Academic Support Appeals

Exam period is over and results day is just around the corner. We know many of you may feel nervous or anxious about your results, but don’t worry you are not alone.

If you don’t get the result you’re hoping for, but believe there were circumstances that impacted you or your academic performance, you may be able to utilise the academic appeals process.

Can I Appeal?

To appeal against your Board of Examiners’ progress decision, you must have a valid reason or 'ground' to do so. These are;

That there were circumstances unknown to the Board of Examiners which contributed to your academic performance and consequently to the progress decision against which the appeal is being made
That there was an administrative or procedural irregularity or failure in the relevant assessment(s), which may give rise to a reasonable doubt as to whether the progress decision would have been different if it had not occurred
In the case of postgraduate research students only, that there has been bias in the assessment of their thesis on the part of one or more of the examiners

Students will be expected to explain and evidence why they were unable to submit extenuating circumstances prior to their School’s relevant deadline.

We know that you may be disappointed by your results, but simply disagreeing with them will likely result in your appeal being rejected.

When To Submit Your Appeal

You will have 10 working days to submit an appeal from the date you receive your progress decision, this for many students is when the results are released on the Student Gateway.

You will need third party evidence to support your appeal, this could be from a doctor, hospital, police, or professional organisations.

Support With Your Appeal

If you need appeals advice, would like to discuss your case or want feedback on a draft appeal form before submission, contact Guild Advice.

If you need support with another issue, please complete an Advice Request Form.

Academic Appeals FAQs

If your question is not answered below please contact Guild Advice.

Can I appeal if I disagree with the marks that I have been given?

You cannot appeal on the grounds that you are dissatisfied with your results and that you believe that you deserve higher marks. The appeals process is not a method of circumventing or setting aside the professional academic judgement of your examiners on your performance.

Can I submit a late appeal?

Please contact the Appeals team if you require an extension to your deadline. This may be waived in exceptional circumstances.

Do I need to submit evidence?

The appeals process is an evidence-based process and it is important that any circumstances that you mention in your appeal are supported by independent, third party evidence. All evidence should be submitted in English. If your evidence is provided in a foreign language it is your responsibility to have it translated before submission.