of what is an appeal and what is a complaint
Complaints | Appeals |
about conduct/behaviour of another student | Examination Board decision about a mark or progress decision |
about conduct/behaviour of a member of staff | Decision relating to your attendance and progress |
Broken, inaccessible resources | Decision relating to Extenuating Circumstances |
Poor communication or incorrect information | Decision relating to academic misconduct |
In both appeals and complaints students are advised to try and resolve the problem locally with the relevant staff or department in the first instance- this is usually stage 1 of the procedure.
But if you are unable to resolve it informally then you can escalate the matter further - this is typically ‘stage 2’ of our procedures.
You can find the detailed procedures including the timeframes for the processes below:
If you are unsure or you have any queries then please contact Michael or Andrew who can advise.