What is a student complaint?
The University works hard to provide a high-quality service to you at all times and in all areas and activities. However, if you ever feel that the standard of academic or service delivery falls short of what may reasonably be expected, you should refer to the Student Complaints Procedure to find out how best to raise and resolve issues.
Complaints are dealt with without recrimination. This means that if you make a complaint in good faith and in accordance with this procedure, you will not suffer any disadvantage or reproach and your studies while at the University will not be prejudiced as the result of making a complaint.
Reasons for a complaint might include, for example:
- Dissatisfaction with the standard of academic or service provision (eg course design, curriculum content and structure, assessment arrangements and information, resources and facilities, halls of residence)
- Dissatisfaction with the quality of teaching and learning
- Issues of inappropriate conduct by a member of staff
- Failure, on the part of the University, to meet stated obligations (eg those set out in the prospectus or on the website)
Before raising your complaint, please read through the following:
This document provides detailed steps on the Student Complaint Procedure, the different stages and the support available.
These guidance notes provide important information regarding the operation and core principles of the Complaints Procedure.
Apprentices and employers should refer to the Apprentice and Employer Complaints Guidance and Process on the Policies and documents A-Z page.
Need help?
If you have any questions about the procedure or require any reasonable adjustments (eg accessing documentation in a different format), you can contact Academic Standards:
Additionally, the Students' Union Advice Service offers independent, friendly advice and can guide you through the complaints procedure. You can find their contact details on the Students’ Union website.
The difference between complaints and academic appeals
An Academic Appeal is defined as a request for a review of a Progression and Award Board decision or Mitigating Circumstances Board decision.
The Student Complaints Procedure may not be used to challenge academic judgement or to appeal against the decision of a Progression and Award Board or Mitigating Circumstances Board.
If you would like to request for a review of a decision of a Progression and Award Board or a Mitigating Circumstances Board please submit an Academic Appeal.
Student Complaints Procedure
There are a number of ways to make your concerns heard, and most problems can be resolved early on and informally with the relevant parties. Bear in mind that whatever your concern or complaint, it is important that you raise it promptly, so that it can be addressed and an appropriate solution found as soon as possible.
The Student Complaints Procedure is intended for the use of current or former students at the University of Westminster. Former students may raise a complaint provided the complaint is about a matter that occurred while they were enrolled as a student, and they comply with the timescales for the submission of complaints.
If you wish to complain about an aspect of the University’s provision that you have experienced since you ceased to be a student please use the Alumni Complaints Procedure
Students using the Complaints Procedure should raise concerns informally with staff at Stage 1, before formalising them as complaints at Stages 2 of the Complaints Procedure, if not resolved.
In the first instance you should raise your complaint with an appropriate member of staff. You must make it clear from the outset what the nature of your complaint is and any remedy you are seeking as an outcome of your complaint. The person with whom you raised your complaint will investigate and endeavour to resolve your complaint appropriately and will notify you of their decision and any remedy in writing.
Please note, completing Stage 1 of the process is not optional and you will need to provide evidence of undertaking the Stage 1 informal process as part of your Stage 2 Formal Complaint, or be able to clearly demonstrate why Stage 1 is not appropriate in your circumstances.
If you are unsure who you need to contact, then you should seek guidance from the Students’ Union or the Academic Standards team. They will be able to advise you of the most appropriate person with whom you should raise your complaint, and how to contact them.
You will need to complete and submit the Stage 2 Formal Complaint via e:Vision within 90 days of the occurrence of the matter you are complaining about. An extension of these time limits will only be possible in exceptional circumstances. If your complaint has been made outside of these time limits, please ensure you detail the reason for this on the e:Vision form.
The online complaint form can be accessed by logging into your student record via e:Vision and going into the ‘My Self-Service’ menu.
Please see the user guide below for more information on how to use the online form.
If you are unable to submit your complaint via e:Vision please contact Academic Standards.
When submitting your formal complaint, please ensure you provide the following information:
- Explain what steps you took to resolve your complaint informally and why you are dissatisfied with the Stage 1 response
- Provide detailed information explaining your concerns, including names if you are and dates when the matter(s) occurred
- Provide a timeline or chronology of events (if applicable)
- Provide any evidence in support of your complaint – emails, messages, blackboard announcements, witness statements, etc
- Explain the remedy you are seeking as an outcome of your complaint – we have provided information regarding remedies for complaints in the following guidance notes for the student complaints procedure:
If your complaint is eligible to be investigated under Stage 2, you will be informed in writing of the outcome of your complaint via e: Vision within 25 working days.
Should you be dissatisfied with the Stage 2 outcome of your complaint, you have the right to request that the matter is considered by a Student Complaints Appeal Panel. A Stage 3 appeal can be submitted on one or more of the following grounds:
- there was a procedural irregularity in the consideration of your Complaint at Stage 2
- new evidence has come to light which was not previously reasonably available and that this new evidence would have had a significant impact on the Stage 2 outcome
- the Stage 2 decision and / or any remedy was / were unreasonable in light of the evidence
Your Stage 3 appeal must be received within 10 working days of the date of notification of the Stage 2 outcome.
You will need to submit a completed Stage 3 Complaint Appeal via your complaint e:Vision task and make sure you upload all evidence with the appeal.
When the Stage 3 appeal investigation is concluded, you will be informed in writing of the outcome of your complaint via e: Vision within 15 working days.
Group Complaints
Where a complaint is raised by more than one student, it may be dealt with as one collective complaint - a 'Group Complaint'.
Students submitting a Group Complaint must complete the following additional administrative steps:
- One of the students in the group agrees in writing to be the Group Spokesperson. The University will only contact the Group Spokesperson in connection with the Group Complaint. The University will expect the Group Spokesperson to distribute the University's communications among the Group and collate the Group's response to the University's enquiries to give to the University. The University cannot be held responsible if the Lead Contact (Group Spokeperson) does not accurately provide the views of any member of the Group or if they do not pass on information from the University
- All students in the Group agree in writing that the Group Spokesperson can represent them in the Group Complaint
- All students in the Group must be able to demonstrate in writing how they have been personally affected by the matter being complained about
What if I am still dissatisfied with the outcomes of the complaints process?
If you remain dissatisfied with the outcome of the University’s attempts to resolve your complaint, you may refer your complaint to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA).
You should ensure that you familiarise yourself carefully with the requirements of the OIA for making a complaint including in relation to the timescale for doing so. Further details about the OIA can be obtained from the OIA website.