Complaint Stages

Informal resolution

We ask that you try to resolve a complaint directly, informally and as soon as possible with the person or service concerned. This can be done in person, via email, or phone, explaining clearly what the problem is and how you would like it to be resolved. We expect staff to listen to your concerns and try to resolve them in a reasonable and quick way. However, we understand that it can sometimes be difficult to raise a complaint directly with the member of staff concerned. If you are in this position, or want advice, please contact the Student union advice and support service where staff can support you in raising the issues and, if appropriate, suggest another member of staff for you to contact.

Stage One – Formal Complaint

If you have tried to resolve your concerns informally and the matter has not been resolved, you can submit a formal complaint under Stage One of the University's Student Complaints Procedure.

You should normally submit your complaint within three months of the matter you are complaining about occurring.

If you submit your complaint after the three-month deadline, we will consider whether there are good reasons why you were unable to complain earlier. Please explain the reasons for the delay and provide any relevant supporting information or evidence that is available to you. We will consider the circumstances before deciding whether your complaint can be accepted outside the normal time limit.

How to submit a Stage One complaint

Please complete the Stage One Complaint Form (docx, 29.5KB) or Stage One Complaint Form (PDF, 287KB) and send it, together with any supporting evidence, to [email protected].

Using the complaint form helps us make sure that we have the information needed to understand and investigate your concerns. Please complete all sections that are relevant to your complaint.

Where possible, please provide your supporting evidence when you submit your complaint. This can help us investigate without unnecessary delay. If we need further information or evidence, we will contact you and explain what is required.

You would normally be expected to submit the complaint yourself. However, support is available if you need help understanding the process or preparing your complaint. You can contact the Students' Union Advice Service, which provides independent advice and support to students.

If you need a reasonable adjustment or other support to access or participate in the complaints process, please let us know. We will work with you to consider what adjustments or alternative arrangements may be appropriate.

Writing your complaint and using AI

You are welcome to use AI tools to help you prepare your complaint. For example, you might find AI useful for organising your thoughts, improving the clarity of your writing or helping you explain what has happened.

You do not need to use AI, and you will not be disadvantaged because you have—or have not—used it. What matters is that we can understand your experience and what you would like the University to do to put things right.

Whether or not you use AI, we recommend keeping your complaint clear, personal and focused on what happened to you. It is helpful to tell us:

• what happened;
• when it happened and who was involved;
• how it affected you;
• what you have already done to try to resolve the issue; and
• what you would like the University to do to resolve your complaint.

You do not need to use formal or legal language, and a longer complaint is not necessarily a stronger complaint. You also do not need to identify which regulation or law you think has been breached. Tell us what happened in your own words and provide any relevant evidence. It is the University's responsibility to consider your complaint fairly under the appropriate procedures.

AI can produce information that is inaccurate, outdated or not relevant to your circumstances. Please check any references to University regulations, policies or legal provisions before including them.

Please take care not to enter sensitive personal information about yourself or other people into an AI service unless you understand how that service will use and protect the information.

Providing documents and evidence

Our preferred formats for complaint forms and supporting evidence are Microsoft Word or PDF. We can also accept .jpg, .gif and .zip files.

If you have several pieces of evidence, it is helpful to give the files clear names and number them in order.

Please do not worry if you are unable to provide your documents in one of the preferred formats. If we cannot open or clearly read a document, we will contact you and work with you to find an appropriate alternative.

Group complaints

If several students wish to complain about the same issue, you can submit a group complaint.

Each student should normally complete a complaint form, although the information provided on each form can be the same where you are raising the same concerns. Please identify the complaint as a group complaint and nominate one student to act as the main contact for the group.

What happens next?

We will acknowledge your complaint and explain what will happen next.

Your complaint will be referred to an appropriate Stage One Senior Officer. The Senior Officer will either investigate the complaint or appoint an Investigating Officer to investigate it on their behalf.

As part of the investigation, we may:

• ask you for further information or evidence;
• ask relevant University staff or departments for information;
• consider relevant records, policies and other documentation; and
• invite you to a meeting if this would help us understand your concerns.

We will consider the information and evidence fairly and impartially and will give you a reasonable opportunity to provide information relevant to your complaint.

We aim to provide you with a Stage One outcome within 28 calendar days.

Some complaints may take longer, particularly where the issues are complex or we need to obtain further information. If this happens, we will tell you why there is a delay and provide you with an updated timescale.

Stage One outcomes

Your Stage One outcome will clearly explain:

• how your complaint was considered and investigated;
• the decision reached on each substantive aspect of your complaint;
• the reasons for the decision; and
• where your complaint is upheld or partially upheld, any action or remedy that the University proposes to take.

Where appropriate, a remedy may include practical action to put matters right, changes to University processes or services, an apology, or financial redress.

The outcome will also explain whether you are eligible to request a Stage Two review if you remain dissatisfied. Where a Stage Two review is available, we will clearly explain the grounds for requesting a review, how to submit your request, the deadline for doing so, and where you can obtain further advice or support.

