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What is the Student Complaints Procedure?

The Student Complaints Procedure allows students at the university to raise a complaint. For example, this could be about their course or teaching, or about the services and facilities provided by the University. You can also complain if you think another student has breached the Student Code of Conduct

Most complaints can usually be quickly resolved by speaking informally to a relevant member of staff. This might be your tutor or unit leader. This is called local resolution. If you are not sure who to speak to or how to go about this, you can speak to the Student Union Advice Centre or the Student Hub who can help you.

If you have been unable to resolve your complaint locally to your satisfaction, you can submit a formal complaint. You will normally be encouraged to attempt to resolve your complaint locally before it is progressed through the formal route.

  • Who can make a complaint?

    The complaints procedure is for current students of the University. In some cases we can also consider complaints from students who have left the University but we expect students to raise a formal complaint within 3 months of the incident in question.

  • Group complaints

    If a group of students wants to make a collective complaint, the group should identify a single spokesperson. Each member of the group must provide their student ID number and consent to participate in the group complaint, which should be provided with the complaint submission. Each member of a group complaint must be able to demonstrate that they were personally affected by the matter of the complaint.

  • I want to make a complaint

    If you have decided you want to go ahead and make a complaint, you can download and complete the Complaints Form.
    The complaint form will ask what local resolution you have attempted before submitting the complaint through the formal procedure, for example, if you have tried to speak to your tutor about it.

    You should make sure you fully explain the details of your complaint and submit any relevant evidence you might have along with your form. Completed complaint forms should be submitted to the Student Case Management team - complaintsappeals@mmu.ac.uk

    It may be helpful to speak to a member of the Student’s Union Advice Centre before submitting your complaint. If you would like any support in completing the complaint form, they will also be able to help you with this.

    There are seperate complaints procedures for Admissions and University Accomodation. To contact Admissions regarding a complaint or appeal you can email adm.appeals@mmu.ac.uk or phone the relevent admissions team. To submit a complaint regarding your University accomodation use the Student Living complaint form.

  • What happens when I submit a complaint?

    The Student Case Management team will acknowledge receipt of your complaint by email, usually within 5 working days. The Student Case Management Team will check that the matters you have raised fall within the scope of the Student Complaints Procedure, and may refer it to be considered under another procedure if appropriate – for example, if your complaint relates to your assessment results, it may be referred to be considered under the Academic Appeals Procedure. The Student Case Management Team may also try to resolve the complaint without a formal process.

    Where the complaint is progressed down the formal procedure, it will be investigated by an Investigating Officer, who will normally be a member of the Student Case Management team.  

    You will be invited to attend a meeting with the Investigating Officer, to clarify and discuss the issues you raised in your complaint and to help the Investigating Officer with their investigation. You can be accompanied to the meeting, usually by a fellow student or an advisor from the Students’ Union Advice Centre. The Investigating Officer may also meet with staff  as part of the investigation and will gather any other information they need. In order to investigate your complaint fully, relevant staff members will be made aware of the issues you have raised, and will be given an opportunity to comment or provide information.

    Once the Investigating Officer has completed their investigation, they will produce a report. This report will be considered by a University Complaints Panel, who will determine the outcome of your complaint. Once the outcome has been approved by the Panel Chair, the Student Case Management Team will send you a report setting out the findings of the investigation and the outcome.

  • What happens if I am not happy with the outcome of my complaint?

    If after receiving the outcome you are not satisfied, you may be able to request a Review of the outcome. Reviews can only be requested on the following grounds:

    1. That the correct procedures were not followed in the consideration of your case through the earlier stages of the complaints procedure.
    2. That the outcome of the formal stage was not reasonable.
    3. That there is new material evidence that for good reason was not available at an earlier point in the complaints procedure.

    A Review is not a re-hearing of the original complaint. New or additional complaints cannot be raised at this point.

    To request a Review of your complaint, you need to email the Student Case Management team via complaintsappeals@mmu.ac.uk within 10 working days of receiving your complaint outcome letter.

    The Student Case Management Team will initially consider whether the grounds for Review have been met. You will receive a decision on whether your Review request has been accepted.

    Reviews will normally be conducted by a Pro-Vice-Chancellor, or a Director or equivalent of a professional service area. Reviewers will have had no prior involvement in the case.

    A Reviewer can either uphold the decision previously reached on the complaint, or overturn the outcome.

    The outcome of the Review stage is the University’s final decision on the complaint. It is the end of the University’s complaints procedure and you will be given a Completion of Procedures letter

    If after this point you are still not happy with the outcome, you can ask the Office of the Independent Adjudicator to consider the complaint.