You can use the Student Complaints Procedure if you’re unhappy about something the University has or hasn’t done, or the standard of service provided. Complaints can be about any aspect of the University. Complaints should be raised within 30 days of the issue being complained about.

The complaints process should not be used to challenge academic decisions that fall under the University’s Appeals Regulations. If you are concerned about an academic decision the University has made (for example, to ask you to withdraw from your studies or a penalty imposed for alleged plagiarism), contact Bristol SU Academic Advice to find out more about making an appeal. 

If your complaint is about bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, assault or discrimination, you can use the Unacceptable Behaviour Complaint process. You can find information about how to make a report here. We can advise you on how the process works and direct you to the appropriate team.

If you are unsure about whether the complaints procedures are the best way to resolve something contact us to explore your options. 

If your complaint is about bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, assault or discrimination, contact Bristol SU Academic Advice for more information. We can give you guidance, as there are different ways to raise this through the Unacceptable Behaviour Complaint process, including anonymous reporting.  

There are three steps to the Student Complaints Procedure: 

• First, raise the complaint informally with an appropriate member of staff and explore the option of mediation.
• If that doesn't work, you should make a Local Stage complaint. You will need to fill in a Student Complaint Form and then send your complaint to the Student Complaints and Mediation Manager (student-complaints@bristol.ac.uk) who will appoint someone to investigate your complaint.
• If you’re not happy with the outcome of the Local Stage, you can ask the Student Complaints and Mediation Manager to escalate your complaint to the University Stage. At this point it will be looked at by a Complaint Review Panel made up of three senior members of staff who have had no prior involvement in your complaint.

The complaints process is explained in more detail in Bristol University's Student Complaints Procedure. 

Bristol SU Academic Advice will be happy to help you throughout the complaints process. We can give you feedback on your complaint form, support you to identify possible outcomes to request, help you think about evidence to support your complaint and later, once you have an outcome, we can advise about what this means and any next steps that you may want to take.

If you are unhappy with your local stage outcome you will be given the opportunity to progress your [complaint] to the University Stage. We can offer advice and support you through that process as well. Please note you need to go through the Local Stage first and it's not possible to go straight to the later stages.

If you go through the Local Stage and the University Stage you will be issued with a Completion of Procedure Letter (CoP). This is the final decision from the University of Bristol - which means that their procedures are finished. The Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) is an independent organisation that handles complaints about universities. If you have received your CoP letter and wish to make a complaint to the OIA please contact us for advice and information.

Once you have submitted your complaint form the Student Complaints and Mediation Manager will then refer the complaint to an appropriate person to investigate it. 

You will then be sent details of the investigation, the findings and the outcome. The University aims to complete the Local Stage within 30 days of the submission of the complaint but realistically it may take longer, particularly at busy times. 

If you’re not happy with the outcome at the Local Stage, you can progress your complaint to the University Stage by requesting this in writing to the Student Complaints and Mediation Manager within 14 days of receiving the Local Stage outcome. Bristol SU Academic Advice can advise further about this.