Guidance for academic appeals

Guidance notes for completing the Academic Appeal Form

1. Before completing the form

1.1. You are strongly advised to consult with your Programme Leader, Module Leader or the Union of Students before making a written appeal as it may be possible to resolve informally.

1.2. Familiarise yourself with the regulations on academic appeals.

1.3. If you have difficulties with completing the form, please contact the Student Policy and Regulations Team via email on appeals@derby.ac.uk or by telephone on +44 (0)1332 591165.

2. Completion of the form

The form must be completed fully and submitted within 10 working days of the date of the formal publication of results, Assessment Board decision or Request for Addtional Consideration (RAC) panel outcome. Please ensure all evidence is attached and relevant information is included, as an investigation will be based on what is provided. Missing information may result in delays in investigating your appeal, or rejection of your appeal submission.

3. Contact details

• Student name - please provide the name as used at enrolment
• Student number - this is the number shown on your student ID card
• Address and telephone number - Please confirm the address to which you would like us to send all correspondence relating to your appeal. Bear in mind where you will be during vacation periods if your appeal is made at the end of a semester.  If your address changes during an appeal, you will need to notify us accordingly
• Email Address - this is particularly useful if you are resident overseas. Copies of letters requiring a response by a specified date can be sent to you quickly rather than relying solely on the post
• Dates when you will be unavailable - this information will assist us in communicating with you to ensure that we are not requesting any responses within unrealistic timescales. This is particularly useful over vacation periods where you may be on holiday

4. Programme details

• Programme - details of programme codes and title can be taken from your UDo account
• Module details - you should include details of all modules for which you are appealing against the result. The date of assessment relates for example to the date of examinations, a coursework submission date or date of a presentation. Include the dates of all assessments affected
• Results received - the date your results were received is the date that they were released on UDo

5. Grounds for appeal

An academic appeal must be made only on the basis of the 4 valid grounds listed in section K2 of the Academic Appeals regulations. You should tick the appropriate boxes.

• An appeal cannot be made against a decision made on academic grounds (academic judgement)
• Your grounds for appeal must be supported by documentary evidence. You must not make unsupported claims or unsupported allegations against an individual or a group of staff
• Performance in an assessment suffered through illness or other compelling circumstances that could not have been reported at the time of assessment - if these are the grounds on which your appeal is based, you must demonstrate and evidence that there was a specific reason why the illness or circumstances could not have been reported at the point of assessment.  If the reason you were unable to notify the University of your circumstances was medical or hospitalisation, it is useful if you can provide a doctor’s note or a hospital discharge form

6. Disability declaration

If you have a disability that requires special methods regarding our communication with you regarding your appeal, you must give full details to ensure we meet your needs. If you have a support plan and your appeal relates to an aspect of the plan, then you must submit a copy of the plan with your appeal to assist us with the investigation of the appeal.

7. Details of appeal

You should provide full detail of the issues you wish to raise here. Remember an appeal cannot be made against a decision made on academic grounds (academic judgement). Include dates, a chronology of events is particularly useful for informing the investigation.  

If you have sought advice or tried to resolve your issues informally with a member of staff, include this detail here. If you have previously submitted a formal complaint that has a bearing on your appeal you should declare this.

8. Documentary evidence

List all items of evidence as part of your appeal.

9. Appeal resolution

Indicate what action you would expect to be taken to achieve a satisfactory response to your appeal.

10. Declaration

You will need to date and consent to the form digitally as part of the appeals process.

11. Privacy notice

• The information that you supply on this form will be held and processed in line with the Data Protection Act 1998, GDPR and subsequent legislation
• We use this information to determine the grounds for Academic Appeal and will be considered as part of any subsequent appeal investigation
• We may contact you to determine further requirements
• We retain this data for the current academic year + 6 years, after such time it will be securely destroyed
• Our lawful basis for processing this data is Legitimate Business Interest
• As a data subject you can request withdrawal of consent at any time by contacting gdpr@derby.ac.uk
• Our Data Protection Officer (DPO) is Helen Rishworth on +44(0)1332 591954. Alternatively you can email gdpr@derby.ac.uk

Find out more information about our privacy notice

12. Submission of the appeals form

You will submit the form electronically. Please ensure that the appeal is fully complete, that you have attached all evidence and included all relevant information, as it will be investigated in line with what is provided. If you require assistance or support with completing the form, please get in contact with the team via email at appeals@derby.ac.uk.