The University Assessment Regulations 2023/24 (PDF, 258kB) allow you to appeal against your exam board outcome in certain circumstances as outlined below.

The first stage of the appeal process is known as the local stage and managed by your Faculty. If you are dissatisfied with the local stage decision, you have the right to ask for your appeal to be reviewed at a University level.

When you can appeal

You can only appeal on the following grounds:

• that there has been a material irregularity in the decision-making process. Examples of this are if the University has not applied its regulations correctly or if the Board of Examiners failed to consider exceptional circumstances that you had submitted before the board meeting;
• that you had exceptional circumstances which you were unable to disclose before the meeting of the Board of Examiners. Your appeal will need to explain clearly why you could not submit these in advance of the deadline. It is likely to be declined if you cannot give a reason;
• that you believe that the penalty you have received for plagiarism was too disproportionate.

Your programme outcome will state whether it is appealable. This is published after the Board of Examiners meeting and you will receive a notification by email. Read more about each programme outcome.

Temporary academic regulations

If you submitted exceptional circumstances and did not pass an assessment for a unit, you may have received an outcome of PN "deemed to have passed" for the unit. Under the temporary academic regulations, you may request to complete a reassessment in the failed component (assessment). If you would like to be reassessed rather than the PN outcome, contact your School Administration Office. 

When you can't appeal

You can't challenge matters of academic judgement. These are decisions that can only be made with the opinion of an academic expert, including decisions about what mark you have been given for a piece of academic work. Even if you have submitted exceptional circumstances, you should not expect your marks to change as a result (except where a late submission penalty or word count penalty has been lifted).

You can only appeal against an official decision of the Board of Examiners as indicated in your programme outcome. Decisions about progression are usually made official at the end of the academic year in June or July (or in September where you have completed work during the reassessment period). Award decisions are normally made for undergraduate students in June or July, and for postgraduate taught students in November or December. In most cases, appeals are not permitted following mid-year exam boards, which take place in February or March.

Potential appeal outcomes

When making an appeal, you should ensure you are clear on which outcome you are seeking. Possible outcomes include:

• permission to progress to next year of study;
• permission to undertake a supplementary year to complete failed units to satisfactory standard (this may be with or without attendance)
• permission to re-register for programme of study following a required to withdraw decision;
• permission to remain on programme of study and not be required to transfer to alternative programme of study;
• uplift of degree classification;
• removal of penalties or caps to unit/assessment level outcomes
• permission to repeat the year in its entirety.

You cannot use the appeals process to ask for your work to be re-marked.

What to do if you're thinking about making an appeal

Start preparing as soon as possible. Submitting your appeal promptly gives you the best chance of receiving an appeal outcome in good time to prepare for your next academic year.

1. Read the University Assessment Regulations, Section 10, to find out which grounds of appeal are permissible.
2. Talk to your unit directors, personal tutor, programme director or senior tutor if there is anything you do not understand in your marks.
3. Contact the Academic Advice team, the free and confidential Bristol SU service, for:
   • independent advice;
   • help understanding whether you can appeal;
   • help preparing an appeal.
4. If you are on a Student visa, speak to the Student Visa team about how your programme outcome, appeal process and appeal outcome might affect your visa status.

How to make an appeal

You have 21 days (includes weekends but does not include public holidays in England or university closure days) to submit an appeal from the date you receive your decision. It is advisable to submit your form as soon as possible. All supporting evidence should be submitted with the appeal form. However, if there is a good reason why you cannot submit evidence at the same time as the form, please submit the form as soon as you can with an explanation of what evidence is outstanding. Do not delay submitting the form.

1. Download a Student Appeal Form.‌
2. Organise any evidence you believe supports the reason for your appeal.
3. Email the completed form and evidence to student-appeals@bristol.ac.uk. 

What happens after you submit an appeal

The Student Resolution Service will contact you if further information is required, or if your form is not fully completed. 

How we will contact you

Emails will be sent to the addresses you provide on your appeal form.

If your studies are due to end

Your university email account will close soon after your studies end. Make sure you provide an alternative email to your university address so we can contact you to tell you the outcome of your appeal.

When you will know the outcome of your appeal

You will receive the appeal outcome by email as soon as possible, normally within 35 days (includes weekends but does not include public holidays in England or university closure days). If the outcome is not confirmed within that timeframe, you may contact the Student Resolution Service to request an update.

The time it takes to review an appeal will vary from faculty to faculty. Your faculty will publish your local stage outcome to you as soon as possible. The University Assessment Regulations allow 35 days (includes weekends but does not include public holidays in England or university closure days) for your faculty to fully investigate your appeal and to determine the correct outcome. It is not always possible to respond to appeals before the reassessment period starts (for appeals against exam board decisions taken in July) or the beginning of the next academic year (for appeals against exam board decisions taken in September).

While you are awaiting your local stage outcome

Until you are told the outcome of an appeal, the original programme outcome from the exam board still applies.

If you haven't received an official outcome to your appeal confirming you are no longer required to do so, you must:

• follow the programme outcome you have been issued
• complete any additional work required

Failure to follow the programme outcome that you have been given may affect your progression or award. Do not assume that your appeal will be successful.

After receiving your local stage appeal outcome

The appeal outcome letter from the local stage will include information on next steps, including how to progress your appeal if you are not satisfied with the outcome, as detailed in the University Assessment Regulations, Section 10. You will receive this letter by email directly from your faculty.

If you are dissatisfied with your local stage outcome, you may request that your appeal is progressed to the University stage by completing the Appeal Progression Form and sending it to appeal-progression@bristol.ac.uk within 14 days of the local stage decision. Further information will be provided in the local stage outcome letter.

If you are concerned or worried

If you'd like to talk to someone about how you're feeling or how you might discuss your exam board outcome with your family, contact the Student Wellbeing Service.
Phone +44 (0)117 456 9860 or find out what other support is available.