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Academic appeals - Joint Institute students

Find out how the academic appeals process works and how to submit an appeal.

What academic appeals are

You have the right to contest certain decisions relating to your progress, assessment or award, so long as you can demonstrate that you have valid grounds to do so and can meet other relevant criteria.

Academic appeals process

There are three steps in the academic appeals process. Not all appeals will be eligible for, or need to go through each step. It depends on your circumstances.

1. Informal resolution 

   You can ask for an informal resolution where your concerns are addressed quickly. Please contact the Engineering & Informatics resolution team at EngInf-InformalResolutions@sussex.ac.uk.

2. Formal appeal

   If you have not made an informal resolution request, or are not satisfied with the outcome, you can ask for formal consideration of your appeal. Specialist staff outside of the School of Engineering and Informatics consider the appeal.

3. Appeal outcome review

   You can ask for a review of the formal appeal process. We check appropriate procedures were followed and that the decision was reasonable.

Informal resolution

There are benefits to making an informal resolution request instead of a formal appeal.

These include giving you the opportunity to seek:

• clarification that marks and results have been recorded accurately
• confirmation that accepted Exceptional Circumstances have been considered by the Exam Board and the rationale for any decision made (such as why you may not have been offered a sit)
• clarification of the Examination Board’s decision and the rationale for that decision (for example, were you considered by the Exam Board as a borderline candidate?).

Make sure that you:

• make it clear that you are seeking informal resolution
• carefully detail your query.

Formal appeal

You may decide to proceed straight to the formal appeal stage. This might be because you do not feel an informal resolution is appropriate for you, or if you do not feel that your concerns were resolved.

Important: It is essential you present your case clearly and in full as your appeal will be considered solely on the basis of the case and evidence you provide. To give yourself the best chance of having your appeal accepted, make sure you have read our guidance and the academic appeals regulations [PDF 290.43KB].

How to make an academic appeal 

Find out what you need to do to submit an academic appeal. 

What is and is not a valid reason for appeal  

Acceptable grounds for appeal are normally:

• exceptional circumstances that were not known in advance
• a procedural error on the part of the University
• prejudice or bias on the part of an examiner.
  
  

However, not all grounds are eligible for all types of appeals and so it is essential that you read the full definitions of the grounds in our academic appeals regulations [PDF 290.43KB] according to the decision you wish to appeal. 

What the evidence requirements are

In general, you need to supply written information from someone who knows you in a professional capacity and can independently verify your circumstances, and from when and how they affected you.

Evidence should be a letter or email. Evidence should be robust, explain the impact of the circumstance and the dates and duration of the circumstance.

New supporting evidence

Where an appeal includes new supporting evidence (for example, evidence that was not made available to the academic body for good reason), original hard copy documentation may be requested before the appeal will be considered. You will be informed if this is the case.

Supporting Evidence not in English Language

If the original documentation is not in English, you are required to also submit a translation into English that has been certified by an independent person or agency. They must provide their contact details to confirm the translation is a true and accurate representation of the original source.

Falsified evidence

Should the Casework have cause to suspect that the documentary evidence provided with the appeal has been falsified, they will refer the case to the Office for Student Complaints, Conduct and Funding for consideration under the Student Discipline Regulation. The appeal will be paused, or the appeal outcome withheld until the matter has been resolved.

Reasonable Adjustments (RA)

If you have a fluctuating condition that is covered by Reasonable Adjustments (‘RA’) and suffer an acute episode or worsening of that fluctuating condition, you are not required to submit fresh medical or other evidence related to the condition. The RA constitutes the evidence-base for such applications.

You are required to submit evidence relating to conditions or mitigating circumstances that are not covered by that established arrangement.

Appeals will be rejected if:

• the evidence provided is insufficient. You should check our academic appeals regulations [PDF 290.43KB] to see full details about evidence requirements. 
• the evidence provided has not been provided by someone who knows you in a professional capacity – for example, it was from a friend or relative
• the evidence provider cannot fully confirm your circumstances
• the grounds of the appeal are not permissible – for example, you cannot appeal against the academic judgment of the examiners, defined by the OIAHE as “a judgment that is made about a matter where only the opinion of an academic expert is sufficient” – in other words, you cannot challenge a mark because you think your marker was wrong
• the outcome requested is not permissible under the undergraduate  (to be updated) and postgraduate regulations.

