Complaints by students or staff about their treatment by an institution

It is not in the remit of the Council to become involved in disputes between students or staff and the institutions that we fund. The Council's powers of intervention in higher education institutions are limited so as not to encroach on the proper autonomy of institutions, and the responsibility lies with individuals to pursue their complaints with institutions.

Complainants should go through the institution's internal complaints procedure. This is usually available in printed form from the institution or on its web-site.

Student complaints

If a student has followed an institution's procedure but is not satisfied with the result, the student may wish to take the complaint to the National Union of Students at the institution.

If the matter is still unresolved, the complainant may wish to contact the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA). The OIA web-site has details of the type of complaints they can deal with. The OIA can also be contacted directly by phone on 0118 959 9813.

Information about student complaints can also be found on the Quality Assurance Agency's web-site (see section 5, 'Academic appeals and student complaints on academic matters').