Complaints Sometimes, circumstances both in and out of our control may cause you to complain.
We set ourselves high standards and do our best to ensure you have a positive and successful university experience. However, we recognise that this doesn’t always happen.
are an enrolled student on a course at the University, or
are an external student undertaking reassessment, or
left the University no longer than one month after the end of the published term date.
You can make an individual complaint about something which directly affects your interests. If something affects the interests of a group of students, you can be part of a group complaint.
Please remember you have the right to complain to the University. You will not be penalised or treated differently for raising a complaint.
There are three stages to the complaints process:
Stage 1: Early resolution
You should try to resolve your complaint at a local level first. You can do this by directing your complaint to one of the following members of staff:
your course tutor
your module leader
the programme leader
the faculty administration manager
a manager in the University service involved
a member of the department or faculty who you feel comfortable talking to.
If you are not sure who to direct your complaint to, please contact the Students’ Union Advice Centre or email the Student Casework team. Please note, the Complaints team will forward your complaint to the department concerned.
We encourage you to submit a complaint form at this stage. The complaint form asks you to set out the reasons for your complaint and detail what you are looking for as a resolution.
If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of Stage 1 of the process, you can request to escalate to a formal investigation.
If you have not already done so, please complete a complaint form and remember to include evidence to support your case. You should also include the Stage 1 outcome, which you should have received.
At this stage, we will appoint a senior staff member to investigate your complaint. They will be independent to you, your programme, your immediate academic department and any person named in your complaint. We will tell you who the investigating officer is and the date by when you can expect to receive the outcome of the investigation.
Stage 3: Review
If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of Stage 2, you can ask for a review if you believe one or more of the following grounds apply:
the investigation was not conducted fairly
the investigation failed to take account of relevant material
you have new evidence which would have affected the Stage 2 decision had it been available
the Stage 2 decision was wholly unreasonable.
At this stage, we will consider how your complaint has been dealt with and whether he process has been fair and reasonable. We will not consider a new complaint or any new aspect of your complaint at this stage. The review will be carried out by the Pro Vice-Chancellor or other designated senior member of staff.
When the University’s internal procedures are complete, we will send you a completion of procedures letter. This explains that if you are dissatisfied with the final outcome, you can refer your matter to the OIA for review.
The OIA is an independent body whose role is to review individual complaints from students. You must complete the University’s complaints procedure before contacting the OIA.
There are further details about the OIA Scheme on the OIA website.
