University Complaints Procedure

Essentially the first step is about discussion and raising awareness of the issue by talking to your tutors or module/award leaders. This is stage 1 of the UWE complaints procedure. If you feel that your complaint has not been acted upon then raise it, in writing, with the Complaints Manager who covers your faculty or for non-academic complaints, the area that you wish to complain about. Each faculty is covered by a specific Complaints Manager and the Advice Centre can give you the name and contact details of the right person for your complaint. Taking your complaint to a Complaints Manager is stage 2 of the complaints procedure.

The Advice Centre will be able to assist you with submitting a formal complaint by supporting you when you are writing the letter and making sure that you have addressed it to the correct person.

If after making a formal complaint to the Complaints Manager you are still unhappy and can demonstrate significant grounds for dissatisfaction i.e. there is new evidence for consideration or there has been a material irregularity in the investigation of the complaint then you can take it to the final stage of the internal complaints procedure. This involves writing a further letter to the Service Enhancement Manager and is the third and final stage of the internal process. The Service Enhancement Manager will consider your complaint and if appropriate, may make a decision regarding resolution of the complaint, or may refer the complaint back to the Complaints Manager for further action. Any decision made by the Service Enhancement Manager overrides a decision of the Complaints Manager.

This three stage process is the full UWE complaints procedure and full details and further information on what to put in your letters and time limitations can be found at: www.uwe.ac.uk/complaints/

Details of the relevant guidelines for your course should be given to you during enrolment. For additional information, you can also refer to your University Student Handbook.

If you have exhausted the full UWE complaints procedure but are still unhappy, you may be able to take your complaint to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA). You will however, ONLY be able to do this if you have followed all of the internal procedures first.

The OIA was established to provide an independent scheme for the review of student complaints and UWE joined the scheme in 2004. The OIA will only review certain types of complaints so for more information about the OIA check out www.oiahe.org.uk

The Advice Centre can assist students at all stages of the complaints procedure. It is important that you follow the procedures correctly, so if you want to make a complaint against UWE come in and see us.