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What is the OIA (Office of the Independent Adjudicator)?
The Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) runs a free, independent and impartial scheme to review student complaints. UCL is a member of the Scheme and if you are unhappy with its final decision about your complaint, appeal, disciplinary case etc, you may be able to complain to the OIA.
You can find more information, including case summaries and outcomes, on the OIA's website.
What types of Complaints can the OIA look at?
The OIA can review complaints about anything a provider has done or failed to do. They consider whether UCL has correctly applied its regulations and followed its procedures and whether the outcome is reasonable under the circumstances.
Your Complaint might be about:
- A programme of study
- A service provided by the university to a student
- A final decision of a university's disciplinary or appeal body
Complaints that can be looked at include, but are not limited to:
- Academic appeals
- Extenuating Circumstances
- Teaching provision and facilities
- University Accommodation
- Research supervision
- Welfare
- Discrimination - race, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation or religious belief . It's important to note that the OIA don't make findings that a University has discriminated against a student. They focus on whether the University has acted fairly.
- Bullying and harassment
- Placements
- Procedural irregularities
- Unfair practices
- Disciplinary matters, including plagiarism
- Fitness to practice processes
The OIA can’t look at complaints about:
- Admissions, unless you are re-applying to study at UCL and your complaint is directly related to your previous time as a student
- Academic judgement
- Student employment
- Some that has already been subject to legal proceedings in a court or tribunal, unless those proceedings have been put on hold
- Something that has already been considered by another alternative dispute body
It is worth noting that should you decide to commence any legal proceedings in the Civil Court concerning your case, the OIA are likely to stop their investigation into your matter.
How do I make a Complaint to the OIA?
Before you can submit a complaint to the OIA, you must have exhausted all internal complaints and/or appeals procedures at UCL. A Completion of Procedures letter will be issued once your case has been wholly dealt with, detailing the final decision made by UCL. Only in exceptional circumstances will the OIA look at a complaint where the internal procedures have not been completed.
You can submit a Complaint Form through MyOIA, or you can download the form and email or post it to them (if you post it, you must keep proof of posting). You should submit your Complaint Form as soon as you can, and make sure you are submitting it within the 12-month deadline.
What are the time limits for complaining?
You must send your complaint within 12 months of the date of the Completion of Procedures Letter, otherwise your complaint will not be accepted. The 12-month period will normally run from the date of the Completion of Procedures Letter. For example, if your Completion of Procedures Letter is dated 7 September, you must send your OIA Complaint Form by 7 September the following year.
It is usually better to complain as soon as possible after the conclusion of UCL's processes. This is because the remedies the OIA can recommend may be limited if you wait a year before complaining.
What happens in the OIA Complaint process?
Once all documents have been received, the OIA will acknowledge receipt and determine whether your complaint can be reviewed under their Scheme rules. You will be able to track the progress of your complaint via the OIA’s online portal system, MyOIA.
If your complaint is accepted following this initial stage, the case-handler might:
- Try to settle or mediate the complaint
- Ask the provider for its comments on the complaint
- Ask the provider or you for more information
- Issue a Complaint Outcome in respect of the complaint
- Contact you to discuss your complaint and whether your desired outcome is possible
- Send you information to comment on
You will receive further information from the OIA about the review process once your complaint is received. Once the case-handler has all the information they need, they will normally complete their review within 90 days. If your complaint is highly complex then this may take longer.
The OIA's flow chart provides a useful overview of their review process.
What are the possible outcomes?
If the OIA decides that your complaint is Justified or Partly Justified, they make recommendations for the University to implement. This is likely to be one of the following:
- Reconsider your appeal/complaint;
- Review or change its procedures or regulations; or
- Review or change the way appeals and/or complaints are being dealt with.
The OIA may still make recommendations, even if a complaint is deemed Not Justified, but these may not have any impact on your University outcome.
