Complaints
The University has a complaint procedure that any registered Queen’s student can utilise to express their dissatisfaction. The process can be commenced up to one month after graduation or receipt of final results, whichever is sooner.
Anonymous complaints will not normally be accepted. However, in some cases where the University feels that there could be a risk to students, staff or visitors or of damage to the Universities reputation, they may decide to investigate.
You cannot submit a complaint regarding any of the following:
- Academic judgement
- Board of Examiners’ decisions i.e. progression, assessment and awards.
- Degree classifications
- Examination or assignment marks
- University Committee decisions i.e. Academic Offences, Student Conduct, Academic Appeals.
Group Complaints
The University will consider group complaints. The group must elect a representative or ‘Lead Student’ to act on their behalf. That student will need to provide appropriate evidence confirming they are acting on behalf of a group and have been given consent to do so. The ‘Lead Student’ may wish to get a signed document providing the names and student numbers of all those involved, along with their signatures to certify that they have granted permission for the Lead Student to act on their behalf.
The Complaints Process
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Stage 1 – Informal Complaint
The first stage (Stage 1) of this process is known as the informal stage. It will involve the student(s) sending a formal written explanation of their issue to the School/Service area expressing what their concern is and why they are dissatisfied, along with any impact that this has had or will have.
This may include:
- An outline of the issue, when it happened/began
- Who is responsible for this issue
- How has this issue impacted the student
- How has this issue impacted work/studies
- What is being sought?
It is hoped that most complaints can be resolved at this level.
Once the complaint has been submitted to the School or Service, the student will usually be contacted to be made aware that this is being dealt with. This should usually be within 5 working days of submission.
If the complaint concerns a particular member of staff and the student does not feel comfortable approaching that staff member directly, they may submit the written complaint to that staff member’s line manager if. Alternatively, the student can send this to the Head of School or Service who will appoint an Investigating Officer to consider the complaint and conduct an investigation into the concerns raised.
Following the investigation , the staff member dealing with the complaint will look at all the information provided and should contact the student to outline
- What their conclusion is
- Any resolution they recommend
- The student’s right to take the complaint to Stage Two if they are dissatisfied with the outcome.
Before submitting a complaint, students should remain mindful that an academic outcome cannot normally be the result of a complaint. Therefore, if the student(s) is/are looking to challenge an academic decision, an academic appeal may be a better course of action. Having said this, students have nothing to lose in submitting both a complaint and an appeal.
- Stage 2 – Formal Complaint
If a student is dissatisfied with the outcome of a Stage 1 complaint, they can progress their complaint to Stage 2. This is known as the formal stage. If a complaint is complex and involves numerous services and departments, it may be appropriate for a complaint to be investigated at Stage 2 from the outset.
The completed Stage 2 complaint form should be submitted by email to appeals@qub.ac.uk and should include the following:
- the complaint,
- the residual elements of the complaint which the student considers were not addressed, or not adequately addressed at Stage 1,
- the impact upon the student, and
- the remedy sought.
Upon receipt of the complaint, it will go through a ‘Screening Panel’ process. The student will be notified within eight working days if the complaint has been accepted for consideration or rejected.
If the complaint is accepted, an Investigating Officer will be appointed and the student notified of who this is. The student will be notified whether a meeting is required or whether the Investigating Officer feels that a decision can be made based on paperwork provided alone.
Once satisfied that they have all the relevant information and evidence, the Investigating Officer will draft a report and forward this to the Faculty PVC/Director (or nominee) who will make a decision as to the outcome and communicate this to the student within eight working days.
The outcomes of the complaint can be one of the following:
- Uphold the complaint in full or in part (and act accordingly); or
- Dismiss the complaint if there is no case to answer; or
- Make any such recommendation(s) or proposed resolution as they deem fit.
SU Advice is happy to review a draft of the complaint form and any accompanying documents to provide comments and feedback before it is submitted.
- Stage 3 – Appeal
Appealing the decision of Stage 2 of the Complaint Procedure, is known as Stage 3. There are two grounds under which a student may submit the appeal under Stage 3, these are:
- Procedural irregularity in the conduct of the investigation
- New evidence that is available which was not reasonably available at the time the stage two outcome was determined.
If the student wishes to follow Stage 3 of the complaint procedure, they will need to put this appeal in writing and submit it to the Director of Academic and Student Affairs. They should complete the correct Stage 3 complaint form and submit this to appeals@qub.ac.uk. This should be submitted within 10 working days of the Stage two outcome.
You can find a copy of the form on the webpage here.
The student should also include any correspondence such as the outcome from Stage 2 and the Investigating Officer’s report.
The Director of Academic and Student Affairs will decide whether the appeal meets one or both of the grounds stated above and can then either:
- Dismiss the appeal
- Uphold the appeal based on the written evidence presented
If referred to an Appeal Panel a hearing will normally take place 25 working days after receipt of the appeal. The student will be asked to attend the hearing; however, students can also request that the Panel reviews their case based on paperwork alone. The Chair of the Panel may request that the student attend in person and if the student fails to attend, the meeting will be held in their absence.
Once a decision has been reached, the student will be notified in writing within eight working days.
Again, SU Advice is happy to read through any form to provide information and guidance before submission.
If you would like any advice or guidance on this process, please do not hesitate to email at su.advice@qub.ac.uk
Should you reach the end of the complaint process and remain dissatisfied, or your complaint has been rejected by either the Sifting or Review Panels, then your only remaining option is to submit a complaint to the Northern Ireland Public Service Ombudsman (NIPSO). This needs to be submitted on the basis of university maladministration of its complaints process and provide evidence that the University did not follow its own procedure correctly.
Complaints to NIPSO must be made within six months of the date of receiving a final outcome letter from the University. Complaints submitted outside of this time are likely to be rejected.
Further information on using NIPSO can be found at Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman | NIPSO