Appealing assessment outcomes or withdraw from study decisions
An appeal is when you officially challenge the outcomes of assessment, or a decision to withdraw you from study.
You must have grounds for an appeal. You can find acceptable reasons to appeal and more information about the process in the Appeals Procedure.
Appeals are not for situations when you are unhappy about situations such as a module you want to study being full or clashing deadlines.
Before you appeal
Before you appeal you should speak to a relevant academic lead in your School about the decision you intend to appeal:
- This person is usually the Director of Student Education.
- Talking to them about what’s led to a particular outcome may help you to frame your appeal.
- It could also help you decide whether an appeal is the right course of action for you.
Because an appeal challenges a School decision, your School cannot comment or give advice on what to say in your appeal.
Which decisions can I appeal?
The Appeals Procedure outlines the types of decisions you can appeal:
- a decision to withdraw you from your programme
- an assessment outcome
- a decision not to award you a degree
- your final award or classification.
To appeal a decision you need to have appropriate grounds to contest it.
The Appeals Procedure outlines what are considered grounds for appeal, including:
- mitigating circumstances were not given enough consideration
- there has been a procedural error or irregularity
- supervision was unsatisfactory.
When is an appeal not possible?
You can only appeal final decisions. You cannot appeal a provisional decision such as provisional marks or a prediction for your final award from the degree calculator.
Decisions are final once they become official. This happens after final exam boards at the end of the academic year.
The Appeals Procedure lists all grounds for appeal.
If you want to make an appeal against a decision relating to breaches of academic integrity, these are dealt with through a different process – the Academic Misconduct Procedure.
Appeal deadlines
You must submit an appeal within 20 working days of the publication of the decision you are appealing.
For example, if you are appealing your final award:
- You must submit your appeal within 20 working days of results day.
- The 20 working days does not include the result’s date of publication.
- The 20 working days does include the final date for submission of your appeal.
For example:
- Your decision publication date is 1st July.
- You must submit your appeal by the end of the working day (5pm) on 29th July, 20 working days after.
- You should submit your appeal before the deadline day if possible, in case there are any issues or errors with submission.
How long will my appeal take?
The appeal process can take up to three months and in some cases longer.
The length of the process can vary depending on how complex the case is.
Typical timelines for each stage of an appeal can be found in the Appeals Procedure.
Graduation and appeals
If you want to appeal your final results, you should not attend graduation. You cannot appeal if you have been presented with a certificate and transcript at a graduation ceremony.
You also cannot attend a graduation ceremony if you have an appeal in progress. If you attend graduation while an appeal is in progress, your appeal will be withdrawn.
Support
Get impartial advice
LUU Advice can offer impartial advice and support for your appeal.
Get procedural advice
The Student Cases team will be able to offer procedural advice, but cannot comment on the content or offer advice about your appeal. Email the Student Cases team at studentcases@leeds.ac.uk