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Academic Appeal Form (Formal Stage)
This form is for appeals against a recommendation or decision of a Board of Studies,
Board of Examiners or Mitigating Circumstances Committee. In order to appeal you must:
o Read the Academic Appeals Guidance Document: Section A – Formal Stage
Appeals;
o Complete all relevant sections of this form and submit it to appeals@york.ac.uk ;
o Submit the form within 28 calendar days* of receiving official notice of the
recommendation or decision against which you are appealing;
o Submit your form with supporting evidence. If you cannot acquire evidence within the
appeal deadline, you must explain why evidence has not been provided and give a date
for its provision.
*The 28 days begin from the date on which a decision was posted or emailed to you, i.e. the date
on the top of a letter or email that was sent to inform you of the decision against which you are
appealing.
Before you complete the form, you should be aware of the following:
When your appeal is received by the administrators, they will check to ensure that your
appeal meets the basic criteria for consideration. These criteria are:
1) That the form has been completed;
2) That you have provided evidence OR explained clearly why not and have set an
estimated date for providing it;
3) That the form is submitted within the 28-day deadline OR you have provided an
explanation for why not in Section 5 of the form;
4) That your appeal falls within the permissible appeal grounds (see Section 1);
5) That the issues you raise are eligible for consideration under the appeals procedure
rather than the Complaints Procedure.
If your appeal does not meet these criteria your appeal may be immediately rejected or, in
the case of criteria (5), referred to the Complaints Procedure. You should read the
Academic Appeals Guidance document p.14 for further information on these criteria.
It is your responsibility to ensure that you set out your appeal clearly and provide appropriate
supporting evidence. Once your appeal has been submitted you will not normally be
contacted with suggested amendments or suggestions for the provision of additional
evidence. If you have previously submitted evidence to your department but did not retain a
copy it is your responsibility to retrieve this evidence and submit it in support of your appeal.
The information and evidence you provide as part of your appeal may be forwarded to
relevant staff in your academic department(s) to enable them to respond. If you have not set
out a case which, on the face of it, merits further investigation, your appeal may be rejected
by an Appeals Chair without being referred back to your department.
You are strongly encouraged to ask for advice and support from the York University Students’
Union (YUSU) or Graduate Students Association (GSA) who can be contacted at asc@yusu.org.
(YUSU Advice and Support Centre) or advice@yorkgsa.org (GSA Advice and Support Centre). They
can help you to complete the form and can support you through the process.
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Your Details
Please note that the University cannot accept appeals from third parties – only the person about whom the
decision has been made may lodge an appeal1
Full name :
Student number: (e.g. 105025253)
Year & month of entry (e.g. Commenced
studies October 2015):
Current stage of study (e.g. First year):
Academic Department (e.g. Politics)
Programme of Study (e.g. BA in Politics):
1) I wish to appeal against (tick all that apply):
My degree classification; (not applicable to Research students)
Failure of my programme (or the award of a lower exit award e.g. DipHE, PGCert or MPhil);
A recommendation that my enrolment should be terminated on the grounds that I am deemed
‘academically unsatisfactory’ but have not failed my programme, or that I have failed to comply with the
requirements of an external organisation or regulatory body;
Processing of a mark (This refers to an administrative error, e.g. a transcription error);
Not being permitted to progress to the next stage of my Research degree, including following
unsuccessful confirmation of PhD enrolment;
Not being allowed by my current Board of Studies to transfer programme;
Not being allowed to take leave of absence;
A decision about whether or not to allow or require me to retake, resubmit or resit an assessment;
A decision concerning requirements of professional or regulatory bodies in relation to Fitness to Practise
procedures;
A decision arising from the academic misconduct procedures;
A decision of a Departmental Mitigating Circumstances Committee (Taught students only)
If the decision you wish to appeal against does not fit any of the above categories, you may not be
eligible to appeal. You should consult with YUSU, the GSA, the Special Cases Administrators, or the
Research Student Administration Team, if you require clarification. See page 2 for contact details. Note:
Students may not appeal against the academic judgement of the examiner or of the members of
a thesis advisory panel [R.2.8.1(b) and 6.7.1(e)].