They have no regulatory powers over the educational institutions and cannot punish or fine them. However, Universities are expected to comply with the decisions and recommendations of the OIA as failing to do so is considered bad practice.
Case Examples
The cases below illustrate the types of remedies the OIA can offer and how their approach to remedies is applied in practice. These case studies are not UCL specific.
- Case Example 1 - Lack of Reasonable Adjustments
A disabled student complained to their provider that the reasonable adjustments they needed to support them in their studies had not been put in place for most of the academic year. They complained that this amounted to discrimination and was a form of bullying and victimisation. The student also complained about support in arranging a placement.
The OIA decided that the provider’s conclusion, that staff had been willing to make adjustments but that there had been a lack of information about what was required, was not supported by the evidence. It was clear that some academic staff had refused to make adjustments that had already been agreed in the student’s support plan.
The OIA were satisfied that the provider had acted reasonably in providing the student with support to arrange a placement. However, they recommended that the provider should apologise for the failings they had identified and pay the student £5,000 in compensation, recognising the significant impact that the lack of adjustments had received. They also recommended that it apologise and offer to begin a new investigation into the student’s complaint about bullying.- Case Example 2 - Assessment Marking and Moderation
A student complained about the process followed when her work was marked. They decided the complaint was Justified. The student had failed the assessment. There were several errors in the way the provider had assessed the work and it had provided unclear information about whether the assessment had been externally moderated. The OIA recommended that the work should be re-marked and moderated by independent members of staff who had not previously been involved. After the re-marking, the student passed the assessment.
- Case Example 3 - Withdrawal from course
A student complained after being withdrawn from his course. The OIA decided that the provider had not applied its attendance regulations or complaints processes correctly and had not demonstrated that it had taken account of the student’s disability. They recommended a partial reimbursement of fees and accommodation costs totalling more than £12,000 because it was no longer possible for the student to resume his studies.
- Case Example 4 - Word Limits and Assessment Criteria
A student complained about the way the provider had applied its assessment criteria for assignment word limits. They concluded that the complaint was Partly Justified. They recommended that the provider should re-mark the work, following the correct assessment criteria. The work was re-marked by two assessors and referred to the External Examiner.
- Case Example 5 - Academic Appeal and Procedural Irregularity
A student complained about the outcome of his academic appeal. He said that there was a procedural irregularity in the conduct of the appeal, and that there were significant delays in the provider’s consideration of the appeal. The OIA concluded that there was a technical procedural irregularity in the conduct of the appeal, but that the outcome of the appeal would inevitably have been the same. However, they concluded that the delays to the appeal were unreasonable and that the provider had not kept the student informed. The OIA recommended compensation of £500 for the distress and inconvenience caused by the unreasonable delays.
- Case Example 6 - AI and Academic Misconduct
A postgraduate student was invited to respond to allegations of suspected academic misconduct after Turnitin indicated that an essay contained a high proportion of AI-generated content, including hallucinated references. The provider upheld the allegation, and the student received an overall failure grade for the module with any resit marks being capped. It placed significant weight on the inclusion of fake references as a strong indication of AI. The student appealed on the basis that the penalty was disproportionate. The provider rejected the appeal.
After the student complained to the OIA, they invited the provider to consider settling the complaint. The OIA were concerned that it had not shown how it had engaged with the student’s evidence or explanations for the referencing errors, including reasons why this evidence was not considered persuasive. Without a more detailed reasoning for the decision, it was difficult to conclude that its decision was reasonable.
The provider acknowledged that its final decision lacked detail. After further consultation with the student, the provider made an offer to reconsider the matter afresh. The student accepted the provider’s offers and the complaint to us was Settled.
You can read more OIA Case summaries here
Can I get help with making a complaint?
If you need help or advice about making a complaint, please contact the Advice Service to make an appointment with one of our advisors.
We can explain the process, support you to complete the complaint form and throughout the process. We won't make a complaint on your behalf or tell you what to write.