Appeals
This page provides information for students who are considering submitting an appeal against the decision of a Programme Assessment Board. There are only specific times during the academic year when an appeal can be submitted, and this page tells you when and how you can do this as well as detailing where you can get support and/or ask questions with regard to the appeals process.
Submitting an Appeal
It is important that you read the Academic Appeals Regulations (PDF, 295kB) to check the circumstances upon which you are basing your appeal meet the grounds outlined within these regulations.
- There is evidence to indicate that the Programme Assessment Board or the Academic Committee of the Doctoral College has made a decision which is not consistent with the University regulations and/or procedures.
- There is evidence to indicate that there was an apparent error in the recording, transcription or reporting of assessment results, the delivery of their programme or the assessment process.
Appeals are submitted against the decision of the Programme Assessment Board not against results for individual modules. For example, the appeals process will not result in an increase to an individual module mark, nor will it see a failed module increased to a pass. Please also be aware that an academic appeal does not result in the university having discretion to amend a degree classification, for example: changing an undergraduate 2:2 degree to a 2:1; or a Masters to a Masters with Distinction.
The appeals process can however see you offered an additional uncapped first attempt or additional reassessment attempt to make good in a failed module. Having this opportunity could result in a different award, depending on the outcome of your assessment and your specific circumstances.
Once you have checked your results online and if you believe you have grounds for appeal, email the grounds upon which you wish to appeal and the outcome you are seeking to appeals@napier.ac.uk as soon as possible. Failure to do this may result in any appeal you subsequently submit being rejected.
The appeals team will respond advising whether you meet the grounds for an appeal to be considered and offer an honest appraisal of the chance of your appeal being successful.
If, after you have received a response from the appeals team, you wish to submit an appeal, you must complete the Appeal Form AP1 (Word, 64kB) supported by evidence and email it to appeals@napier.ac.uk by the published deadline (see table below).
You will receive an email receipt upon submission of your Appeal Form. This will detail what will happen next in terms of the process. The outcome of the appeals is advised to students via their university email address within five weeks of the published appeal deadline though we aim to process within 2- 3 weeks of the deadline for most students.
What happens if my appeal is upheld?
If your appeal is upheld by the Appeal Panel, it will be referred to the Chair of the Programme Assessment Board who made the original decision that you appealed against for reconsideration. You will receive confirmation from the Appeals team that your appeal has been upheld, and from your school to ensure that you are aware of the new decision made in relation to you.
What happens if my appeal is not upheld?
If your appeal is not upheld, the original decision of the Programme Assessment Board will remain unchanged.
When can appeals be submitted?
Appeals cannot be submitted until a Programme Assessment Board has published their decision on your progression or award, see dates in table below. You should check your results online. You will then have five working days (includes Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday) to submit an academic appeal. The applicable dates for the coming academic year can be found in the table below.
On some occasions results are delayed, such as due to processing of Academic Integrity cases, and where this occurs the five working days starts when results are issued. If in doubt about deadlines, please contact appeals@napier.ac.uk
| Trimester | Date Programme Board of Examiners Results Published | Appeals Deadline Date (all deadlines 2pm) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10/02/25 | 17/02/25 |
| 2 | 01/07/25 |
08/07/25 |
| Summer Assessment | 01/09/25 | 08/09/25 |
| 3 | 10/10/25 |
17/10/25 |
All dates are subject to change. Please check this page regularly for notice of any changes.
Usually, only issues relating to the most recent trimester will be considered as part of the process.
Please note the above dates refer to programmes taught at our Edinburgh campuses. If you are studying a programme taught at one of our overseas partners’ campuses, an online or distance learning programme, or a research degree student, then alternative dates may apply to you. If you fall into one of these categories, please check with your programme administrator, programme leader, Doctoral College or personal development tutor for clarification on the dates applicable to you.
Evidence
Ideally you should also email any evidence you wish to be considered as part of your appeal by the published deadline though you have up to five working days (includes Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday) after the published deadline to submit evidence which should be emailed to appeals@napier.ac.uk. Do not delay the submission of your AP1 form if you are waiting for evidence to support your appeal.
Examples of evidence you can use to support your AP1 form; documentary evidence or advice/comments from any member of staff, letters from Academic members of staff, letters from ENSA Advice Service advisor.
Invalid Appeals
Any appeal submission submitted purely based on a question of academic judgement (e.g., you believe you should have received a better mark based entirely on your own opinion that your work was worth more) will not be accepted.
Fit to Sit and Extenuating circumstances is not part of the Academic Appeals process, which means you cannot submit an Academic Appeal on the grounds of extenuating circumstances.
It is important that you read the Academic Appeal Regulations (PDF, 295kB), AA1.3 regarding invalid grounds for an appeal.
Invalid Appeals – Debt Sanctions
On occasion the university will apply Debt Sanctions to students where they are in breach of the University’s fees policy. Students should note this has an impact on academic appeals:
The Academic Appeal Regulations state AA1.3
v) Disruption to performance and/or progression brought about by restrictions to, or withdrawal of, services and/or facilities due to non-payment of any fees or other matter which leaves the student not in good financial standing with the University
If you have had debt sanctions applied and have a query about how this may impact on an academic appeal application, please contact the appeals team. International students can also seek advice on the impact of debt sanctions on appeals and assessment attempts from the international office.
Where can I get support/ask questions about the process?
You can send any queries you have to appeals@napier.ac.uk
Details of the support services provided by us and the Edinburgh Napier Students Association (ENSA) can be found at the links below.
View details of the University’s support services View details of support available from ENSA