The above appeal grounds are set out in Regulations 6.7.2 and 2.8.2 of the University Regulations.
Students may not appeal on the basis of quality of teaching or supervision. If you have concerns about the
quality of teaching or supervision you received, you should initially raise these with your academic
1
Regulations 2.8.1e and 6.7.1e
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department. If you remain dissatisfied after doing so, you may submit a formal complaint to the Registrar.
Further details on Complaints can be found at: https://www.york.ac.uk/students/help/appeals/ .
Short Appeal Summary
You should complete below a short summary of your appeal, consisting of no more than 250
words. This summary may be forwarded to the Board of Studies/Examiners/Mitigating
Circumstances Committee (MCC) concerned to enable them to respond. The summary may
also be used by the Special Cases Committee to assist it in grasping the key points of your
appeal before considering the full detail of your appeal. You should therefore ensure that this
Summary is completed as concisely as possible.
You may wish to complete the rest of this form before completing this section, as the later
sections of the form will guide you in determining which information is most relevant to include
here. This summary must not exceed 250 words in length, and you must complete the
remaining sections of the form before submitting your appeal.
2) My grounds for appeal are (enter a mark in relevant boxes):
1) I believe that a procedural irregularity has occurred, or that an assessment or
meeting of a confirmation of PhD enrolment thesis advisory panel was conducted
unfairly or improperly [R2.8.3 (c) (i); 2.8.3 (d)(i); 6.7.3 (c)]
Complete Section 3A below.
2) Relevant mitigating circumstances2 exist and there is a good reason why I could
not have presented these at the appropriate time or have made the examiners
aware of them before a decision on my academic performance was made [R2.8.3 (c)
(ii); 6.7.3 (c)]
Complete Section 3B below.
If you select both of these grounds, make sure you complete each corresponding part of
Section 3 (3A and 3B).
3) Details of appeal and supporting evidence
Once you have selected one or more of the grounds above, you should complete the corresponding Section(s)
below. For example, if you wish to appeal on the basis of mitigating circumstances, you must complete Section B.
2
http://www.york.ac.uk/students/support/academic/mitigation/
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If you appeal on the basis of mitigating circumstances and procedural irregularity, you should complete Sections A
and B. Please complete these sections clearly and concisely.
Section 3A
Procedural Irregularity
What is the nature of the Procedural Irregularity? Please try to describe this as clearly as possible:
When – on what dates did the irregularity affect you?
Irregularity
Start date
End date
Which assessments were affected? Please ensure you list all affected assessments and set out the dates they were
taken/submitted.
Assessments (specify whether this was your first or second attempt at the Date taken – please write a date, not
assessment)
just e.g. “Summer 2015”.
Regulation or procedure that has not been followed? If you are able to list which University regulation or procedure
you believe has not been followed in this instance, you should cite it here. Otherwise, please simply explain the issue
as clearly as you can.
What evidence have you provided to support this, or do you intend to provide to support this? Please set out what
evidence is provided with this form, and what you intend to provide at a later date (but within the 28-day deadline).
Item of Evidence
Which Irregularity this refers to
If the evidence has not been submitted with the form, please request permission to submit evidence late here. You
should set out the reasons for the evidence being late and the date by which it will be submitted.
Evidence
Why Late
Expected Submission Date
Please note: You will not be chased for evidence if you fail to provide it. If you do not provide evidence with
your appeal and do not explain why and when it will be provided, your appeal will be rejected. Evidence must
be submitted in English. If the original evidence has been written in a different language, an official translation must
be provided with your evidence. If you are unable to secure an official translation within the 28 day appeal deadline,
you should submit your original evidence and submit the translation as soon as possible. Your case will not be
considered until the translation is received.
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Section 3B
Mitigating Circumstances
Please list what mitigating circumstances you wish to rely on, and describe each circumstance in turn.
When did each of these circumstances affect you? Please be as specific as possible, and provide dates.
Circumstance
Dates affected
Which assessments were affected by each circumstance? Please be as clear as you can.
