Academic Appeals
What is the Academic Appeals Procedure?
You can submit an academic appeal for the following reasons:
- you believe there has been a material irregularity in the conduct of the assessment, which casts reasonable doubt on the validity of the result.
- you want to appeal against the decision on an evidenced extension claim.
You cannot submit an appeal just because you are unhappy with your results or think you deserved a higher mark.
In all instances, where an appeal has been referred to an Appeals Panel, the Panel will also consider whether there has been any bias or perception of bias.
Read the Academic Appeals Procedure
For more detailed information you can read the Academic Appeals Regulations.
You can also appeal against an academic misconduct decision, or a decision to withdraw you from University during the year due to poor engagement.
Different types of appeals you can submit
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Appeals against material irregularity
Appeals against material irregularity
What is material irregularity?
A material irregularity is an error made by the University, or some other issue with the conduct of your assessment, that has affected your result. You must clearly explain what material irregularity occurred and how it affected your assessment.
When you receive your results, you can contact the Student Hub with any questions or to discuss any concerns you have about your results.
If you believe there has been a material irregularity, you can submit an academic appeal after you have received your results at the end of the year. Appeals under the grounds of material irregularity should be submitted within 14 days of receiving your results.
You will find the forms and guidance on how to complete them in our Step-by-Step Guide to Submitting an Appeal.
Possible appeal remedies
Before deciding to submit an appeal, you should be aware that Appeals Panels are not able to change marks and it is very rare for work to be re-marked following a Panel decision.
If your appeal is upheld, you will usually still have to take a reassessment. The most common outcomes of successful appeals are:
- Your reassessment status will change. For example, you might be given an uncapped assessment as if for the first time instead of a capped reassessment.
- You might be granted one final reassessment opportunity, if you have exhausted all of your assessment opportunities.
Deadline to support an appeal against material irregularity
You must submit an appeal within 14 days of receiving your results from the assessment board.
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Appeals against evidenced extension decisions
Appeals against evidenced extension decisions
If you believe your performance in an assessment has been adversely affected by personal circumstances, you should submit an evidenced extension claim.
If you are unhappy with an evidenced extension decision and you have new supporting evidence, for example further medical evidence, you should submit another evidenced extension claim.
If you are not happy with the decision on your evidenced extension claim and do not have any further evidence, you can submit an academic appeal against this decision on either or both of these grounds:
- That the decision of the evidenced extension claim was not reasonable
- That the correct procedures were not followed in the consideration of your claim
You must submit an appeal within 14 days of receiving an evidenced extension decision.
For help with submitting an appeal, see our Step-by-Step Guide to Submitting an Appeal
Possible appeal remedies
Before deciding to submit an appeal, you should be aware that Appeal Panels are not able to change marks and it is very rare for work to be re-marked following a panel decision.
If your appeal is upheld, you will usually still have to take a reassessment. The most common outcomes of successful appeals are:
- Your reassessment status will change. For example, you might be given an uncapped assessment as if for the first time instead of a capped reassessment.
If you have exhausted all of your assessment opportunities, you might be granted one final further reassessment opportunity.
Deadline to support an appeal against evidenced extension decisions
You must submit an appeal within 14 days of receiving your evidenced extension decision.
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Appeals against withdrawal decisions
Appeals against withdrawal decisions
What is withdrawal?
If your attendance and engagement with your course falls below a certain level, you may be withdrawn from your course by the University.
Engagement and attendance include attending timetabled teaching sessions, accessing Moodle and submitting work for an assessment.
You can also decide to withdraw from the University at your own request.
If you are considering withdrawing from your studies, you should first consult your academic tutor or programme leader along with the Student Financial Support Team on the Student Financial Support Helpline on 0161 247 1045, Monday to Friday 9:00am-4:15pm to see if this is the best course of action for you.
If you decide to withdraw or have been withdrawn by the University, you must stop attending your course.
If you wish to return to the University at a later date, you will have to complete the admissions process again. This would mean submitting a new application for the same or different course.
Why could I be withdrawn by the University?
The University expects a certain level of engagement from you as a student in terms of attendance at classes and engagement with your assessed work. This is important as it helps you perform to the best of your ability.
If your engagement with your course falls below the minimum requirements you will be contacted by the Student Engagement team. If your engagement doesn’t improve, you may be sent a final academic warning. If you receive one of these warnings it is very important that you contact the Student Engagement team. If you don’t make contact within two weeks you will be withdrawn from the University.
How do I appeal against my withdrawal?
You can submit an appeal against the decision to withdraw you from your course by completing the appeal form.
What to do if you have received your results and failed the year.
If you have failed the year and want to challenge this you will need to submit an evidenced extension claim, or an academic appeal under the relevant grounds of appeal.
You can appeal the decision to withdraw you on one of three grounds:
- Your engagement with the course has been affected by personal circumstances which you have not disclosed at an earlier stage in the process.
- That there has been a material irregularity or error in the way the withdrawal process has been carried out.
- You can demonstrate that you are not yet at the stage of being unable to complete the academic work required to secure a pass at the end of the current academic session.
Appeals against withdrawal must be submitted within seven days of the date of your withdrawal letter.
