Appeals and complaints

The University is committed to ensuring as high a quality student experience as possible while studying at St Andrews. Occasionally things may go wrong and if you are experiencing a difficulty, or are dissatisfied with your academic experience, you should raise concerns as soon as possible. See the University Student Handbook: Academic appeals and complaints.

For possible academic appeals involving this School you are invited to discuss the matter informally with relevant staff in the School first.

If there are extenuating personal circumstances that may affect your academic performance or impact on your progression you must bring these to the attention of an appropriate member of staff (for example your Adviser of Studies, module coordinator or the appropriate Associate Dean) as soon as possible and normally prior to completing any assessment. If you base a subsequent academic appeal on such extenuating personal circumstances, you will be required to provide valid reasons to explain why you failed to notify the examiners or other relevant persons of these circumstances prior to completing the assessment.

Within the School of Physics and Astronomy, any complaint or appeal should be addressed (after any informal approach has been tried) to the Director of Teaching or, if the Director of Teaching has already been involved, to the Head of School. Academic issues which could be the subject of an appeal or complaint include the effects of extenuating personal circumstances materially affecting academic performance of which the University was not aware when the academic decision was taken, and which could not reasonably have been disclosed by the student, and the improper conduct of an assessment that has material impacted on the results awarded. See www.st-andrews.ac.uk/students/rules/appeals/policy/.

The University of St Andrew's Students' Association can support students when they contact the Student Advocacy and Advice Service.