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An academic appeal is a request for the review of a student progression or award decision taken by the Programme Assessment Board.
A complaint arises from a specific concern about the adequacy or quality of the provision of a programme of study or related academic service.
Where an appeal also contains a complaint, the complaint may need to be considered separately under the complaints handling procedure, which excludes reconsidering and changing academic or progression decisions.
The academic appeals process provides a route for students to seek a review of their academic progression decision.
Students should note that the appeal process relates only to progression or award decisions taken by the Programme Assessment Board. It cannot be applied to matters of academic judgement, such as module grades, nor to the proper application of the University’s regulations and policies.
The Academic Appeals principles are:
Academic progressions decisions should be defensible, fair and consistent.
The academic appeals procedure should be simple, understandable and administratively straightforward.
The policy and practice should enable students to understand the reasons for the progression decision taken and allow students to raise matters of concern without fear of disadvantage.
The following guidance in the Academic Appeals Procedure sets out how the purpose and principles will operate in practice.
If any perceived conflict is identified, this should be brought to the attention of the Director of Student and Academic Services by emailing academicappeals@abertay.ac.uk.
Any student seeking a review of their progression decision will be counselled by a senior member of academic staff (normally the relevant Faculty Academic Advisor or Faculty Research Degree representative) and the reasons for the original decision will be explained.
If the student submits a valid appeal it will be reviewed by the Stage 1 Academic Appeal Panel and an outcome emailed to the student.
If the Stage 1 Academic Appeals Panel rejects the appeal the student can appeal to the Stage 2 Academic Appeals Panel, only on the grounds of a clearly identified procedural irregularity or significant new evidence not previously available.
If the grounds for appeal are deemed valid for review the student will be expected to attend a meeting of the Stage 2 Academic Appeals Panel to present their case and may be accompanied by another member of the University community.
If the student is unable to attend, in exceptional circumstances the student may be represented by a member of the University community.
If the Stage 2 Academic Appeals Panel rejects the appeal the student may have recourse to the complaints procedure with respect to the operation of the academic appeals procedure itself.
The progression decision that is under appeal will remain in force unchanged until the appeal is concluded.
If any perceived conflict is identified, this should be brought to the attention of the Director of Student and Academic Services.
The following guidance in the Academic Appeals Procedure sets out how the purpose and principles will operate in practice.
Please download the Academic Appeal Form and follow the instructions. The Academic Appeal Form and any evidence relied upon must be submitted within 15 working days from the date that a progression decision is notified to the student.
If you have any queries or need a copy of this form in a more accessible format, please email academicappeals@abertay.ac.uk.
Abertay University collects and processes personal data for the purpose of administering the Academic Appeals Procedure. This data includes personal details such as names, student IDs, contact information, academic details, healthcare information and any personal circumstances related to the appeal. Additionally, the University has a legal requirement to collect and monitor special category data, such as ethnicity, disability and religious beliefs, to ensure compliance with equality and diversity laws.
Most of the information the University processes is collected directly from students through the Academic Appeal Form, but it may also be sourced from other internal and/or external parties. The data is used for investigating and responding to appeals, tracking decisions and producing anonymized reports for University management and external regulatory bodies.
The data is stored securely and is only retained for as long as necessary, following specific retention guidelines. For more information on how the University uses and protects any personal information collected through administering the Academic Appeals Procedure, please refer to the Academic Appeals Privacy Notice.