Should you need help and advice regarding academic appeals, complaints, mitigating circumstances or any other academic related concerns, the SU and your campus officer are here to advise, support and represent you. Sometimes this can be quite daunting and we are here to help guide you through the process and to advise you on the best way forward with your concerns.
If you want any advice or support regarding any of the information on this page you can visit your SU or campus officer
If you are considering making an appeal against an assessment outcome, please read the following information carefully. Appeals are received by Academic Registry (Quality, Standards & Assessment) and are investigated in accordance with the University’s policy and procedures relating to appeals.
If you have a query that is not addressed by these pages, please contact the Students’ Union
________________________
GROUNDS FOR APPEAL
A student may appeal against an assessment outcome in relation to:
i) individual unit(s); and/or
ii) progression from one Stage of the course to the next; and/or
iii) a recommendation for a final award.
Before making an appeal, you should consider whether your case falls under one or more of the following:
i) your performance in assessment may have been adversely affected by mitigating circumstances which you were previously unable or unwilling to divulge for valid reason(s) before a decision on the outcome of your performance in assessment was reached. An appeal of this type must be supported by appropriate documentary evidence;
ii) that there has been a significant and exceptional administrative error in the conduct of assessment;
iii) that the assessment was not conducted in accordance with the relevant and current course of study regulations.
PLEASE NOTE: Disagreement with academic judgment does not constitute grounds for appeal. Travel or financial difficulties cannot be used as grounds for an appeal.
________________________
SUBMITTING AN APPEAL
You should submit your appeal in writing using the appeals cover sheet and attaching a supporting letter. Your supporting letter should provide a factual explanation of the grounds for your appeal. In particular, include dates and names where applicable.
You can download a copy of the appeals cover sheet at the bottom of this page.
Please send appeal cover sheet and supporting letter to:
Student Appeals and Complaints Manager
University for the Creative Arts
Falkner Road, Farnham
Surrey GU9 7DS
You may also email both the cover sheet and your letter to academic_appeals@ucreative.ac.uk
The University for the Creative Arts considers carefully how best to support your experience throughout your time with them. Occasionally you may feel they have not met your expectations and if that happens they will want to know about it.
________________________
THE COMPLAINTS PROCESS
The University have a complaints process that has formal and informal stages. They want to resolve any concerns you may have as soon as they arise, and in most cases, this can be done informally.
________________________
THE INFORMAL STAGE
The informal stage is based around a conversation; a conversation between yourself or your group and a member of staff at the institution. Any concerns should be raised as soon as you have them with the most appropriate member of staff. For example, if you are concerned about lecture times or cancellations then please speak to the lecturer. If you feel you are waiting too long for an appointment with the careers officer or the counsellor then speak to them straight away. If a fault in your halls of residence has not been fixed, then let the accommodation services team know. If you find that this doesn’t resolve your complaint you should consider asking a more senior person in the department – a course leader or team leader. They may attempt to resolve this by meeting with you and discussing your concerns, as well as discussing the issues with the relevant team or service providers.
If this doesn’t resolve the complaint then you might consider the formal process.
________________________
THE FORMAL STAGE
To take your complaint to the formal stage you need to complete the complaints form, no other method is normally acceptable. The Students’ Union can assist you with the form as well as support you through the process generally. Student Development Services staff are also available to advise regarding the process.
You can download a copy of the form at the bottom of this page or pick up a hard copy from the Faculty Office or Student Services Advice Centre on campus.
The Complaints Policy details the rules and procedures of the university’s complaints process. It is also found in the rules and regulations booklet you were given at enrolment.
The University always welcome feedback on the policy itself, so if you feel there are areas that aren’t working as well as they could, please let the Students’ Union know so we can pass your comments on to the appropriate individuals.
For students with disabilities the University will make all reasonable adjustments to their processes to facilitate any complaint you may wish to make. For example, they will accept complaints in other formats that are in keeping with the regulations, arrange for learning support assistants to support you and, alter the format of their forms, if necessary.
In the unlikely event that the University are not able to resolve the complaint satisfactorily at either of these stages, they you may appeal to the Rector. If this is not successful then you may be able to take your complaint to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education. For further advice on this or any other area of the complaints procedure, get in touch with your Campus Officer.
Circumstances may arise for students whilst studying at the University that are beyond their control and may affect performance or result in a loss of attendance.
Students are required to complete a separate form for each unit that has been adversely affected by Extenuating Circumstances with corroborating evidence. Completed forms should be authorised by your Course Leader and then submitted to the Faculty Office before or on the submission deadline.
You can download the form and guidance notes at the bottom of this page. If you would like further support or advice, get in touch with your Campus Officer.
Plagiarism is claiming, or implying, that all or part someone else’s work is your own work. It applies to the use of material sourced from the Internet, books, journal and newspaper articles, film scripts, musical scores, etc..
If you are using parts of others’ work in your assignments or creative work, you must acknowledge this, and provide clear references so that the original sources can be traced.
Even if you are not directly quoting from another work, but are using ideas expressed by it, you must still acknowledge the original source.
Plagiarism is a serious breach of academic ethics and of the University’s regulations and can result in a referral, unit failure or expulsion. Simply, DON’T DO IT.
You may download the Student Regulations Handbook appropriate to your level of study from the bottom of this page.
The Student Regulations are updated annually by Quality, Standards & Assessment and contain important information about about the operation of your course and the University, student conduct, assessment, examination and fees regulations, and University policies and procedures.
Further Education Student Regulations
You should refer to these regulations if you are studying a Further Education course (Access to Higher Education / Foundation Studies in Art & Design / National Diploma / National Certificate)
Undergraduate Student Regulations
These regulations cover full-time and part-time courses at Undergraduate level which operate under the Common Undergraduate Credit Scheme.
Postgraduate Taught Student Regulations
These regulations apply to MA courses operating under the Common Postgraduate Credit Scheme at the University.
Postgraduate Research Student Handbook
This handbook is applicable to research students who are undertaking an MPhil or PhD which lead to an award validated by the University of Brighton.
Thanks for your feedback!
Comments?