Student Complaints Procedure
This procedure should be followed if you want to make a formal complaint about such issues as teaching, supervision or a service provided by the School (eg the Library or Registry). There are other procedures if you want to complain about harassment or appeal an academic decision of some kind.
The procedure is made up of a series of stages, but the aim is to resolve your complaint at the earliest possible stage.
- Before making a complaint
- Making a complaint
- Who to send your complaint to
- Complaint procedure: Stage 1
- Complaint procedure: Stage 2
- Complaint procedure: Stage 3
- Appealing the School’s decision
- Seeking advice
- More details
Some supplementary guidance has been developed to assist SOAS staff who are carrying out investigations under the procedure.
1. Before making a formal complaint
Have you approached the service, course convenor, tutor or other person directly concerned with your complaint directly? If not, you are strongly encouraged to do so before making a formal complaint. Seek advice if you are unsure how best to pursue your complaint.
2. Making a complaint
Unless there is a good reason, you must make any formal complaint within 20 working days of the event that you are complaining about. If your complaint relates to teaching, supervision or some other ongoing academic issue, you must make your complaint no later than three weeks before any exam or assessment that might be affected.
Write (email or letter) to one of the individuals listed below. Your email or letter must include the following details:
- your name and address (including email address);
- your student reference number;
- your programme and year of study;
- the reason(s) for your complaint;
- name(s) of any witness(es) and/or details of relevant documents;
- name(s) of member(s) of staff, if any, who you have already discussed your complaint with and what the outcome of that discussion was.
Bear in mind that your complaint will need to be discussed with the person or team that you are complaining about so that they can give their side of the situation.
3. Who should you send your complaint to?
For teaching matters:
| Faculty | Contact Person |
|---|---|
| Faculty of Arts & Humanities | Associate Dean (Learning & Teaching) |
| Faculty of Languages & Cultures (undergraduate students) | Associate Dean (Learning & Teaching, Undergraduates) |
| Faculty of Languages & Cultures (Taught Masters) | Associate Dean (Masters) |
| Faculty of Law & Social Sciences | Associate Dean (Learning & Teaching) |
| Faculty | Contact Person |
|---|---|
| Faculty of Arts & Humanities | Associate Dean (Research) |
| Faculty of Languages & Cultures | Associate Dean (Research) |
| Faculty of Law & Social Sciences | Associate Dean (Research) |
| Service Area | Contact Person |
|---|---|
| Estates & Facilities (complaints about SOAS facilities, security, etc) | Director of Estates & Facilities |
| Library or computing services | Director of Library and Information Systems |
| Student & Registry Services (course registrations, fees, careers service, etc) | Director of Student & Registry Services |
4. The first stage of the complaint procedure
The Associate Dean or Director will ask a member of staff who has not been involved in your complaint in the Faculty or Professional Services Directorate concerned to investigate your complaint. Once they have established the facts, they will produce a report outlining whether your complaint is justified, and if so, proposing a resolution. A resolution might be as simple as an apology, or might include financial compensation in serious cases. They will write to you with their report usually within 15 days of your complaint (depending on circumstances – for example, it is likely to take longer out of term time).
5. The second stage of the complaint procedure
If you are not satisfied with the decision and/or proposed resolution put forward by the investigator at Stage 1, you should write again to the relevant Associate Dean or Director to request a review within 10 working days of receiving the first stage report. They will then look again at your complaint. In order to establish all the facts, they may decide to hold a formal panel. They will write to you with their conclusion within 20 working days of your request for a second stage review, which may uphold the original decision made by the initial investigator, or may be different.
6. The third stage of the complaint procedure
If you remain dissatisfied, you can appeal the decision of the Associate Dean or Professional Services Director by writing to the Information Compliance Manager in the Directorate within 10 working days of receiving the results of your second stage review. The Information Compliance Manager will then ask the Director to nominate a senior member of SOAS staff outside of the Faculty or Professional Services Directorate subject to the complaint to chair an Appeal Panel.
Before organising an Appeal Panel, the nominated chair will consider whether to allow the Appeal or reject it. If your Appeal is rejected, you will receive a Completion of Procedures letter at this stage.
If the Chair decides that your Appeal is valid, a full Appeal Panel will be held. This will consist of the Chair of the Panel, a member of staff nominated by Academic Board, and a student representative nominated by the Student Union (unless you prefer the Chair to nominate another member of staff). The Information Compliance Manager will act as secretary to the Panel.
You will probably be asked to attend the Panel to make your case. If you do, you are entitled to bring someone with you for support (eg a friend or Student Union officer), but they are not allowed to speak on your behalf or give evidence unless the Panel has specifically requested them to. Other witnesses will be invited to submit evidence to the Panel.
Once the Panel has concluded, the Information Compliance Manager will write a report explaining the Panel’s decision and how it has been reached. This will be sent to you with a Completion of Procedures letter.
The final stage of the School’s internal appeal process can take up to 45 working days, but the School will always try to complete the process as soon as possible whilst ensuring that your complaint is fairly and completely considered.
7. Further Appeal
If you think that the decision communicated to you in the Completion of Procedures letter is unfair, you may write to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA). You must write to them within three months of receiving the Completion of Procedures letter.
8. Seeking advice
If you need any advice on the Student Complaint Procedure, please contact the Information Compliance Manager.
9. More details
This page is just a summary of the full procedure for consideration of student complaints. If you want to know more about the rules governing the handling of student complaints, please see the full Student Complaint Procedure.
