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Academic Appeals

An Academic Appeal is a request for reconsideration of a decision made by the University Assessment Board.

An appeal enables you (where there are valid grounds) to request that a decision about an assessment outcome is reconsidered.

All appeals will be dealt with confidentially, unless disclosure is necessary to progress the appeal.

In accordance with the GDPR 2018 the information you provide for an academic appeal will be treated as confidential and will only be disclosed:

i) in order to progress an appeal or to comply with university procedures. For further information, please see the Academic Procedures and Processes within the Academic Regulations.

ii) if information you have provided gives reasonable belief that there is a concern regarding the safety of the individual or others

Further information about the GDPR 2018  is available here. On this page you will also find details of University of Cumbria and UCSU data sharing agreement.

An appeal can be made using the Academic Appeal Form by any student who is enrolled at a course of study at the University of Cumbria or by recent graduates if within the stipulated timescale.

Forms and documents should be completed online and sent to  Assessment@cumbria.ac.uk along with supporting evidence. Please note we cannot open shared files and so need to be sent as an attachment on an email.

Appeals releating to 4 week rule deregistration should be submited using this Form (Deregistration Appeal Form) and sent to Studentprocedures@cumbria.ac.uk within ten days of receving notification that you are to be deregistered.

 

  • When & how can I appeal?

    Appeals must be submitted within TEN working days of the publication of your confirmed results following the University Progression and Award Board.  Forms submitted outside of this timeline will be deemed to be invalid and will not be progressed. 

    You must make an appeal in writing on the Academic Appeal Form identifying the grounds for appeal and providing relevant dated documentary evidence. 

    Your claim may be deemed invalid if you fail to provide enough information or evidence for the panel to consider your case. 

    In exceptional cases, if you are incapacitated (either due to a physical or mental illness) and therefore not able to complete the appeal form yourself, the form may be completed on your behalf by a member of staff (eg Personal Tutor, Programme Leader). However, it is your responsibility to contact the member of staff and ask them to do this for you. 

  • What do I need to consider when submitting an appeal on grounds of Extenuating circumstances?

    An appeal submitted on the grounds of extenuating circumstances (ECs) will be reviewed by the EC Appeals panel at stage 1 of the appeal process.

    The EC Appeals panel will be looking for an explanation as to why you did not submit an EC claim at the appropriate time of submission under the EC procedures.

    The EC Appeals panel will also be looking for independent evidence to verify these circumstances. A good reason would be if, for example, you had been incapacitated at the time you should have submitted an EC claim.  Ignorance of the EC procedure or not engaging with discussion of possible extensions with programme teams will not be classed as an acceptable reason.

  • Can I attend my course if I am appealing?

    If you have submitted an appeal and it is being progressed, you have the right to continue with your programme, provided that: you have sufficient credit to progress, you are not in debt to the University and you have satisfied fitness to practice procedures until such time as a decision has been reached.

    Students on professional courses such as midwifery and nursing are not able to undertake any placement activity whilst an appeal is ongoing, placements can resume if an appeal is upheld. This right is designed solely to ensure that a student is not academically disadvantaged and it should not be interpreted as a guarantee that the appeal will be upheld.

  • How is an appeal different to a complaint?

    An Academic Appeal enables you (where there are grounds) to request that a decision about an assessment outcome is reconsidered. This differs to the Complaints Procedure which is concerned with the quality of delivery of programmes and services.

    If you feel you have been treated unfairly or discriminated against, or that the quality of delivery of your programme has affected the outcome of an assessment, you need to use the Student Complaints Procedure as soon as possible.

    If you submit an Academic Appeal and you reference quality of delivery as a reason, your appeal may be deferred until the complaint has been investigated. The outcome of the complaint may impact on the outcome of the Academic Appeal.

  • Where can I get support with submitting an appeal?

    The Students’ Union are able to provide advice and assistance on the content of your appeal.

    The Assessment & Awards Team are responsible for the administration of the appeal and can help with queries relating to submission of the form or progress of the appeal.

  • What constitutes 'documentary evidence'?

    For examples of what constitutes documentary evidence for appeals made on grounds of ECs, please refer to our extenuating circumstances section of MyCumbria. 

    Any appeal made on grounds of administrative error or regulatory or procedural irregularity should be supported by independent verifiable evidence which is pertinent to your claim.

  • Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA)

    The Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) runs an independent scheme to review student complaints. The University of Cumbria is a member of this scheme. If you are unhappy with the outcome you may be able to ask the OIA to review your appeal.

    You can find more information about making a complaint to the OIA, what it can and can’t look at and what it can do to put things right here: https://www.oiahe.org.uk/students.

    You normally need to have completed the complaints procedure before you complain to the OIA. We will send you a letter called a “Completion of Procedures Letter” when you have reached the end of our processes and there are no further steps you can take internally. If your appeal is not upheld at the end of the process, we will issue you with a Completion of Procedures Letter automatically. If your appeal is upheld or partly upheld you can ask for a Completion of Procedures Letter if you want one.

    You can find more information about Completion of Procedures Letters and when you should expect to receive one here: https://www.oiahe.org.uk/providers/completion-of-procedures-letters.

  • Queries

    If you have any queries about your assessment position after reading this information, please consult your Course Tutor or the Assessment Team.

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