How to complain to a university (UK)

Start inside the university, and finish there

The OIA says it normally expects students to follow their provider's internal procedures to their conclusion before complaining to it. Its Good Practice Framework describes three stages that most universities follow in some form. Find your university's student complaints procedure (usually on the student services or registry pages) and note the deadline for each stage, because a late complaint can be rejected before anyone looks at what happened.

Complaint or academic appeal?

Universities normally run separate processes for complaints (about a service, a facility, teaching arrangements, how you were treated or communicated with) and academic appeals (challenging a mark, a progression decision or a final award). Using the wrong one can cost you time. If what you want changed is a result, check the academic appeals regulations instead; if you are unhappy with how something was provided or handled, the complaints procedure is usually right. Some issues involve both, and the university should tell you which process applies.

The Completion of Procedures letter

When the internal process ends and your complaint is not upheld, the OIA's guidance says the university should tell you the outcome of the review stage in writing, in a Completion of Procedures letter, as soon as possible and within 28 days. It should explain the reasons and tell you about your right to go to the OIA. Keep it: the OIA will normally need to see it. If your complaint was upheld but you are still unhappy with the remedy, or you have been told you are too late to go further, you can ask the university for one.

Going to the OIA (England and Wales)

The OIA reviews complaints about universities and other higher education providers in England and Wales. It does not charge students. It must receive your complaint form within 12 months of the date of the Completion of Procedures letter: a letter dated 11 August gives you until 11 August the following year. It also says the longer you wait, the less likely a practical remedy becomes. Where it finds a complaint justified or partly justified, it can recommend remedies including practical steps, an apology and financial compensation.

What does not count as academic judgment

The OIA's guidance is specific about this, and it is where most viable complaints sit. It treats these as outside academic judgment: whether procedures were fair and correctly applied, how the university communicated with you, whether an academic gave an opinion outside their area of competence, what the facts were and how evidence was considered, and whether there is evidence of bias or maladministration. Frame your complaint around those, not around whether the university was right about the quality of your work.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

The OIA covers England and Wales only. In Scotland, the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) can normally look at a university or college complaint once you have completed its complaints or academic appeals procedure; unless there are special circumstances it cannot look at issues from more than a year after you first knew of the problem, and it cannot question academic judgement or get grades changed. In Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman (NIPSO) handles complaints about further education colleges and universities after you have been through their complaints process, and cannot look at the quality of teaching or the awarding of grades.

University complaint letter (formal stage)

Edit this template with your facts, dates, and requested outcome before sending.

Subject: Formal complaint under the student complaints procedure — [your name], student number [number]

Dear [Complaints Officer / Student Casework team],

I am making a formal complaint under the university's student complaints procedure. I am a [year/level] student on [course] in [school/department].

What happened:
1. On [date], [factual description — for example, the placement the course handbook promised was cancelled without notice].
2. On [date], I raised this informally with [name/role]. [What they said or did, or that there was no reply.]
3. [Any further events, with dates.]

Why I believe this falls short: [the specific rule, handbook section, policy or promise that was not followed, quoted or referenced].

The effect on me: [for example, lost study time, extra costs of [amount], delay to my progression, distress].

What I am asking for: [a specific remedy — for example, an alternative placement by [date], reimbursement of [amount], an apology, a change to how the issue is handled].

I enclose [emails, handbook extract, receipts]. Please confirm receipt, tell me who is handling this complaint and when I can expect a response. If the complaint is not upheld at the final stage, please issue a Completion of Procedures letter.

Yours sincerely,
[Your name]
[Student number]
[Contact details]

Common mistakes to avoid

• ✕Missing the university's internal deadline while trying to sort things out informally
• ✕Asking the OIA to review a mark or classification, which is academic judgment it cannot look at
• ✕Going to the OIA before finishing the internal process, which will usually be sent back
• ✕Losing the Completion of Procedures letter, or not asking for one when the process has ended
• ✕Counting the 12 months from the original problem rather than from the date of that letter
• ✕Describing how unfair it felt without naming the rule, policy or promise that was not followed
• ✕Not saying what outcome you want, so the university has nothing specific to agree to

Next steps

1. 1Find the student complaints procedure and write down each stage's deadline
2. 2Gather the handbook, policy or promise you rely on, and every email with dates
3. 3Put the formal complaint in writing, with a specific remedy
4. 4If it is not resolved, request the review stage within its time limit
5. 5When you receive the Completion of Procedures letter, note the date and your OIA deadline 12 months later
6. 6Your students' union advice service can usually help at every stage