How do you know if you can appeal?

It’s only possible to appeal when you have been given an official decision or outcome from the University. If a decision is provisional or waiting to be by an academic body, then you will need to wait until it has been confirmed.

What are academic appeals?

You may have recently reviewed your assessments or award or found out a decision made about the of your studies. are the process you can use to challenge these decisions if you disagree with them or believe that the academic body responsible didn’t have the necessary information when they made the decision.

The appeal will need to present a case for why you think the decision should be reconsidered – including (which fits into one of the three grounds of appeal) and evidence to support your claim.

Please be aware that you will have 21 days to submit an academic appeal – starting from when you are given the decision.

It is not possible to appeal against specific marks or to question academic judgement.

Is it an appealable decision?

It’s only possible to appeal when you have been given an official decision or outcome from the University. If a decision is provisional or waiting to be ratified by an academic body then you will need to wait until it has been confirmed.

Undergraduates and Postgraduate Taught Students

Students on taught undergraduate or postgraduate programmes can appeal against Exam Board decisions. The University has a webpage about Exam Board Outcomes that might be helpful to read.

Some examples of what you could make academic appeals against are:

• Progression decisions
  • such as being required to have a supplementary year
  • being required to withdraw from your programme of study
  • whether a reassessment is capped at the pass mark
• Final awards or degree classification
• Academic Misconduct Penalties

Postgraduate Research Students

The PGR regulations state that appeals follow the process outlined in the Assessment Regulations which say that it is possible to make an academic appeal against:

• University Research Degrees Examination Board
• Recommendation of a registration review panel
• Upgrade or progression panel.

Do you have one of the permissible grounds for appeal?

Your appeal will only succeed if it fits into one or more of the three possible grounds for appeal. Any appeals made without one of these grounds will not be accepted – so think carefully about whether any apply to your situation.

The grounds are:

1. If there has been a
   Material IrregularityThis is when the University hasn't followed its processes or policies correctly or made an error, which results in an unfair outcome for you.
   in the decision-making process. This is when the University hasn’t followed its own processes or policies correctly, resulting in an unfair outcome for you. An example of this could be if you notified the University of exceptional circumstances but they haven’t been classified correctly or adjusted for appropriately.
2. Your performance in assessment has been affected by
   Exceptional CircumstanceThis could be a sudden illness, such as appendicitis or food poisoning, a flare-up of a chronic condition, a mental health difficulty, bereavement, jury service, or responsibilities such as caring for someone close to you.
   (ECs) that you were unable to disclose before the deadline. You will need to show there was a good reason why you couldn’t submit an EC form at the correct time for any information you provide to be considered. You can read about what ECs are and how to explain them to the University on our ECs webpage.
3. A penalty for
   Academic MisconductThis is an action that leads to you getting an ‘unfair advantage’ that aids or benefits you in your assessments or exams.
   , such as plagiarism or exam cheating, which is wrong or disproportionate. This ground doesn’t apply to late submission penalties, it’s only where an issue regarding academic integrity has arisen, been investigated, and a penalty applied.

Academic Advice Appeal Wizard

Next Steps

• Once you have completed your appeal form and submitted it to student-appeals@bristol.ac.uk you should then receive an outcome within 35 days.
• Remember that your current decision still stands until you have received your outcome. You will be emailed an outcome letter so make sure that you have provided all of your contact details on your appeal form.
• If it has been more than 35 days since you submitted your appeal you could ask the appeals team for an update using the above email address.
• When you receive your outcome, if you have any questions, please get in touch with us.

Tips for appealing

To create a strong appeal you'll need:

A detailed appeal form

You can use our appeal wizard to help you start a draft form, or you can download a blank one. You can view our guide for filling in the appeal form and we can offer feedback on your draft, but here are some key points to remember:

• Clearly explain the situation
  University decisions are based on what you tell them so don’t exclude anything. Give them all the relevant information.
• Think about the impact or consequences of what happened
  What was the impact or consequences on you? Each student will react differently and have a unique set of circumstances – so you need to explain how you were personally affected.
• Make sure everything relates to the reason for the appeal
  Explain how everything on your form relates to the decision you are appealing against. Make it clear why you are including it in your appeal.

Evidence to support the case you are making in your appeal

It’s very important to provide evidence with your appeal. Here is how you should include it:

• Using evidence to support what you are saying
  Evidence is needed to support any claims or issues that you raise in your appeal. The University can then see confirmation that it happened. Try to provide evidence for every situation or set of circumstances you raise in your appeal.
• An objective source of information
  Where possible, your evidence should be from an objective source to remove the possibility of bias. It could also include policy documents if you are referring to specific rules or regulations.
• Translating evidence to English
  Any evidence not written in English must be professionally translated before you submit it. If you cannot do this before the appeal deadline, submit your appeal form, and any ready evidence and tell the University the date you can send finished translations.

A prompt submission to the University

To start an appeal with the University you will need to submit a completed appeal form, along with your supporting evidence, to student-appeals@bristol.ac.uk – make sure that you do this before the 21-day deadline.

Other ways of getting help

• Read the University's Appeals Information page.
• Read our Academic Appeals Guidance Document.
• Download a blank University Appeal form, fill it out, and send it to us for feedback.
• If you want to make a complaint or appeal against a different decision, such as a disciplinary outcome or fitness to study, you can find information about that on our website.
• Email us, your Academic Advice team.