Admissions Appeals Procedure
Robert Gordon University is committed to provide a high level of service to all applicants
during the application and admission process. If you are not satisfied with the outcome of
your application you should in the first instance seek feedback on the decision made.
Please refer to our Applicant Feedback Procedure on how to request this. After receiving
feedback, you are still not satisfied with the outcome you can submit an appeal on the
decision made by the University. This document outlines what the procedure is and
explains what the University requires from you and what you should expect from the
University during your appeal.
This document outlines the process for both informal and formal appeal. If you submit an
appeal which comes under the definition of a complaint then you will be informed of this
and we will follow our Complaints Handling Procedure. The definition of a complaint is an
expression of dissatisfaction by one or more individuals about the standard of a service,
action or lack of action by or on behalf of the University, as experienced in the physical
and/or virtual environment.
1.
Definition of an Appeal
The definition of an appeal is when an applicant seeks a reconsideration of the
academic decision made on an application. Reconsideration of an application does
not guarantee that the original decision will be changed.
2.
Valid grounds for Appeal
3.1
Appeals against an application decision may be submitted on the following
grounds:
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
3.
Significant new information in support of the application is now available
which was not available at the time of the original decision on the
application;
A belief that the University has not adhered to its own policies and
procedures;
Appeal Procedure
3.1
An Informal Appeal
You should endeavour to resolve an appeal on the decision in an informal
manner in the first instance.
You should raise your concerns by contacting the person that has been dealing
with your application to try to resolve the matter.
Informal appeals should be made within 10 working days of the outcome of
your request for feedback. We will endeavour to respond within 5 working days
of your request.
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If you are not satisfied with the outcome then you can proceed to make a
formal appeal.
3.2
A Formal Appeal
3.2.1 If you are not satisfied with the outcome of an informal appeal and
consider you have valid grounds to make a formal appeal, you should
do so in writing using the Admission Appeal Form (Appendix A) and
send it by letter or email to the Admissions Office that initially dealt
with your application.
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
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Undergraduate applicants should contact the Student Admissions
Service for Undergraduates: [email protected]
Postgraduate applicants should contact the Student Admissions
Service for Postgraduates: [email protected]
Research applicants should contact the Graduate School Admissions
Office: [email protected]
If you wish to post your appeal to us, please send it marked for the
attention of the appropriate department highlighted above to Robert
Gordon University, Garthdee House, Garthdee Road, Aberdeen. AB10
7QB
Formal Appeals must be submitted to the relevant office within 5
working days of the outcome of the informal appeal.
3.2.2 Any persons acting on behalf of an applicant may submit the appeal but
the University must have on record that they are the applicants
‘nominated person’ or receive written confirmation from the applicant
that the third party is allowed to act on their behalf. All communication
in connection with the appeal will then be sent to the person acting on
their behalf and if requested, the applicant will receive a copy.
3.2.3 You should complete the Admission Appeal Form and attach any
documents which support the reasons for appeal.
Appeals will be acknowledged, by email, within 5 working days of
receipt of the Admission Appeal Form and all supporting documents. In
the case of no email address being available, a letter acknowledging
receipt will be sent to the applicant and this will be dated within the
specified time period.
The University reserves the right to ask for further documentation in
support of an appeal, for example a letter from a GP to corroborate
information given in support of the appeal. If this cannot be given then
the appeal will be considered on the information that is available.
All formal appeals will be considered by the University Admission Appeal
Panel.
For undergraduate and postgraduate applicants, this panel will consist
of the Head of Student Admissions Service, the Dean of Student
Recruitment and a Senior Academic, or their deputies.
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For research applicants this panel will consist of the Head of Graduate
School, Research Degrees Officer and a Research Degrees Coordinator,
or their deputies.
3.2.4 You can only appeal once for each application made. If you apply for
more than one course in the same admissions cycle and your appeal is
applicable to all of your applications then you only need to submit one
appeal.
3.2.5 The University will make the final decision on a formal appeal within 15
working days of receipt and the applicant will be informed in writing,
either by email or by letter, as appropriate.
4
Outcome of the Appeal
If on the outcome of the appeal, you believe that the University has failed to
follow its procedures when arriving at the decision, you may wish to make a
complaint following our Complaints Procedure
Robert Gordon University: Applicant Appeals Procedure
INFORMAL APPEAL
Discuss informally with appropriate
person within 10 working days of the
outcome of your request for feedback
Matter resolved
Yes
FORMAL APPEAL
No
Applicant completes and submits the
Admission Appeal Form to the
appropriate office within 5 working
days of the outcome of the informal
appeal. This should include any
relevant supporting documents.
The University will confirm receipt to
the applicant within 5 working days
The Appeals Panel will meet to discuss
and a formal decision made within 15
working days of receipt of the
Admission Appeal Form
The applicant will be informed of the
outcome
Matter resolved
Consider using the University
Complaints Procedure
No
Yes
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Appendix A
ADMISSION APPEAL FORM
All sections of this form must be completed, otherwise your appeal may not be
considered.
Surname/Family Name
Title
Forename(s)
Address
[all correspondence
relating to this appeal
will be sent to this
address]
Telephone Number
Email Address
[all correspondence
relating to this appeal
will be sent to this
address]
Application ID Number
Course Applied for
Grounds for Appeal [tick as appropriate]
Disagreement with the academic judgement of your application cannot
constitute grounds for appeal
Significant new information in support of the application for
admissions is now available.
The University has not adhered to its own policies and procedures
for admission
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Statement of Appeal [please provide as much detail as possible relevant to
your appeal and refer to any documentary evidence you can provide; continue
on a separate sheet if necessary]
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Were these facts known to the Admissions Team prior to
considering your application and making a decision?
Yes
No
If you answered no, please provide an explanation as to the reason why
It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure the School is informed of any
circumstances, which might have prevented him/her from submitting a full
initial application.
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Please list any additional documentary evidence you have submitted with this
form – This can include certificates, transcripts, references etc which were not
available at the first point of application).
Signature
Date
By signing this form you are declaring the above information to be accurate to
the best of your knowledge, and that you understand the information provided
in support of your appeal will be treated in confidence unless disclosure is
necessary to progress the appeal
Please submit this signed form and all accompanying documentary evidence to
the Student Admissions Service for Undergraduate and Postgraduate applicants.
For Research, please send to the Graduate School Admissions Office within 5
working days of the outcome of the informal appeal.
Please retain a copy.
Data Protection Statement: The Robert Gordon University is a data controller
under the Data Protection Act 1998. The personal data you provide with this
form will be kept on your student file for monitoring purposes and the data will
be made anonymous and used for statistical purposes. The data will not be
transferred to third parties. All personal data will be processed according to the
Data Protection Principles and in line with the University's Data Protection
Policy.
INTERNAL USE ONLY
Appeal Outcome
[please tick as appropriate]
Successful
Unsuccessful
Please indicate the reasons the appeal was successful/unsuccessful
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Date of Receipt of Appeal
____________________
Date passed to Dean of Student recruitment (if appropriate) _________________
Date of Appeal Outcome
____________________
Date appellant notified of outcome
____________________
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