Dive in to the detail with our support guides.
Understanding complaints
The University complaints process is a formal procedure that allows students to raise concerns or grievances about various aspects of their University experience and seek a resolution or improvement.
Complaint vs Appeal
It is often difficult to work out if you should make a complaint or an appeal. If you're unsure, start by checking our appeals guidance to understand the grounds for making an appeal. You cannot appeal just because you are unhappy with a mark or want to challenge academic judgement, although you may be able to submit a complaint instead if you can evidence the University has done something wrong.
What can I complain about?
You can complain about any aspect of University life; teaching or supervision, a service provided by the University, or behaviour of staff or other students. You will need to be specific and provide evidence of the issues you have faced.
The University states that nobody should be disadvantaged as a result of making a complaint.
Student behaviour
If your complaint is about the behaviour of a student (if you are alleging a possible breach of the Student Code of Conduct by another student), this could be raised by:
Sexual violence, harassment, abuse, or hate crime
If you see or experience sexual violence, harassment, abuse, or hate crime, use Report + Support to report it to the University. View guidance on what happens when you make a report.
Student Code of Conduct breaches
See procedures for dealing with alleged breaches of the Student Code of Conduct.
The Student Anti-Harassment Policy and Procedure may also be of help depending on the nature of your complaint.
Admissions
If you want to submit an appeal or complain in relation to admissions, there is a separate process for this - Admissions procedures.
How long do I have to raise a complaint?
The University expect complaints to be raised within the academic year in which the concerns occurred. Complaints raised outside the academic year in which they occurred will not be considered unless you can demonstrate there are valid reasons why you could not have raised them sooner.
Can someone else submit a complaint on my behalf?
The University expect students to submit complaints themselves. Only in exceptional circumstances can a third party submit a complaint form on your behalf. You must request permission in writing via appealsandcomplaints@shu.ac.uk with evidence stating reasons why you are unable to raise issues yourself.
What are the three stages of a complaint?
- Triage - A preliminary assessment of the Student Concerns Form to decide on the most appropriate way of responding.
- Investigation (Complaint Stage 1) - Complaints are referred to Stage 1 when concerns cannot be quickly resolved during the triage process.
- Review (Complaint Stage 2) - Students may escalate their concerns to Stage 2 on certain grounds if they remain dissatisfied with the response at Stage 1.
Stage 1 - Investigation
If your complaint concern is not resolved at triage, your complaint will be passed to the investigations stage. A complaint investigator will be appointed who will keep you informed about the progress of their investigation. You may be called to a meeting with them. Contact us at SU Advice if you would like help preparing for the meeting.
Stage 2 - Review
The findings of the Stage 1 Investigation will be reported to you. If you are not happy with the outcome, you can request a review of the Stage 1 decision in one or more of the following situations:
- Where you have evidence that the procedures were not properly followed during Stage 1, and that this impacted the decision.
- Where you have new, relevant evidence that you can demonstrate you were unable to provide earlier for reasons beyond your control.
- You believe the outcome at Stage 1 was clearly unfair or manifestly unreasonable.
You can request a review of the Stage 1 decision by completing the Complaint Review Form. You should do this within 10 working days of receiving the Stage 1 outcome. Forms received beyond the 10 working day period will only be considered in exceptional circumstances where you have provided a valid reason, with evidence, for the delay.
Contact us at SU Advice if you are at this stage and require advice.
What if I'm unhappy with the outcome?
The Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) runs a free, independent, and impartial scheme to review student complaints. Sheffield Hallam is a member of this scheme so, if you're unhappy with its final decision about your complaint, you may be able to complain to the OIA.
Typically, you need to complete the University's complaints process before you can complain to the OIA. The University will send you a "Completion of Procedures Letter" (COP letter) when you have reached the end of their relevant internal processes and there are no further steps you can take internally. You will then have 12 months to complain to the OIA, usually from the date the COP Letter was issued. This is a strict deadline and it's worth remembering the longer you wait to complain to the OIA, the more difficult it can be to put things right.
The OIA website outlines more information on making a complaint to the OIA, what it can and can't look at, and what it can do to put things right.
Contact us at SU Advice if you'd like support in raising a complaint with the OIA.
You can also get in touch with the OIA if you have any questions about their scheme.
0118 959 9813
enquiries@oiahe.org.uk
How to make a complaint
Start by reading the University's complaints procedure. Then, it's time to fill out the Student Concerns Form.
Work through the following tips to tackle each section and get your complaint submitted with confidence.
Q1 to 3 - Personal details
Provide your name, student number, and course.
Q4 to 5 - What is your concern about?
In Q4, select the second option 'Teaching or support-related matters (for example, aspects of your course, support provision or other service related matters)'. The first option will take you through the appeals process instead.
In Q5, select the appropriate option based on what you are submitting the complaint about. If none of the options are appropriate, select 'Other' and explain in your own words.
Q6 - Complaint statement
Provide the full details of your complaint. It is a good idea to draft and save this offline before copying it into the online form.
Tips on what to write
- Be as clear as possible; the person reading your complaint may know nothing about your circumstances. Once your statement is written, you need to read it back and consider whether someone with no prior knowledge of your complaint would understand what you have written.
- If you're complaining about a specific person, you must include their name otherwise your complaint cannot be followed up. If you know what their job title is, or which course they're studying, you should include this as well.
- Writing a timeline of events may be helpful. Be as specific as you can with the dates the events occurred.
- Give examples to support the points you raise and include evidence where possible.
- Only mention witnesses and people who support your complaint by name if they have given you permission to do so.
- You do not need to write your statement like an essay. It is fine to write it as a list of bullet points.
Feedback
At SU Advice, we are independent from the University and can provide feedback on your draft complaint statement before you submit your Student Concerns Form (subject to availability). If you require feedback, you can send us your complaint statement in a word document or we can send you a hard copy of the concern form for you to complete which will then, once you have received feedback, need to be transferred to the online form.
An adviser may be able to attend complaint meetings with you (subject to availability). We cannot speak on your behalf but we can help you prepare for and guide you through the process.
Q7 - What would you like to happen?
Explain what you think the University should do to put things right if they accept your complaint - what actions could they take to resolve the situation?
Q8 - Evidence
You can upload up to six files to support your complaint.
If the evidence will not upload, or if you need to submit more pieces of evidence than can be uploaded onto the form, you can email it to appealsandcomplaints@shu.ac.uk and ask for it to be considered with your complaint.
Final step - Submit
Before submitting, make sure you check the box to receive an email receipt of your responses. This will be useful if you need to reference the complaint later.
Note: you must submit the form yourself. Only in exceptional circumstances might the University allow someone to submit a form on your behalf. To request permission for this, contact appealsandcomplaints@shu.ac.uk along with your reason and evidence.
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The information in this guide and on our web pages is given in good faith and has been carefully checked. However, SU Advice cannot accept responsibility for any action you take based on the information provided.
If you require the information in a different format, please contact SU Advice.