The deadlines for submitting an appeal 

It is critical that you understand the timeframes involved in the appeal process and adhere to them.

You should submit an appeal by the following deadlines:

• Informal Resolution – can be submitted at any time, but within a maximum of 10 University working days following receipt of the academic body’s decision.
• Formal Appeal – within 10 University working days following receipt of the academic body’s decision or within 10 university working days following receipt of the outcome of Informal Resolution, whichever is the longer.
• Appeal Outcome Review Request – within 10 University working days of receipt of their Formal Appeal Outcome.

Late appeals

Exceptionally, late appeals may be accepted for consideration if there is good reason to do so.

Such reasons may include (this list is not exhaustive):

• where a student has Reasonable Adjustments (RA) in place which recommend adjustments in order to accommodate difficulties around meeting deadlines; this is limited to seven days after the appeal deadline
• where there is evidence of mitigating circumstances that would have prevented a student from submitting their appeal by the relevant deadline (for example, hospitalisation).
  
  

Work commitments, holidays, minor illnesses, not understanding the appeal regulations or awaiting evidence etc are not considered to be acceptable reasons for submitting a late appeal

If you are awaiting evidence, then you should not delay submitting your appeal. You can state that you are awaiting evidence in your appeal form.

Typical outcomes

Typical outcomes that are permissible under the regulations include the:

• waiver of a late submission penalty
• conversion of a resit for capped marks to a sit for uncapped marks
• offer of a sit for uncapped marks.

Typical outcomes that are not permissible include:

• the disregarding of marks
• an increase in a classification on the basis of exceptional circumstances
• the remarking of work.

Check which academic body made the decision that you want to appeal

There are different bodies responsible for decisions made by the University. You should check which body made the decision you want to appeal (this will be on the documentation you have received). See the body from the options below to find out how to appeal:

• Examination Board (Progression and Award Board) 
• School Student Progress Committee 
• Academic Misconduct Panels

Appealing a decision made by a Progression and Award Board

This type of academic appeal allows you to raise a concern about a decision made by your School Examination Board in relation to:

• assessment results
• resits
• progression to the next stage of your course
• degree classification.

This is different from a complaint, which you would raise if you were dissatisfied with an aspect of your time at the Joint Institute.

You can find out when your marks and the Exam Board’s decision will be published in the table below.

Making your formal appeal 

Complete and submit your appeal with supporting evidence using our online form.

SUBMIT APPEAL 

Make sure you give yourself time to review your appeal before you submit it.

Get support while submitting an appeal

You can access further support, advice or guidance to help you understand the appeal process. This is recommended as formal appeals can only be considered based on the information that you provide in the appeal form and any supporting evidence submitted.

You can get advice from:

• the Students' Union – advisers can provide you with independent advice and help you with your appeal
• the University's Student Advice service at the Student Centre (which is separate to the Students’ Union) – you can get advice about the appeals process and regulations.

How long will I need to wait to receive a response to my appeal

The completion of the full formal appeals process by the University (Formal Appeal and Appeal Outcome Review) should normally take no longer than three calendar months.

If deadlines are exceeded, you will be kept informed.

Completion of procedures

This is a letter or email that informs you that our internal appeal procedures have concluded.

If you are not satisfied with the final outcome, then you can ask for an independent review by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education by raising a complaint with them.

You will be provided with information about how to do this in your Completion of Procedures letter.

Exceptional circumstances  

If something affected your performance in a recent exam or other assessment, you might be able to claim for exceptional circumstances.

Reasonable adjustments

If you have a disability you can get reasonable adjustments for your assessments, such as being given more time in an exam.

You should seek reasonable adjustments before you take assessments.

Find out more about reasonable adjustments.