Making a complaint will not in itself disadvantage you in your studies or your relationship with the University. Your complaint will be handled in accordance with the University's Student Complaints Procedure.

Stage Two – Internal Review of a Complaint

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your Stage One complaint, you may be able to request a review at Stage Two.

Your complaint must normally have completed Stage One before it can be considered at Stage Two.

A Stage Two review is not a complete rehearing of your complaint. Instead, it considers whether there are valid grounds to review the Stage One decision.

You may request a Stage Two review on one or more of the following grounds:

• there is evidence that the correct procedure was not followed during the Stage One consideration;
• there is new evidence which, for an acceptable reason, was not available or submitted at Stage One; or
• there is evidence that was available at Stage One but which you believe requires further consideration.

Simply disagreeing with, or being unhappy with, the Stage One outcome will not normally be sufficient on its own to request a Stage Two review.

Your Stage One outcome will explain how to request a Stage Two review and will tell you the deadline for doing so.

How to request a Stage Two review

If you wish to request a review of your Stage One outcome, please complete the Stage Two Complaint Form (docx, 25.1KB) or Stage Two Complaint Form (PDF, 283KB) and submit it within 28 calendar days of the conclusion of the Stage One consideration.

You can submit your completed form by email to [email protected] or send it to the Academic Registrar, Fielding Johnson Building.

If your review request is submitted after the deadline, please explain why it was not possible for you to submit it earlier and provide any relevant supporting information or evidence that is available to you.

We will consider the circumstances before deciding whether a late request can be accepted.

If you require a reasonable adjustment or other support to access or participate in the Stage Two process, please let us know. We will work with you to find adjustments or alternative arrangements as appropriate.

What happens next?

The Academic Registrar will appoint a Stage Two Senior Officer who has not previously been involved in considering your complaint.

For complaints about academic matters, this will normally be a Pro-Vice-Chancellor. For non-academic matters, a Pro-Vice-Chancellor or another eligible senior officer without prior involvement may be appointed.

The Stage Two Senior Officer will consider questions including:

• Were the relevant procedures followed during Stage One?
• Was the Stage One outcome reasonable in all the circumstances?
• Were clear reasons given for the Stage One decision?
• If new evidence has been provided, is there an acceptable reason why it was not provided earlier?

The Stage Two Senior Officer will consider the information fairly and impartially and will explain the reasons for the decision reached.

Possible Stage Two outcomes

The Stage Two Senior Officer may decide that:

• the request does not demonstrate an eligible ground for review and the Stage One outcome will remain unchanged;
• an eligible ground for review has been demonstrated and the complaint can be resolved by offering an appropriate remedy; or
• an eligible ground for review has been demonstrated and the complaint should be referred to a Complaint Panel for further consideration.

If a remedy is offered and you do not wish to accept it, the complaint may be referred to a Complaint Panel in accordance with Senate Regulation 12.

You can read the full Regulations Governing Student Complaints.

Complaint Panel

If your complaint is referred to a Complaint Panel, the Panel will normally include:

• the Stage Two Senior Officer who initially reviewed the complaint, who will normally act as Chair;
• for an academic complaint, a Pro-Vice-Chancellor or Head of College without prior involvement in the complaint;
• for a non-academic complaint, an eligible Stage One Senior Officer without prior involvement in the complaint; and
• another senior member of University staff who has not previously been involved in the complaint.

A member of Professional Services staff will act as Secretary to the Panel.

Attending a Complaint Panel

We will arrange a date for the Panel and invite you to attend. Attendance may be in person or online, depending on the arrangements available.

You will normally be given at least 21 calendar days' notice of the Panel meeting.

You may ask a friend or representative to attend with you, subject to the requirements set out in Senate Regulation 12.

Before the Panel meets, we will send you the documents that the Panel will consider. We will also explain the procedure that will be followed and provide details of those expected to attend, including any witnesses.

This gives you an opportunity to understand the case being considered and to prepare for the meeting.

If you cannot attend the Panel

If there is a good reason why you cannot attend the Panel meeting, you may request a paper-based consideration.

If a paper-based consideration is agreed, there will be no hearing attended by the parties. Instead, written submissions will be collected from those involved and copies will be provided to you.

After receiving the written submissions, you will normally be given 14 calendar days to provide a further written response if you wish to do so.

The Panel will then meet to consider the complaint and reach its decision on the basis of the information provided.

The Chair will decide whether a paper-based consideration is appropriate in accordance with Senate Regulation 12.

Stage Two Panel outcome

The outcome of the Stage Two Panel will be sent to you in writing, normally within 7 calendar days of the Panel meeting.

The outcome will explain the decision reached, the reasons for that decision and any remedy or further action, where applicable.

The Stage Two outcome normally marks the end of the University's internal consideration of your complaint. Where appropriate, the outcome will also explain any further external review rights available to you.