External review

The Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) runs an independent scheme to review student complaints.

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Getting a case review

If you are unhappy with the outcome of your appeal, you may be able to ask the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) to review your case. Information about making a complaint to the OIA, what it can and cannot look at, and what it can do to put things right is available on the OIA website.


The review process

You will normally be required to have gone through the student complaints procedure at the University before you can refer to the OIA. Once you have reached the end of the procedure, and there are no further steps they can take internally, you will receive a 'completion of procedures' letter.

As soon as you have received this letter, you may submit your complaint to the OIA via their complaint form. This must be received by the OIA within 12 months of the date of the 'completion of procedures' letter.

When deciding whether to make a complaint to the OIA, you should consider any factors that make it particularly important for you to bring the complaint promptly, such as

  • deadlines for completing the course
  • the course or module being discontinued
  • whether the remedy you are seeking will be impossible to implement after a certain date

Advice for students

The Student Advice Centre can give independent advice to a student on their position.

Their website contains advice on how to lodge an academic appeal or complaint, clear explanations of the different grounds for doing so, and what happens after your appeal or complaint is submitted.

We strongly encourage you to read these pages before submitting an academic appeal or complaint. 

A global reputation

Sheffield is a research university with a global reputation for excellence. We're a member of the Russell Group: one of the 24 leading UK universities for research and teaching.