14.2 Grounds for Final Review

1. If a student is dissatisfied with a formal outcome of any of the Procedures listed above, they can request a Final Review, to be investigated by a Pro Vice-Chancellor (or nominee), on the following grounds:

(i) Defects or irregularities in the Procedure followed when reaching the original outcome, which are of such a nature as to cause reasonable doubt as to whether the same decision would have been reached had they not occurred. Evidence of procedural irregularity must be submitted with the request for review

(ii) New evidence which the student was unable to provide earlier in the process, for valid reasons, and its absence would have materially affected the outcome. New evidence must be submitted with the request for review, and the student must show good reason why the evidence was not introduced earlier in the Procedure, prior to the Final Review stage.

2. A request for a Final Review must be submitted, on the Final Review Application Form, normally within 10 working days from the date of the letter that informed the student of the outcome of the formal decision, or 2 working days in the case of decisions made in relation to exclusions on the grounds of unpaid debt and the Support to Study process. A request for review submitted in any other format will not be considered. Students not following procedure will be directed to the right process and support made available to them, where this is felt appropriate. Students will receive a written acknowledgement of the review application form within 5 working days.

3. The application must include appropriate supporting evidence to substantiate the issues addressed. The student is responsible for identifying and submitting appropriate evidence with the Final Review form. The University will not do this on the student’s behalf, unless someone employed by the University is acting as the student’s named representative. Evidence not provided in either English or Welsh must be translated and/or independently verified at the student’s own expense. Any request made in the Final Review application stating that further information can be sought on the student’s behalf will not be actioned. Any evidence provided must be independently verified and corroborate the facts outlined in the application – a personal statement by the student, submitted on its own, will not be deemed sufficient. Where the student's academic performance has been affected by circumstances involving a third party, students should submit independent documentary evidence that explains the impact that this has had on them. The University is only prepared to consider Final Reviews that are based on additional evidence not originally submitted as part of one of the University Procedures listed above. Applications submitted without evidence will not be considered. Any applications found not to be eligible for further consideration will normally be rejected by the Pro Vice-Chancellor or their nominee.

4. If a student determines that they do not have grounds to apply for a Final Review they may request a Completion of Procedures Letter. This would be required if a student intends to apply for a review of the decision to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA), providing that the complaint the student takes to the OIA is eligible under its Rules. Guidance on submitting a complaint to the OIA and the OIA Complaint Form can be found on the OIA’s website: https://www.oiahe.org.uk/students/how-to-complain-to-us/