How do I appeal my degree classification AGAIN?

TW: depression, DA, SA
Hi everyone,
I completed my law degree at the university of Edinburgh last year. I received a 2:2 classification but I don’t feel this reflects my overall effort taking into account my extenuating circumstances.
Here’s the story:
In my second year I moved in with my boyfriend at uni (we’d been together for 6 months) because Covid made it hard to find people to live with. Long story short, he was emotionally and (sometimes) physically abusive. I ended up having a depressive episode, struggling with an eating disorder, and anxiety, all as a result of living with a coercive and controlling boyfriend. I got out of the relationship around May of my second year and moved out, I had no where to go and for third year ended up with no accommodation until a month into uni, and had to move in with complete strangers (who ended up being lovely).
I was on antidepressants and was getting better but I still struggled here and there. I ended up going through a period of really struggling and the doctors thought I should start to taper off sertraline so that I could try something else. Obviously that was a difficult transition. During this transition, I ended up failing one of my classes as the assessment I produced wasn’t good enough, plus it was submitted late and by the time I’d submitted it, the special circumstances application deadline had passed. The uni let me progress to fourth year on account of my other grades being good.
The abuse and the trauma of it is something I have ONLY JUST come to terms with. I have spent a long time (nearly 3 years now) blaming myself, telling myself it wasn’t that bad, etc etc.
When I finished my degree I appealed my final classification stating that I wanted the grade from the class I failed to be removed from my record. This was done for my friend who was SA’d so I knew it could be done. However, even though I had medical reports and evidence, the uni appeals team got back to me and said no because I should have appealed the grade back when I got it.
I’m happy with my 2:2 because honestly I didn’t think I was going to live past 2022 never mind finish my degree, but it’s making my life a bit harder trying to get my foot in the door and qualify as a solicitor. A training contract seems beyond my reach with a grade like that. I want to reach out to the uni and fight my corner. I know that if this failed class isn’t recorded I would get a 2:1 overall which is exactly what my effort in the other classes deserves. I got a high first grade in my dissertation and I finished everything with a 2:1 or above in my final year. I just want my final classification to reflect the effort I put in to my degree and not the trauma I went through.
Does anyone have any experience fighting their uni on their degree classification? Do we think I should try to or is it a lost cause?

Reply 1

McGinger

You only have legitimate grounds for appeal this if there is something that was not considered at the original appeal, or if 'correct process' was not followed at the original appeal - not just because you don't like their decision.

Reply 2

Anonymous #1

Original post by McGinger

They said that if I had appealed the fail in the first instance I would have succeeded and my degree classification would be 2:1 not 2:2. I feel this is unfair as I was not under the impression I could appeal, especially since my correspondence with the university during that time when I failed my class gave me no indication I could do so.

It’s not that I “don't like” the decision, I just feel it is unfair and want to know if it is worth talking to the university to find out if I can explain my situation.

Reply 3

Stiffy Byng

The problem you face is that you could have appealed in time but did not do so. You could try explaining that you were suffering from trauma at the time and that this affected your decision. But against that it may be said that, even allowing for your trauma, you could have appealed at some point before the final classification of your degree.