Make an appeal

Learn how, and when you can appeal, including using the Early Resolution Service to see if you are eligible to appeal.

This page describes the appeals process (in accordance with the  University Assessment Regulations (PDF, 337kB) for):

  • taught students
  • postgraduate research (PGR) students

On this page

Before you make an appeal

Early Resolution Service

You should use the Early Resolution Service to raise concerns or ask questions before you submit a formal appeal.

You should submit the Early Resolution Service form within 14 calendar days of getting your exam board outcome. If you are a PGR student, this includes a recommendation from a registration review panel or a progression board.

The Early Resolution Service can help you:

Submit an Early Resolution form

Student visas 

If you are on a Student visa, speak to the Student Visa team. They can tell you how the appeal process and outcome might affect your visa status.

Bristol SU academic advice

To get help with preparing a formal appeal, use Bristol SU’s Academic Advice service.

You can use the appeal wizard to create a draft form. Then the Academic Advice team will review it and provide advice, including guidance on supporting documents to provide.

Their advice is independent, free and confidential.

When you can appeal

You should only appeal if you think you have valid grounds. Appeals that do not have valid grounds will be dismissed. If you need help understanding your exam board outcomes, use the Early Resolution Service.

You can appeal against an official decision of the Exam Board. Your programme outcome will state if it is possible to appeal. This is published after the Exam Board meeting and you will receive a notification by email.

You can also appeal the requirement to attend an Academic Integrity Awareness Course.

For postgraduate research students

If you are a Postgraduate Research (PGR) student, you can appeal against a decision made by the Research Degrees Exam Board, a Dean in relation to a recommendation from a registration review panel or progression board.

Reasons for an appeal

There are three different grounds for appeal: 

A. Appeals relating to material irregularity 

There has been a material irregularity in the decision-making process sufficient to require the decision to be reconsidered. Examples of this are if the University has not applied its regulations correctly or if the Exam Board failed to consider exceptional circumstances that you had submitted before the deadline.

B. Appeals relating to undisclosed exceptional circumstances 

Before appealing on this ground, read our guidance on appeals based on undisclosed exceptional circumstances.

Your performance in assessment has been affected by illness or other factors (exceptional circumstances) which you were unable, for good reason, to disclose before the deadline prior to the Exam Board meeting or, for a PGR student, to examiners. Your appeal will need to explain clearly why you could not submit these in advance of the exceptional circumstances submission deadline.

C. Appeals relating to disproportionate impact 

A penalty for academic misconduct was disproportionate or not permitted under the regulations.

When you cannot appeal

You cannot challenge matters of academic judgement. These are decisions that can only be made with the opinion of an academic expert, including decisions about what mark you have been given for a piece of academic work. Submitting exceptional circumstances does not mean your marks will change (except where a late submission penalty has been lifted).

In most cases, appeals are not permitted following mid-year exam boards, which take place in January.

If the appeal procedure is not applicable, you may wish to make a complaint. A complaint is not another way to challenge a decision of the Exam Board or academic judgement.

When exam board decisions are made

You can only appeal against an official decision of the Exam Board as indicated in your programme outcome. Decisions about progression are usually made official at the end of the academic year in June (or in August where you have completed work during the reassessment period).

Award decisions are normally made for undergraduate students in June, and for postgraduate taught students in November or December.

How to make an appeal

You have 21 days (including weekends but not public holidays in England or university closure days) to submit an appeal from the date you receive your decision.

You should submit your appeal as soon as possible to help you prepare for your next academic year.

