► Want to appeal a decision?

How do I appeal against an academic decision?

The first thing you should do is contact the Students' Union and speak to an Advice Worker to get advice on how best to go about your appeal and whether have the grounds to make an appeal. Information on appeals are also available in your Course Handbook and the University Rules and Rules Regulations for Students, as well as in the Secretary Section on the University website - click here. At any stage you can contact an Advice Worker at the Students’ Union…You will need to complete an 'Assessment Appeal Form -SCA1/AA'. To see a printable version of the form click here.
 

The Advice Worker will work with you and can help you to compose a written statement to attach to the form. They can also help you to select and compile evidence, which is essential in making your appeal stronger. The more substantial your evidence (i.e. medical certification) the stronger your chances of a successful appeal. You should keep them updated throughout the process, with copies of your communications with the college, documentary evidence and any new developments. The more informed you keep your Advice Worker the more they will be able to support you during the hearing and beyond.

You only have 14 days from the date on the letter informing you of your results to appeal.

You cannot appeal against academic judgment. Disagreeing with your grade or your tutors/examiners opinion of your work is not a ground for appeal.

Under the University's regulations there are only two grounds for appeal:
• Extenuating circumstances - This is an unforeseen event that would have a major impact on your ability to complete your work, which, if known to the examiners might have led them to a different result. To appeal successfully you need to show that there were extenuating circumstances and that you had a good reason for not informing the examiners in advance.

• Material irregularity in the conduct of the assessment .A material irregularity is a fault on behalf of the college, which was material enough to have affected the outcome of your assessment. Simple examples would be that your grade was calculated wrongly or that the college lost some of your work.

Once the form is completed it should be handed into your School Office.

Remember to keep a copy of your form and any other evidence you submit.

What happens if I win my appeal?

Winning an appeal is recognition that the original exam board decision did not take into account all relevant information needed to come to a fair result. The exam board will now be asked to reassess you, “as if for the first time”, taking into account any additional information relevant to your academic performance, such as extenuating circumstances. This means that your mark will not be “capped”, as with a referral. So you can still get a “first”, but you could also end up with the same result as before. It's once again down to the examiners' “academic judgement”

When will I be reassessed?

The referral exam board in September will usually reassess you. The University Appeal Committee will have told you if you have to do anything for your reassessment, such as complete and submit additional work. You will be asked to resubmit any evidence you submitted for your appeal. If further evidence is in your possession, then submit this also. The more information the referral exam board has the better your chance of getting a fair assessment this time around. If your appeal is later than this, an exam board will be convened to reassess you.

What if I think the judgement is unfair?

If you feel that the decision is wholly irrational or you feel there has been an irregularity with the formal complaint stage, then you may submit a Exceptional Scrutiny Form. For more information on this process click here.

What happens to my appeal form?

The school office will give your form to the Head of college. The Head of college then makes an initial assessment of your case, based on the assessment regulations and any information he or she has available. The Head makes a recommendation to the University Appeals Committee (UAC), on whether to uphold the appeal. Remember that this is only a recommendation, if you get a letter from your Head of college telling you the recommendation is not to allow your appeal, don't panic, it does not mean you've lost your appeal and your case will still be referred to the UAC. Only in cases where the appeal is judged to be completely without grounds, the University Secretary can strike it out. If this happens you should at least get an explanation as to why your appeal was deemed to be without grounds, and a chance to submit further evidence.

The letter from the Head of college should advise you to contact the University Secretary's office if you wish to attend your appeal hearing. It is better to have the opportunity to do this, as it will allow you to put your case in person, and respond directly to the questions that will help the Appeal Committee to make a decision in your case. If you cannot attend the your case will still be heard in your absence and a decision made.

Who is the Appeal Committee?

The Appeal committe is chaired by one of the Heads of College. Your Head of College will not be appointed to chair your hearing, and no other staff members from your College will be on the UAC. The rest of the committee: a Dean, Students' Union elected represtative, Academic Registry senior representative, Academic Affairs senior representative and a Clerk to record the miinutes (not a member of the panel).

What happens at the Appeal Committee Hearing?

Appeal Committee hearings are formal in the way that they are conducted. This is not to intimidate you but to ensure fairness. The purpose of the hearing is to establish if you have grounds for appeal, and whether these are likely to have led the exam board to a different decision if they had been known.

You can attend the hearing with a ‘friend’; your Advice Worker can act as your 'friend'. The Advice Worker can support you when you present your case, but will always look to empower you to talk and describe your case, as you are the person with the most knowledge of your situation.

 At the hearing you will be invited to explain your situation. It is important to try and remain calm and present your case in a concise and structured way, and feel free to ask questions again or get further clarity on points you don’t fully understand. You can also ask the committee what evidence they have from the college and request access to this information. You can also call witnesses (if you let the committee know in advance). The Committee will listen to your case and then they may ask you questions.

 

The UAC is a sovereign body that can make their own decision without consulting anyone else. They can only make one of two decisions of ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to your appeal. They cannot look at your work and if they decide ‘yes’ to uphold your appeal, then this would go back to your course Examination Board for the practical decision of how your situation/grade would change.
 
You will not be told of the committee's decision on the day of the appeals. You should receive a letter within one week informing you of the decision.

Contact an Advice Worker

T: 0207 514 6720

E: advice@su.arts.ac.uk

The Students' Union
University of the Arts London
65 Davies Street
London
W1K 5DA