Circumstance
Assessments affected (specify whether your first
or second attempt, and note the precise date of
submission/examination)
Why did you not raise each of these circumstances at the time by submitting a Mitigating Circumstances
claim form? (You are strongly advised to consult page 8 of the Academic Appeals Guidance Document
before completing this section.)
If you have ever submitted a mitigating circumstances form during your current programme, please set out: when you
submitted the form(s), what circumstances you raised and the outcome of the process.
When:
What Circumstances:
Outcome :
Additional information – any additional information relating to your mitigating circumstances.
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You must provide supporting evidence for each mitigating circumstance. What evidence have you provided to
support each mitigating circumstance? Please note which circumstance the evidence has been provided to support.
Circumstance it relates to:
Item of Evidence
e.g. Letter from my GP confirming hospitalisation
e.g. Pneumonia
If the evidence has not been submitted with the form, please request permission to submit evidence late here. You
should set out the reasons for the evidence being late and the date by which it will be submitted.
Evidence
Why late
Submission date
Please note: You will not be chased for evidence if you fail to provide it. If you do not provide evidence with
your appeal and do not explain why and when it will be provided, your appeal will be rejected.
Evidence must be submitted in English. If the original evidence has been written in a different language, an official
translation must be provided with the original evidence. If you are unable to secure an official translation within the 28
day appeal deadline, you should submit your original evidence and submit the translation as soon as possible. Your
case will not be considered until the translation is received.
For guidance on the types of evidence acceptable for different circumstances, please refer to Pages 3 and 9 of the
Academic Appeals Guidance Document.
Additional guidance on evidence can be found in the University’s Mitigating Circumstances Procedures, which can be
accessed via the University webpages in the Guide to Assessment, Standards, Marking and Feedback, available to
view at: http://www.york.ac.uk/about/departments/support-and-admin/registry-services/guide/ .
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4) What do you hope the outcome of the appeals process will be? Please refer to Page 10 of the Appeals
Guidance Document for information on appeal outcomes.
Whilst the University will take into account your preferences for the outcome of your appeal, even if your appeal is
upheld it will not always be possible to provide you with the outcome you seek.
5) Additional Information: You must complete Section 3A or 3B above before entering information into this
box.
If you have any additional information which does not fit into the above sections, but you would like to disclose as part
of your academic appeal, please set it out here.
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Address for all correspondence relating to this appeal:
Note: The administrators are required to send you a formal hard-copy letter to you detailing the outcome of
your appeal. It is therefore very important that the address you provide is correct, and that you inform
us when your address changes.
Name
House no.
Street
Town/City
Postcode
Country
Contact
telephone
number(s):
York Email
Other
Email
@york.ac.uk
Please provide both your University email account and an alternative email account which should
be your account, not another person’s account. We will contact you on your University email address
wherever possible, and your York email account will be kept open/re-opened whilst you are under
appeal. It is your responsibility to check your account regularly for correspondence relating to
your appeal.
If you change your address it is your responsibility to ensure that you notify us on
appeals@york.ac.uk of the change, marking your e-mail in the address line with ‘Change of
address for appeal correspondence’.
We will send any documents to the above address by first class mail or recorded delivery. If you leave
this section blank, we will use the address which is held in your student record to correspond with you
about the appeal.
Your Name or Signature: __________________________________________
Today’s Date:
/
/
I have consulted with YUSU or GSA staff and am happy for the outcome of my appeal to be shared with
the YUSU or GSA representative I consulted. YES / NO (please delete as appropriate).
The YUSU or GSA representative I sought advice from was:__________________________________
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Checklist – use this section to ensure you have completed your appeal correctly:
You must:
You are strongly advised to:
Read the Academic Appeals Guidance
Document, Section A
Consult with YUSU or the GSA
Enter your contact details
Read the Appeals Procedures
Select what you are appealing against and
write your Appeal Summary (Section 1)
Complete Section (4) of the form
Select your grounds for appeal (Section 2)
Complete Section(s) 3A and/or 3B
Provide supporting evidence or request
permission to submit evidence late
Once you have completed the checklist, send this form with the supporting
documentation for your appeal to appeals@york.ac.uk.
