How your academic appeal is processed

Who this information is for

The academic appeals procedure below is for current undergraduate and postgraduate taught students only and includes students studying at partner institutions. The full process is outlined in Academic Appeals Procedure for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught Students (.pdf)

Postgraduate research students follow a different procedure and should read the PGR policies, procedures and guidelines.

Procedures for students from previous years of entry can be found on the governance webpages.

Initial check

Your appeal submission will undergo an initial check to determine whether it is valid. If the appeal does not have valid grounds or is late without a valid reason, then the appeal will be dismissed and you will be notified of the reasons for this.

Appeals Officer review

Appeals considered to have valid grounds and submitted on time will be considered by an Appeals Officer who will review:

• the contents of your appeal and any evidence that you have provided
• the decision made by the Board of Examiners and the reasons for this
• any of the University’s records that may be relevant to the case

The Appeals Officer will review the appeal to determine whether:

• the appeal should be dismissed and your academic progress will not be reconsidered. If the appeal is dismissed by the Appeals Officer, then you will be notified in writing and provided with the reasons for this
• the appeal should be referred back to the Board of Examiners and your academic progress should be reconsidered

Referral to the Board of Examiners

The Board of Examiners will reconsider your academic progress if the Appeals Officer has referred the appeal. The Board of Examiners may decide to:

• amend their previous decision in light of the information that has been provided as part of your appeal, including the information provided by the Appeals Officer
• not amend their previous decision, despite the new information that has been provided

You will be advised of the Board’s decision and their reasons for reaching their decision in writing.

Referral to the Deputy Dean

Some appeals may be referred to the Deputy Dean (Education) or the Deputy Dean (Partnerships) for a quick resolution. This may be for the following reasons:

• there has been a clear and obvious procedural irregularity that the Dean can easily correct
• you are asking to repeat a period of study instead of doing summer reassessment
• you have been withdrawn by the Board because of non-engagement with your exams or reassessment, but wish to be reinstated

Appeals will only be referred to the Dean if the Student Progress Team (or partner institution equivalent) believes that the appeal can easily be resolved as it relates to the progress decision.

Once the Dean has considered the appeal, you will be notified of the Dean’s decision in writing and will be informed whether their appeal remains eligible or not to be considered by an Appeals Officer under the formal procedure.

Appeal process timeframe

We aim to complete the whole process as quickly as possible and you will receive an update from the Student Progress Team:

• if it is determined that the appeal is clearly not valid or out of time
• if the Appeals Officer has deemed that your appeal does not have valid grounds or if the Appeals Officer has referred the appeal to the Board of Examiners
• if the Board of Examiners have met to reconsider your academic progress OR if the Dean has provided you with an alternative outcome

We aim to resolve all appeals within eight weeks and the majority of appeals are responded to before this timeframe. There will occasionally be circumstances when the University may have to extend the timeframe. If this happens you will be notified by email.

The consideration of appeals may take longer than you hope. If you require any further information, please contact appeals@essex.ac.uk.

Who views your appeal

Whilst the appeal is being considered, all documentation and evidence that you submit will be held in confidence and only shared with relevant members of staff that have been nominated to administer or consider the appeal. This does not normally include any member of staff representing your department or school, except in case where the Board of Examiners are asked to reconvene. However, Boards of Examiners consider appeals anonymously and so your identification will be withheld from the Board.

Once the appeal is completed, then the outcome of the appeal will be recorded in your student file in line with the University’s data storage and confidentiality policies.

Reassessment

If your appeal is ongoing and the Board have previously instructed you to do reassessment or attend resit exams, then you must attend them.

This will only change if you have been instructed by the Student Progress Team that a new Board of Examiners have met following your appeal and have agreed that you no longer need to complete reassessment.

Request to make a decision

If your appeal is ongoing and the Board have previously have given you a choice of how to proceed then you must confirm this by the stated deadline.

This will only change if you have been instructed by the Student Progress Team that a new Board of Examiners have met following your appeal and have agreed to a new decision.

Understanding your appeal outcome

To get advice on understanding the outcome of your appeal, you can contact the Student Progress Team by emailing appeals@essex.ac.uk or via the Student Services Hub. Alternatively, you can get independent support from SU Advice. Students studying at partner institutions should contact their education provider in the first instance.

If your appeal is successful

If your appeal is upheld, and the Board of Examiners have agreed to a new decision OR the Dean has provided you with an alternative outcome, then you will be notified by email and given instructions on how to proceed.

If your appeal is dismissed

If your appeal is not upheld, you will be notified by email and provided with the explanation for this.

If you're unhappy with the outcome of your academic appeal after it has been completed, you may be entitled to request an internal review or to submit a complaint to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA), the national ombudsman for student complaints.