Information correct as of April 2021. You are advised to contact the Students’ Union Advice Service for advice specific to your circumstances before taking any action. If you find any broken links please let us know as links may change without us being notified.
“Our university acknowledges that at times students may be dissatisfied with aspects of its provision. It recognises the right of students to raise complaints without any disadvantage; and undertakes to deal with them in a thorough, transparent and impartial manner.”
Source: Leeds Beckett Complaints Procedure
What Can You Complain About?
As a student of the University you have the right to raise issues of concern. If you believe that the complaint is serious then it is important that you consider raising it through the Complaints Procedure.
The procedure gives examples of the matters that might give rise to a complaint. These are listed, as:
- Deficiency in Academic Provision
- Standard and/or Quality of Academic Provision
- Deficiency in University Services
- Personal Detriment or Harm
This list is not exhaustive, and complaints may be raised about any issue affecting your University experience.
In certain circumstances it might not be possible to raise this issue under formal Complaints Procedure. This may be because a separate procedure exists to consider such issues, or the matter is outside the scope of the Complaints Procedure..
Examples of excluded matters are Academic Appeals and findings of an Academic Integrity Board.
You can contact the Students’ Union Advice Service in confidence if you would like to discuss your grounds for complaint before proceeding.
Making A Complaint
A lot depends on the nature of your complaint, but students are generally encouraged to try and resolve their complaint informally at the ‘early resolution stage’ of the procedure.
If the complaint is very serious and/or all attempts to resolve it have failed, then you should submit a formal complaint.
Refer to the University Webpages on ‘Complaints’ for full Guidance and a copy of the Complaints Form which you can complete online or download.
The Students’ Union Advice Service will be happy to review and comment on your draft form prior to submission.
Note: By raising a complaint, you should not be disadvantaged or treated unfavourably.
The University will consider your complaint following submission and decide if it is eligible under the procedure. If it is accepted, an Independent Investigating Officer will be allocated to the case. In most cases it is a senior Academic from within the University who has no previous connection with the matter
The Investigating Officer will recommend from the full range of outcomes available- including full or partial resolution, compensation or rejection.
The University is very clear that all valid complaints will be taken seriously and dealt with in a timely fashion. The parties involved are required to be respectful and courteous and comply with all requests for information and supporting evidence.
Alternative Actions
Feedback:
Use feedback as a way of highlighting an issue, without the need to submit a formal complaint.
Key Info:
- Complaints must be raised at the earliest opportunity
- Formal Complaints must (normally) be raised within 10 days of the outcome of the early resolution stage or within 10 days of the act or omission that is being complained about
- The University will aim to respond to the Complaint at the early resolution stage as quickly as is reasonably practical
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