Student Case Management - Step by Step Guide to Submitting an Appeal

First, select the grounds on which you wish to make your appeal. Appeals may be made under one of the following four categories:

Assessment Mitigation decision:

You have submitted an Assessment Mitigation claim and received an Assessment Mitigation decision.

• You are not happy with an Assessment Mitigation decision.
• You have 14 days to submit this type of Appeal after receiving this decision.

See the Assessments and Results page for more information.

Material Irregularity:

You have received your results

• You feel there has been an error by the University, or some other issue with the conduct of your assessment that has affected your result.
  (You cannot submit an Appeal just because you are not happy with your results or think you deserved a higher mark)
• You have 14 days to submit this type of Appeal after receiving your results.

See the Material Irregularity page for more information.

Academic Misconduct decision:

You are alleged to have committed Academic Misconduct

• You disagree with the decision made following an allegation of Academic Misconduct
• You are not happy with an Academic Misconduct decision, for example a finding of plagiarism.
• You have 10 working days to submit this type of Appeal after receiving your Academic Misconduct decision.

See the Academic Misconduct page for more information. Follow the instructions on the Appeal Against Academic Misconduct page

Appeal against Withdrawal:

You have been withdrawn from your course by the University

• You disagree with the University’s decision to withdraw you from your course
• You have 7 days from the date of your withdrawal letter to submit this type of Appeal.

See the Appeals against Withdrawal page for more information.  

Download an Academic Appeals form from our Forms page

If you have a disability, specific learning difficulty or long-term health condition that you believe is relevant to your Appeal, please add details as relevant in box 2 of the form

• Ensure you list all the assessments which were affected and you wish to be considered in Box 3.1 of the form
• Clearly state what remedy you are seeking, e.g. a further uncapped assessment attempt, in Box 4.1 of the form.
  (It may be helpful to consult the ‘Guidance on Appeals’ page in regards to the possible remedies available)
• List the evidence you are including in Box 4.2 of the form.
  Please note, that if you have additional evidence to support an Appeal against an Assessment Mitigation decision, you should submit a new Assessment Mitigation claim.
• Write a clear and detailed a statement to explain what has happened in Box 4.3 of the form.

Remember, it is your responsibility to prove why your Appeal should be upheld

The Student Union Advice Centre can provide helpful guidance and input on your appeal and what you might need to include. You can contact them using the following details:

Tel: 0161 247 6533
Mail: s.u.advice@mmu.ac.uk
Web: www.theunionmmu.org/your-advice-centre/

They can provide helpful guidance and input on your appeal and what you might need to include:

Tel: 0161 247 6533
Mail: s.u.advice@mmu.ac.uk
Web: www.theunionmmu.org/your-advice-centre/

If you are happy that you have included all relevant information, please submit your completed form by email to complaintsappeals@mmu.ac.uk You will receive an acknowledgement email from the Student Case Management Team that they have received your Appeal.

Your Academic Appeal is considered by the Student Case Management Team.

There are three potential outcomes from the Student Case Management Team:

• There is sufficient evidence to uphold your Appeal: this can be addressed informally and without the case being considered by a Panel.
  You will be informed of this and your Appeal will not proceed to a University Appeal Panel unless you request this.
• There is insufficient evidence to uphold your Appeal: Your Appeal will automatically be referred to a University Appeals Panel for further consideration. You will be informed of this and will be asked if you would like to provide any further evidence.
• Your Appeal is not upheld: In some cases it is not possible for an Appeal to be upheld because of University regulations. You will be informed of this and your Appeal will not proceed to a University Appeal Panel unless you request this.

If your case is referred to a University Appeals Panel, for consideration the information on your Appeals Form including the supporting evidence, and any decision that you may have already received from the Student Case Management Team, will be taken into account.

Your Appeal may also be pended and further evidence may be requested as part of this process.

Your appeal will either be upheld, part upheld or not upheld by the University Appeals Panel. You will receive an initial short summary email decision informing you within 7 days of the Panel’s decision. 

You will receive a full draft outcome report within 28 days giving further details including the reasons explaining the Panel’s decision. This will be sent to you by email and post. 

If you are not happy with this outcome, you may be able to request a Review. Reviews can be requested on the following three grounds:

• That the correct procedures were not followed in the consideration of your case through the earlier stages of the Appeal procedure
• That the outcome of the formal stage of the Academic Appeals Procedure was not reasonable
• That there is new material evidence that for good reason was not available at the earlier stages of the procedure

If you decide to request a Review, it may be useful to consult the Student Union Advice Centre:
Tel: 0161 247 6533
Mail: s.u.advice@mmu.ac.uk
Web: www.theunionmmu.org/your-advice-centre/

Requests for Review should be submitted by email to Student Case Management within 14 days of the date of your draft outcome report. The email address to send these requests to is complaintsappeals@mmu.ac.uk

Your case will be considered by a Reviewing Officer. The Reviewer will be an academic Head of Department who has had no prior involvement in your case. 

The outcome of the Review will normally be communicated to you within 28 days of the Student Case Management team receiving your request for a Review. You will also receive a Completion of Procedures notification with the outcome, which allows you to take your appeal to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator – the OIA – should you wish. This is the end of the University Appeals Procedure.