How to submit an appeal

If you decide that you have eligible grounds for appeal you should complete and submit an appeals form with supporting documentary evidence. 

Review the What is an Academic Appeal? section of our webpages to find out more about grounds for appeal.

Please ensure that you complete an Academic Appeal Form (available to download below) rather than submitting a statement or letter of appeal.

You must appeal on your own behalf. The Advice Service in the Students’ Union is able to provide support and advice but it cannot write your appeal for you. Contact them on advice@le.ac.uk or phone on +44 (0)116 223 1132.

Have you received a progression or award decision?

• Yes - Follow the instructions on this page to submit an academic appeal.
• No - If you have not yet received a progression or award decision from a Board of Examiners, or equivalent academic body, you cannot submit an academic appeal. Please contact your School/Department to discuss your circumstances.
• Not sure - Check MyStudentRecord for any progression or award decisions.

Evidence needed

It is important that you submit evidence to support your appeal. It is your responsibility to obtain the required evidence. The University will not contact doctors or others on your behalf.

• Evidence must be new - copies of evidence already submitted to your department and considered through the mitigating circumstances process are not admissible. 
• Medical evidence must be from a qualified medical practitioner. 
• Evidence must be in English. If the original was not written in English then it is your responsibility to obtain a certified English translation of the evidence. 

As noted above, medical evidence must be from a qualified medical practitioner (e.g. fit note, discharge paperwork, letters from doctors or other medical practitioners). It is not appropriate to provide photographs of injury or accidents.

If concerns arise regarding the validity of evidence the University reserves the right to check to ensure the authenticity of evidence submitted.

Submitting an appeal

You should ensure that your appeal is submitted by the stated deadline. Failure to do so may result in the appeal being disallowed.

Please note that the deadlines applicable to all students are changing with effect from 1 November 2024. Please check carefully that you select the correct version of the appeal form and ensure that you submit your appeal within the deadline corresponding to the date your results were confirmed. If unsure, you can find this in your notification of results email.

Academic appeal form for Boards of Examiners up to 31 October 2024 (docx., 82kb)

Academic appeal form for Boards of Examiners from 1 November 2024 onwards (docx., 86kb)

• All students - Submit your appeal form and evidence by email to appeals@le.ac.uk.

Preferred format

The preferred format for completed appeal forms and evidence is Microsoft Word document or PDF.

Other acceptable file types are jpg, gif and zip. Please clearly name files with a relevant name (e.g. GPs letter, discharge letter, emails with [name] etc.). If we are unable to open a file or its readability is compromised you will be asked to resend the file in a different format.

Please do not share documents via OneDrive as Education Quality, Enhancement and Development Team are unable to open these, which will cause delays in processing.

Submitting multiple files

If submitting multiple files please ensure file names are numbered sequentially. This will avoid confusion when your appeal is considered. 

What happens after I submit my appeal?

On receipt of your appeal, we will send an acknowledgement within 5 calendar days.

Your appeal will then be checked to ensure it has been received within the deadline. 

If it is outside the deadline, a senior member of Education Quality, Enhancement and Development Team staff will determine if the appeal can be accepted, based on the information and evidence provided within the appeal.  You may be contacted by email and asked to provide more information or evidence.  

Once an eligible appeal has been received, your appeal form and evidence may be sent to your School/Department with a request for further information. 

We will then consider whether your appeal meets eligible grounds. At this point a decision will be made as follows:

• Appeal is unsuccessful – your appeal does not meet eligible grounds
• Appeal is successful – your appeal meets eligible grounds and has been accepted by your School
• Referral to an Appeals Panel for further consideration

If your appeal is referred to an Appeals Panel, you will be sent a copy of the School/Department report and be offered the opportunity to submit written comments by a specified deadline. We will also tell you the date of your Appeals Panel. Students do not attend Appeals Panels.

How long will it take to receive an outcome?

We work hard to resolve appeals as soon as we can, however we need to gather all the necessary information to make a decision. For this reason, it may take several weeks before you receive an outcome.

In the summer, we prioritise cases where a positive outcome may result in the requirement to undertake re-assessment in the August additional assessment period. We aim to notify such students of their outcomes as soon as possible to allow them to prepare. 

Further guidance and support

Please visit the Frequently Asked Questions page for answers to common questions.

View the FAQs

Contact Education Quality, Enhancement and Development (appeals@le.ac.uk) if you require further information about the appeals process. The team cannot assist you in formulating an appeal or complaint but can provide procedural information.

You may find it helpful to speak to your personal tutor or supervisor/postgraduate tutor if you are considering submitting an appeal. Alternatively, contact the Students’ Union Advice Service, who can offer free, confidential advice to students about various aspects of their studies - including mitigating circumstances, concerns about final grades, and putting together an academic appeal.

We are keen to ensure that if you are experiencing stress during the appeals process that you are aware of all the support options available to you. Should you need support for your mental wellbeing it’s important that you reach out for help. Below are some of the free support options that you are able to access;

• Online self-help resources are available to everyone 24/7.
• Health Assured provide a 24/7 helpline for students residing in the UK offering a range of support including counselling. To access their service you can call them for free on 0800 028 3766.
• The Central Access Point are a 24/7 NHS team that support people within Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland for urgent mental health issues. To access their service please contact them on 0808 800 3302. 

If you are residing outside of the UK please seek medical advice from the appropriate services available in the country you are residing in. You can also register with our Wellbeing Service for practical wellbeing advice. To register with our Wellbeing Service please complete the referral form (log-in required).