14.2 Who Can Complain?

Registered students

1. Any registered student of Aberystwyth University is eligible to make a complaint under this procedure. 

Students who are studying under collaborative arrangements at a Partner Education Provider.

2. If students are studying under collaborative arrangements at a Partner Education Provider, they should attempt to seek resolution with the department at the Partner Institution in the first instance, before engaging with the formal stage of this procedure, as per Stage One: Early Resolution. If the complaint relates directly to Aberystwyth University, they should engage directly with the Aberystwyth University link academic or the Academic Partnerships Office, Aberystwyth University [aqsstaff@aber.ac.uk] in the first instance.

Students who have completed their studies

3. Students who have completed their studies can also make a complaint to the University but should normally do so within 90 calendar days of the end of the period of their registration. In the case of research students, whose candidature extends beyond the registration period, complaints may normally be made up to 90 calendar days after their final result has been issued.

Group complaints

4. Where an issue affects a number of students, those students can submit a group complaint.

5. At Stage 1, students can either meet the relevant member of staff as a group, or a student should submit an email to the relevant member of staff on behalf of a group, naming the other students and providing their contact details within it.

6. At Stage 2, the student nominated to act as a group representative will need to complete the relevant section of the form before it is submitted.

7. At both levels, the University will deal with the representative only, and will expect the representative to liaise with the other students in the group regarding any discussions that take place.

8. Each student in the group will be contacted by the University to provide their name and contact details as confirmation that they wish the issue to be investigated as part of a group complaint. The complaint will not be progressed until confirmation is received by all students.

Appointing a representative

9. A student submitting an individual complaint may appoint a representative to submit the complaint on their behalf. The student would normally be expected to provide written consent, by letter or via their University e-mail account, to authorise a representative to act on their behalf (there would have to be a good, valid reason for this not to be possible).