If you wish to post your appeal send it to:
Taught Students: send your appeal to – ‘Academic Appeals, Special Cases
Administrator, Student Support Hub, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD’
Research Students: send your appeal to – ‘Research Student Administration, Registry
Services, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD’
Ensure that you keep a copy of the application form and all supporting documents.
Your appeal should arrive no later than 28 days from the date you were advised of the
decision against which you are appealing. Please note that we can only accept appeals by
e-mail if they are sent from your University of York e-mail address. If you cannot do this you
will need to submit a signed hard copy of this appeal form. If you are sending your appeal by
post, you should also send an email to appeals@york.ac.uk to confirm that the
documentation is on its way.
For information about what will happen once you have submitted your appeal please see the
Academic Appeals Guidance Document.
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What happens once your appeal is received by the administrators
As noted on page 1 of the appeal form, the SCC administrators will first assess whether your appeal meets
the submission criteria. If it does not meet the criteria then they will either:
1) Contact you and suggest you submit a revised form / evidence. This will only happen if you submit
your appeal well in advance of the 28-day deadline;
2) Refer your appeal to the Complaints procedure;
3) Reject your appeal. If your appeal is rejected you will be advised of your right to appeal against that
rejection.
If your appeal meets the submission criteria, the administrators will then consider whether your appeal has
prima facie grounds3. If the administrators believe it does, they will contact your department to investigate
the issues raised in your appeal. If they do not believe you have prima facie grounds, they will ask an
Appeals Chair, acting alongside an Ordinary member of the Special Cases Committee (SCC), to decide
whether you have prima facie grounds. If the Appeals Chair decides that you do not have prima facie
grounds, your appeal will be rejected and you will be issued with an appeal outcome letter. If the Appeals
Chair decides that you do have prima facie grounds, the administrators will then contact your department
and investigate the issues raised in the appeal.
Once your appeal has been investigated, all appeal documentation and information from your department
will then be considered by an Appeals Chair, acting alongside an Ordinary member of SCC. The Appeals
Chair will then decide whether or not you have established grounds for appeal, and you will be informed of
the appeal outcome. You will have the right to appeal against this decision if you are dissatisfied with it.
Students do not have the right to attend meetings of the Special Cases Committee. In some exceptional
cases a full hearing of the Committee may be held to which you will be invited. Very few cases are heard at
a full hearing.
The outcome of your appeal
You will be informed of the outcome of your appeal by letter which will be both posted and emailed to you.
If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your appeal you will be able to appeal against the outcome to the
Chair of the Special Cases Committee. Once your appeal consideration at this stage has been completed
you will receive an appeal outcome letter setting out the reasons for the decision and explaining your right
to appeal to the Chair of the Special Cases Committee. You will have 10 calendar days to submit an
appeal to the Chair and you will be provided with further instructions on how to appeal in your appeal
outcome letter.
The full appeals procedure, including this appeal process, the Appeal review process and the 10 calendar
days you have to draft an appeal review application, should normally take no longer than 90 calendar
days to complete. If your appeal is particularly complex or there are other exceptional circumstances, you
will be advised that your appeal will not be resolved within this timeframe and an explanation provided.
You can find further guidance on the appeals process, including further details of the appeals submission
criteria and prima facie consideration, in the Academic Appeals Guidance Document. Additional information
on procedure is also set out in the Procedures for Academic Appeals for Students on Taught Programmes
available at: https://www.york.ac.uk/students/support/academic/appeals-procedure/ .
You are also advised to read the information about appeals in University Regulation 6.7 (if you are on a
taught programme of study) or Regulation 2.8 (if you are a research student).4
3
Prima facie means ‘on the face of it’, i.e. solely on the basis of what you have submitted, whether you have raised issues which merit further investigation and
which could, potentially, result in your appeal being upheld.
4
http://www.york.ac.uk/admin/aso/ordreg/r6_new.htm#appeals
http://www.york.ac.uk/about/organisation/governance/governance-documents/ordinances-and-regulations/regulation-2/#2.8
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Academic Appeal Formal Stage Application Form Version 1, last updated 28 September 2015.