When completing the appeal form you should ensure you give as much information as possible for the panel to make a decision. You should also submit any evidence you can in support of your Appeal. If you are appealing on the grounds of personal circumstances, you will need to supply supporting evidence. you can find guidance on appropriate evidence on the assessments and results page.
If you have any questions about the appeal process contact [email protected]
You may find the Step-by-step guide to submitting an appeal useful.
If you need further advice on writing your appeal, you should contact the Student Union Advice Centre.
Possible appeal remedies
If your appeal is upheld, you will usually be allowed to continue on your course.
If you do not fully engage with your course after this decision, you will be withdrawn from your course with no further right of appeal.
Deadlines to submit an appeal against withdrawal decisions
You must submit an appeal within 14 days of the date of your withdrawal letter.
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Appeals against academic misconduct decisions
Appeals against academic misconduct decisions
You can submit an appeal against an academic misconduct decision, such as a finding of plagiarism.
Grounds for appeal include:
- a decision made at any stage of the process was unreasonable;
- there was a material and/or procedural irregularity in the investigation, disciplinary interview panel (DIP) or the penalty setting, which has prejudiced your case;
- additional evidence has come to light since the investigation or DIP which could not have been expected to have been produced at the time of investigation of the case.
You must submit an appeal within 10 working days of receiving an academic misconduct decision.
Go to:
The Appeals Panel can take the following factors into account:
- facts, including new evidence if made available
- whether there was an intention to commit academic misconduct
- mitigating circumstances
- your prior record of academic misconduct
- your level of study
Please note: being ill or having evidenced extensions at the time you did your work is often not accepted as mitigation for academic misconduct.
Appeal Outcome
If your appeal is upheld, the academic misconduct decision may be overturned. For example, if the Panel decides that academic misconduct did not occur.
If the Panel decides to accept mitigation, the academic misconduct penalty may be lessened. Further information on mitigations can be found on the academic misconduct page.
Deadlines to submit an appeal against academic misconduct
You must submit an appeal within 10 working days of receiving your academic misconduct decision.
Whats next?
How do I submit an appeal?
If you decide you meet one of the grounds to submit an appeal, you must complete one of our case request forms.
Submitting Evidence
Please note that you cannot attach any evidence to the Microsoft form. If you have evidence you wish to submit, please attach the evidence to an email to [email protected] quoting your generated case number and MMU student ID number in the subject line.
Before submitting the form, please see the Step-by-step guide to submitting an appeal.
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Stages of the Appeals procedure
Stages of the Appeals procedure
Stage One: Initial consideration by the Student Case Management Team
The Student Case Management Team will undertake an initial review of your appeal. Where there appears to be a clear irregularity or error, this can be addressed straight away without the case being considered by a panel. If a change to your assessment status is approved, you will be informed of this change and your appeal will not proceed to a University Appeals Panel unless you request this.
If your appeal falls outside the permitted grounds this will be explained to you. Once you receive this explanation, your appeal can still proceed but you would need to request this. The Student Case Management team may also refer all or part of an appeal for consideration through another procedure such as the Student Complaints Procedure or the evidenced extension procedure.
Where your appeal falls within permitted grounds but a resolution isn’t offered by the Student Case Management team your case will automatically proceed to a University Appeals Panel.
Stage Two: University Appeals Panel
You will be told if your case has been referred to a University Appeals Panel. If your case is referred, it will be considered by a Panel consisting of the Chair, two senior members of academic staff with no prior involvement in your case, and an elected officer from the Students’ Union.
You will have the opportunity to submit further evidence or an additional statement at this stage should you wish.
In exceptional cases, where the facts and evidence of a case are complex or contentious, the Panel Chair may invite students to attend a hearing in person. This is at the discretion of the Panel Chair.
Students normally receive a brief summary decision by email within seven days of the University Appeals Panel meeting, followed by a full written report within 28 days.
Stage Three: Review
If you are dissatisfied with the decision of the University Appeals Panel, you may request an internal review. This can only be requested on the grounds that:
- the correct procedures were not followed in the consideration of your case through the earlier stages of the procedure
- the outcome of the formal stage of the procedure was not reasonable
- there is new material evidence that for good reason was not available at the earlier stages of the procedure.
The Reviewing Officer will be an academic head of department who has had no prior involvement in your case.
If you wish to request a Review, you must do so within 14 days of receiving the full written outcome report from the University Appeals Panel. You will not be able to request a Review before receiving this report. Further information about how to request a review will be included in the report.
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What if I am still dissatisfied?
What if I am still dissatisfied?
You will be issued with a Completion of Procedures notification alongside your final University Appeals Panel report. This will provide you with details of how to apply to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) for an external review.
For guidance on making an application to the OIA, please visit their website: www.oiahe.org.uk
Support and guidance
Contact the Students’ Union
For support and guidance in relation to the Academic Appeals procedure, you can find impartial help from the Students’ Union Advice Centre:
- Telephone: 0161 247 6533 (available Monday to Friday 9:30am to 4:00pm)
- Email: [email protected]
You can also visit the Student Hub.
Contact Student Case Management
If you would like further information or have any questions about any stage of the Academic Appeals procedure, you can contact the Student Case Management Team:
- Telephone: 0161 247 1095 (available Monday to Friday 8:45am to 4:30pm)
- Email: [email protected]
You may also find the Guide to submitting an Appeal helpful.