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whats the best way to go about making a formal university academic appeal?

I received my results yesterday and i am extremely disappointed with my results.

I received an overall 3rd class degree where i was 1 mark away from a 2:2. i received a final mark of 49 where the boundary zone weighted average is 47-49.9, however the exam board decided not to reward me with a 2:2 as to qualify for automatic promotion 80 credits must be at the higher level but i have 70. I emailed the academic advisor and this is what she said.

i really struggled throughout uni with my mental health and i am still severely depressed, my mental health got worse in second year and I started taking medication for, it obviously impacted my studied and I did not do as well as I should have.

The grades I got for each year were ,1st yr - 60.667, 2nd-43.205, 3rd- 51.833. first yr grades don't count and 2nd yr counts 33% and third yr 67%.

I am going to send in a formal appeal asking to decrease the grade weightings of the second year, to 20%. Has anyone had experience making an academic appeals to the university and are they usually successful?
Reply 1
First of all, it’s been a hard year for everyone so just know that even passing is an achievement. Uni is hard on your mental health and it’s been even harder with the added affects of COVID. Secondly, know that most jobs do not care what grade you get. Most don’t even ask! The skills you gain from your degree are more valuable than your academic abilities. But, it’s totally natural to be upset and that’s valid.

It’s good to research your universities appeal processes as I’m sure they’ll have info on them on the website. It’s daily straightforward, you just send them an email appealing and why you think you should have your work recounted (so send the data about your percentages etc) and then they will do the rest. I did it in first year after I got 69 percent and wanted to push it to 70 and it was fairly straightforward. You might need to pay but if it’s your final year grade it’s definitely worth it!

Also does your university not have some sort of no detriment in place? If not it might be worth researching it mentioning that as it’s unfair to expect the same standard of work during all of this!
(edited 2 years ago)
Reply 2
Original post by ej2345
First of all, it’s been a hard year for everyone so just know that even passing is an achievement. Uni is hard on your mental health and it’s been even harder with the added affects of COVID. Secondly, know that most jobs do not care what grade you get. Most don’t even ask! The skills you gain from your degree are more valuable than your academic abilities. But, it’s totally natural to be upset and that’s valid.

It’s good to research your universities appeal processes as I’m sure they’ll have info on them on the website. It’s daily straightforward, you just send them an email appealing and why you think you should have your work recounted (so send the data about your percentages etc) and then they will do the rest. I did it in first year after I got 69 percent and wanted to push it to 70 and it was fairly straightforward. You might need to pay but if it’s your final year grade it’s definitely worth it!

Also does your university not have some sort of no detriment in place? If not it might be worth researching it mentioning that as it’s unfair to expect the same standard of work during all of this!

Hi ej2345,
Thank you for your reply, I will definitely try and appeal, I just think its a bit stingy of them to not compromise the 1% given my circumstances and I feel I've wasted three years of my life. I studied chemistry and most jobs require a minimum of 2:1 or 2:2.
thank you again for your help and encouragement.
Sorry to hear about your mental health. Did you declare your mental health to your uni before sitting your exams/third year, and were there extenuating circumstances put in place before your assessments? If so, your uni's disability office may be able to support your application (assuming you are registered with them?).

Your student's union should also be able to guide you through the exact process and give you an idea if your appeal is likely to be successful. Protocols and processes vary from uni to uni, so they are the best port of call!
Reply 4
Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd
Sorry to hear about your mental health. Did you declare your mental health to your uni before sitting your exams/third year, and were there extenuating circumstances put in place before your assessments? If so, your uni's disability office may be able to support your application (assuming you are registered with them?).

Your student's union should also be able to guide you through the exact process and give you an idea if your appeal is likely to be successful. Protocols and processes vary from uni to uni, so they are the best port of call!

yes I am registered as a dass student, but I don't believe the exam board knows the details of my disability. I will ask my student union for advice and see what they say. thanks so much

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