  1. Download a Student appeal form (document).‌
  2. Read the regulations and code of practice:
    1. For taught students, read the Regulations and code of practice (section 26)
    2. For PGR students, read the PGR Regulations and code of practice (section 8)
  3. Organise any documents you believe support your appeal. All supporting documents should be submitted with the appeal form. If there is a good reason why you cannot submit supporting documents at the same time as the form, please submit the form as soon as you can with an explanation of what supporting documents are outstanding. Do not delay submitting the form.
    1. Complete all sections of the appeal form.
    2. Keep your responses clear, succinct, and within the recommended word counts.
    3. You may want to include a timeline, use bullet points, or cite relevant regulations to help set out your information.
    4. When submitting supporting documents, give each one a clear name and use that name whenever you mention it in your appeal form.
    5. Clearly outline which outcome you want.
  4. Your university email account will close soon after your studies end. Make sure on your appeal form that you provide another email address to your university address.
  5. Email the completed form and all supporting documents to student-appeals@bristol.ac.uk.

If you miss the deadline

If you cannot submit your appeal by the deadline, email a completed late appeal request form to student-appeals@bristol.ac.uk

While you are awaiting your outcome

Until you receive the outcome of your appeal, the Exam Board, or recommendation from a registration review panel or progression board, decision as published still applies. 

You must follow the Exam Board, or recommendation from a registration review panel or progression board, decision and complete any work required. Do not assume that your appeal will be successful. It may not be possible to process an appeal against the requirement to complete a supplementary year of study before the start of the next academic year or in time for you to re-join your programme in your original cohort.

Failure to follow the programme outcome that you have been given may affect your progression or award.

What happens after you submit an appeal

  1. We will acknowledge receipt of your appeal by email to your University email address and any others you provide on your appeal form. We will contact you if further information is required, or if your form is not fully completed.
  2. Your appeal will be reviewed.
  3. We will keep you updated on the progress of your appeal.
  4. You will receive the outcome with next steps by email. This usually arrives within 14 days (includes weekends but does not include public holidays in England or University closure days) of submitting your appeal.
  5. If you do not hear the outcome within 14 days, you can contact the Student Resolution Service by email: student-appeals@bristol.ac.uk for an update.

Potential appeal outcomes

When making an appeal, you should ensure you are clear on which outcome you are seeking. Possible outcomes include: 

  • permission to progress to next year of study;
  • permission to undertake a supplementary year to complete failed unit(s) to satisfactory standard (this may be with or without attendance);
  • permission to repeat the year in its entirety;
  • permission to re-register for programme of study following a required to withdraw decision;
  • permission to remain on programme of study and not be required to transfer to alternative programme of study;
  • uplift of degree classification;
  • removal of penalties or caps to unit/assessment level outcomes.

You cannot use the appeals process to ask for your work to be re-marked. 

After receiving your appeal outcome 

The appeal outcome letter will include:

  • information on next steps
  • how to progress your appeal if you are not satisfied with the outcome

To read a detailed explanation:

The review stage

Appeals will not be allowed at the review stage if:

  • one or more of the requested outcomes has been allowed at the formal stage
  • if the outcomes requested are not allowed under the regulations
  • outcomes were requested but were not granted. Even if they were, it would not alter your academic outcome classification or award.

For more information about this section see:

How to apply

If you are not satisfied with your formal stage outcome, you can appeal to the review stage by:

  1. Complete the Appeal progression form (word document)
  2. Send it to appeal-progression@bristol.ac.uk within 7 days of the formal stage decision.

This includes weekends but does not include public holidays in England or university closure days). More information will be provided in your formal stage outcome letter. 

Academic Integrity Awareness Course

You can appeal the requirement to attend an Academic Integrity Awareness Course (AIAC).

You have 21 days (including weekends) to appeal from the day you are contacted about attending an AIAC. This does not include English public holidays or university closure days.

To appeal, you must:

  1. Download the Academic Integrity Awareness Course appeal form (Office document, 61kB)
  2. Complete all sections
  3. Submit the form to student-appeals@bristol.ac.uk 

After you submit your appeal

If we need more information from you, we will contact you.

Your Faculty will review your appeal and decide whether to confirm or remove your requirement to attend the AIAC.

You must still attend the AIAC while your appeal is under review. 

If you are concerned or worried 

Contact the Student Wellbeing Service if you'd like to talk to someone about:

  • how you are feeling
  • how you might discuss your exam board outcome with your family
  • any other worries related to the process.