Completing a Complaint Application Form
To submit a complaint to UCL, you will need to complete a UCL Student Complaints Procedure - Stage 1 Complaint Form. This is an online form, which you can find here. Outlined below are the key sections of the form with information you should know about each, and how to complete them fully and clearly.
Please note, if you are dissatisfied with a decision about an academic outcome, you should use the Academic Appeals Procedure to dispute this.
Page 4 – Informal Resolution
It is good to explain clearly what steps you have taken to resolve the issue before you submit a complaint. Not doing this step will not automatically mean your complaint will be rejected, but it is expected that you will have tried to find early resolution.
This could be writing an email to the department or service you are making the complaint about, stating that you were not happy with the situation, why you are unhappy with it, and to request some sort of compensation (as you would in the complaint form). This gives the person or department a chance to respond.
If you have tried to resolve the issue informally but this has not been successful, you should note here why you are still unhappy with the outcome.
Page 5 – Your Complaint
Firstly, you will need to note what your complaint relates to (teaching, accommodation, etc). Then you have the opportunity to outline the nature of your complaint, and describe what your complaint is. Please note there is a word limit of around 650 words, so you will need to make sure what you write is clear, and as concise as possible – try not to include things which are not directly linked to the complaint.
You should be clear on:
- what exactly you are complaining about, and
- why you are dissatisfied with what has happened
You can add something in your complaint about how this issue has impacted you, for example:
- has it affected you financially?
- has it had a negative effect on your wellbeing?
- has it impacted your academic work?
Be clear on what consequences this issue has had for you directly. If you can explain what impact your issue has had, this will make your reason for complaint clearer to the Complaints Panel.
If you have any evidence (e.g. medical records or letters, bank statements) to show the impact of the issue, you should note this in your complaint, and include this with the submission (page 7).
Please find below an example paragraph of how you could explain your complaint, showing how to make your main points clear, and including how to refer to evidence and refer to any informal resolution attempts:
I am making a complaint about the lack of input and support from my supervisor, as I have received insufficient guidance and feedback on my thesis from them. I have included records from my Research Student Log to show this (please see document A). This has made completing my research project incredibly difficult, and I am now unable to complete my research this term in order to present my thesis at my upgrade viva.
This has led me to feel incredibly stressed and anxious, and has had an impact on my mental health – please see document B (doctor’s note). I have contacted the Departmental Graduate Tutor to pursue an informal resolution to this matter (see document C – email communication with Departmental Graduate Tutor), but I remain unhappy with the outcome, as I have been told again that I will not receive any updated feedback on my thesis.
Page 6 – The Outcome
In this section, you are asked to set out what you would like to see done to resolve this issue. Some options might be:
- an acknowledgement or an apology
- a financial reimbursement
- a change of supervisor
You can amend as you feel is appropriate for you – the key thing is to think about what you feel would be a reasonable outcome for you, and what you feel would be beneficial for you to move forward from the situation that caused you to make the complaint.
If you are requesting financial compensation, you will need to reason and evidence how you have come to the amount requested.
An example might look like this:
As compensation I am seeking £238.35 for the days in UCL accommodation where I was unable to stay in my assigned room, due to the failure of the maintenance team to repair the leaking pipe in a timely manner.
I did not have access to my room for one week (see document A – email communication with reception/repair team), and am requesting a refund for this week, which comes to £238.35 (see document B – UCL Accommodation invoice).
Page 7 – Supporting Documents
You will need to include all the evidence you have to support your argument here. The casework team will not have access to any documents within the university, so you will need to include everything which is relevant to your complaint. This could include things like:
- email communications between you and the department or service you are making the complaint about
- any communications you received which are contrary to UCL policies
- a short timeline of events
- receipts / payment confirmations
- witness accounts
- course handbooks
- offer holder summary (this is sent to you when UCL gives you an offer of study and includes information for your programme)
Please note that in exceptional circumstances you may be able to submit additional evidence separately if your evidence exceeds the file limit, but the standard evidence upload limit is no more than 10 files, and no more than 1GB each, so you may need to collate and/or compress evidence.
What happens next?
The Casework Team will acknowledge receipt of the complaint and conduct an initial assessment against the scope and criteria of the Procedure. Within ten working days, you will know whether your complaint will be progressed or not.
In more complex cases, it can take the Casework Team longer to review complaints. You should be informed of any delay and the reason for it.
You can find the full complaints procedure here: Section 8: UCL Student Complaints Procedure | Academic Manual - UCL – University College London