Request for reconsideration and academic appeal
Find out about the Academic Appeals regulations and how to submit an appeal or Request for Reconsideration (R4R).
The Academic Appeals regulations refer to the NTU Quality Handbook Section 17B: Academic Appeals Policy and Process.
Who to contact for support after receiving results
If you are not happy with the result given for coursework, an exam, an assessment, etc., speak to your School in the first instance. The appropriate person to advise you may be your Course Leader, Module Leader, Personal Tutor, or School Administrator.
For clarification on the Request for Reconsideration (R4R) procedure, please contact your School in the first instance. The appropriate person to advise you might be your Course Leader, Personal Tutor, or School Administrator.
For independent advice, you can contact the Nottingham Trent Students' Union Information & Advice Service.
For additional support, you can contact the University's Student Support Services. A wide range of services, including Health and Wellbeing support, is available to all students.
Request for reconsideration (R4R)
If you remain unsatisfied after speaking to the appropriate person in your School, and you feel you meet one or more of the grounds, you may submit a Request for Reconsideration (R4R). An R4R allows you to appeal against the decision of a Board of Examiners. It is a formal request for your result to be reconsidered and comprises the first stage of the Academic Appeals Process.
Please note that you can submit an R4R only after the Board of Examiners has met and your results have been published.
You can submit a Request for Reconsideration using the online Academic Appeals Portal.
When submitting your R4R, you will need to be clear on:
- The grounds on which you are seeking reconsideration
- The module(s) that are affected
- The outcome you are seeking.
Dissatisfaction with your result in an assessment, module, or final award is not grounds for appeal as it constitutes disagreement with academic judgement.
Academic judgement is a judgement that is made about a matter where only the opinion of an academic expert will suffice. For example, where a student is required to repeat or take further assessment. A student cannot appeal simply because they believe they ought to have received a higher grade or mark.
You will also need to provide appropriate evidence to support your R4R application.
Submission of your R4R or Academic Appeal application is not evidence in itself. You need to be able to substantiate your case with independent documentary evidence (i.e. something which is not your assertion alone). The evidence should normally be original (i.e. a doctor's note) and not a copy. If you have difficulty with this, then you should contact your School Administrator immediately. Please refer to Section 10 of 17B: Academic Appeals Policy and Process for further information on appropriate evidence.
An R4R must be submitted no later than 10 working days from the date on which your results are published after a Board of Examiners. Submissions made after 10 working days must clearly evidence the reason for the lateness.
The Reconsideration Panel (RP) will review your Request for Reconsideration. Your application may be either upheld/approve or not upheld/not approved.
Where an R4R or Academic Appeal is upheld/approved, it is not the policy of the University to adjust marks, grades or degree classifications, but to provide circumstances in which a student can demonstrate their academic ability unhindered. For example, a third and final attempt at an exam.
It may not be upheld/not approved for various reasons, including, for example, if your application was submitted out of time; if your application was not made on one of the permitted grounds; or if you have not provided appropriate evidence to support your application.
Please submit your appeal using the following method:
Submit an appeal or R4R applicationIf you get an error message, it is likely due to your access to NTU Systems having stopped; in this instance, please email your School Administration team. They will contact DT on your behalf to ask for you to be given access.
Academic Appeal
If you are dissatisfied with your R4R outcome and you feel that you meet one or more of the grounds for appeal, then you may want to submit an Academic Appeal. This is the second and final stage of the Academic Appeals Procedures.
You can submit an Academic Appeal using the online Academic Appeals Portal.
For guidance on using the portal, please download the Appeal Portal FAQs.
When submitting your appeal, you will need to be clear on:
- The grounds on which you are appealing
- The module(s) that are affected
- The outcome you are seeking.
As with the R4R stage, you will also need to provide appropriate evidence to support your Academic Appeal application.
An Academic Appeal must be submitted no later than 10 working days from the date on which you receive the outcome of your R4R.
Submission of your Academic Appeal application is not evidence in itself. As with the R4R, you need to be able to substantiate your case with independent documentary evidence. You will need to scan your evidence so that you can upload it to the Appeals Portal.
Your application will be investigated by a nominee in the Academic Registry. The Academic Registry is a central department in the University that operates independently of your School.
During the investigation, you may be contacted if we need further information from you. Please note that your appeal will be on hold until we receive a response from you.
Your application may be upheld, partially upheld, or not upheld.
If your Academic Appeal is upheld or partially upheld, it will be referred to your School for review. An upheld appeal does not guarantee that your mark will change or that the outcome of a BoE will change. It is not University policy to adjust results where an appeal is upheld, but to give you a chance to perform to the best of your academic abilities.
Your Academic Appeal may be rejected for various reasons: if it was submitted out of time; if it was not made on one of the permitted grounds, or if you have not provided appropriate evidence to support it. This is not an exhaustive list.
There are strict timelines in which you can submit either an R4R or an Academic Appeal. Please refer to Section 17B: Academic Appeals Policy and Process.
Please submit your appeal using the following method:
Submit an appeal or R4R applicationIf you get an error message, it is likely due to your access to NTU Systems having stopped; in this instance, please email the Policy and Regulations Team.
R4Rs, Academic Appeals and Graduation
A student with an ongoing R4R or Academic Appeal may attend their graduation ceremony, but they will not be presented with their certificate, which will be issued once the investigation has been closed.
In the unlikely event that a student attends graduation and receives their certificate but has an R4R/Appeal which is in progress, or at a later date (but within the timeframe) submits an R4R/Appeal, if it is upheld and their classification changes, the student will be required to return their certificate at their own cost before a new certificate is issued.
Please note that if a student attends a graduation ceremony and has not submitted an R4R or Appeal, the University will take the view that the student has accepted their award.
Office of the Independent Adjudicator
You have no further right of appeal within the University, but you may be able to take your case to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA). The OIA is an independent body that reviews university appeals and complaints.
You must apply to the OIA within 12 months of the date of your Completion of Procedures Letter. There is no cost to NTU students for submitting an application, but you should check to see if your case is eligible under the OIA's Rules.
Download and read the regulations at:
Separate arrangements exist for complaints about the learning experience – see NTU Complaints Procedure for Students.
If you are not able to access the R4R online portal, a Word document version of the form can be downloaded at: