Procedures for making complaints

Universities and colleges are large communities involved in both academic and non-academic activities. Naturally, from time to time, students do become dissatisfied with one aspect or another. Your son or daughter may come to you for advice and it can be helpful to know that all universities and colleges have complaints procedures. They won't all be exactly the same, but you can expect them to include the stages listed below.

  • A requirement to try to resolve the matter informally with the person or service causing the problem.
  • If a problem can't be resolved informally, the formal procedure will usually start with the completion of a complaints form. The Student Union will be able to help with this and information is available on university and college websites.
  • The person dealing with complaints is usually the dean of school or faculty, or the academic registrar.
  • If the complaint is not satisfactorily resolved, there is usually a review procedure that operates at vice-chancellor level.
  • Only if you have exhausted the official complaints procedures of a university or college can you go beyond it to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIAHE) at www.oaihe.org.uk. Anyone registered as a student at a participating higher education institution can complain to OIAHE.

It is all too easy to focus on what might go wrong. For most people, the transition to higher education goes well. For those who experience problems, the message is to keep them in proportion, share them and seek help.

If you wish to complain about any of the UCAS services, you can view our complaints procedure here.