Student terms and conditions, policies and procedures

We recognise that there may be occasions when applicants may consider that the University has not adhered to its Policy, or where applicants or offer holders are dissatisfied with their experience or feel that information or material is inadequate or misleading. The Applicant Appeals and Complaints Procedure informs applicants what to do if they feel that they have grounds for an appeal or wish to make a complaint. 

Applicant Appeals  

The Applicant Appeals and Complaints Procedure applies to decisions within the admissions process only. Admissions decisions are defined as decisions relating to: 

• the academic selection of candidates for entry to the University and the terms on which candidates are selected. 
• the assignment of an applicant’s tuition fee status 
• decisions relating to the verification of documentation used in support of an application for admission.  
• applicant immigration matters, such as the issuance of a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) and Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certification 
• acceptance deposit or CAS deposit, including eligibility for refunds. 

Applicants should note that: 

Academic selection of candidates for entry – we aim to consider all applications reasonably and in line with our procedures, as our decisions are made based on your overall application against the set entry criteria, unfortunately, many academically well-qualified applicants may not receive an offer from us. There is no right to appeal where: 

• an applicant has not fulfilled academic or non-academic conditions for admission such as achieving the required qualifications, obtaining a satisfactory DBS Enhanced Disclosure, providing necessary information for an occupational health assessment, or receiving medical clearance. 
• the appeal concerns professional or academic judgment. Examples may include disputes around equivalency/suitability of particular qualifications for entry to the University, the appropriateness of the content of a personal statement or the assessment of a candidate’s interview performance. There is no right of appeal against the academic or professional judgement of those making the decision on an application. 

The assignment of an applicant’s tuition fee status – we use the criteria outlined in UKCISA’s guidance on fee status. Eligibility criteria for Home status for tuition fee purposes can be found on the  UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) website, which includes a glossary of definitions for key terms. These terms can be interpreted differently by each university. The University's assessment of your fee status is independent of assessments that may be conducted by other institutions (for example student finance bodies, research councils, the NHS, and other universities). Other institutions and organisations may arrive at a different outcome following their assessment of your status. Their assessment has no bearing on our own. Before appealing the outcome of your tuition fee status we recommend that you review our ‘Your tuition fee status’ page for information on how we undertake fee assessments. 

Appeal submitted by a third party – will not be considered unless the applicant has given explicit written consent to the University to correspond with a nominated contact (family member, agent, representative).  

Should you wish to make an appeal, you should follow the steps within the Procedure.  

Stage 1 – Informal Feedback Stage 

If you wish to receive feedback, you should contact the relevant admissions team or service area responsible for handling your application. It is hoped that in most cases, this will help you to understand the outcome of your application or assessment.  This stage allows for an informal review of the decision in the event of an error having been made.  

Requests for feedback must:  

• be submitted via email to the admissions team or service area responsible for handling your application.  
• include your University ID number, full name, date of birth and the programme of study applied for in your written request.  

You should undertake this stage promptly in order to ensure that you can comply with the timescales for submitting a formal appeal set out under Stage 2, should you be dissatisfied with the outcome. 

Stage 2 – Formal Stage  

If you remain dissatisfied and believes you have grounds for appeal you should make an appeal within 20 working days of the original application decision being made by completing the appeals form and emailing it to the Student Admissions Team - applicantappealsandcomplaints@manchester.ac.uk 

You should ensure you provide details of the circumstances of your case, including a copy of the feedback provided at Stage 1 – Informal Feedback Stage. You should set out the actions you have already taken to try to resolve your concern, and state clearly the remedy that you are seeking. 

On receipt of a Stage 2 Appeals Form, a member of the Student Admissions Team will initially consider whether the appeal is made on one or more of the grounds specified and if it has been submitted in the timeframe stated in the Procedure. The University will not normally consider appeals made outside this timeframe, unless there is a credible and compelling reason for the delay. If this test fails, you will be notified within ten working days of the appeal being received that the appeal is not eligible with the reasons given. There will be no opportunity of the applicant to appeal against this decision. 

You will normally be informed of the outcome of your appeal in writing via email within 20 working days. If we are unable to reach a decision within the stated timescale, we will inform you of the expected timescale for a full response. 

The outcome of the Stage 2 – Formal Stage is final. 

Applicant complaints 

Should you wish to make a complaint, you should follow the steps within the Applicant Appeals and Complaints Procedure.  

Stage 1 – Informal Stage

You should first raise your concern with the relevant admissions team or service area responsible that is the subject of your Complaint. Efforts will be made to deal with the Complaint informally, by an appropriate member of University staff, at this stage. You should receive a response to your complaint from the relevant admissions team or service area within 10 working days. If you are dissatisfied with the response, you may submit a formal Complaint in accordance with Stage 2 of the Procedure.  

You may submit a formal complaint, in accordance with Stage 2, at the outset where you consider that the complaint is too serious or complex to be considered through the informal route. 

Stage 2 – Formal Stage  

Where early resolution is not reached, you may submit a formal complaint within 20 working days of receiving the informal response at Stage 1. A complaint must be submitted via email to the Student Admissions Team at applicantappealsandcomplaints@manchester.ac.uk within the same admissions cycle that complaint has arisen in and include all the following information: 

• Your name, email address, postal address, and (if appropriate) University ID number. 
• Details of the programme applied for. 
• The nature of the Complaint, giving as much detail as possible. 
• Any steps that have already been taken to resolve the matter. 
• Details of any responses received and a statement of why that response is unsatisfactory. 
• Any evidence to support the complaint. 
• An indication of the outcome you are seeking. 

If you fail to supply any of the above information the Complaint may not be investigated. The Student Admissions team will confirm this to you in writing and the reason/s for not processing the complaint any further. 

You will normally be informed of the outcome of your Complaint in writing via email within 20 working days. If we are unable to reach a decision within the stated timescale, we will inform you of the expected timescale for a full response.

We require applicants for certain vocational or professional courses to demonstrate medical fitness before admission to comply with relevant professional bodies. The procedure for admitting applicants to courses that require a medical fitness assessment provides information about the admissions process for applicants who have applied for one of these courses.

We are committed to providing equal opportunities for applicants respective of their personal circumstances or background and as such do not wish to unnecessarily preclude those with a criminal conviction from joining a course of study. The University has a duty to ensure the safety of its students, staff, and all other members of the University community. All applicants must therefore disclose relevant unspent criminal convictions.

For some courses, for example, teaching, health, social work, pharmacy and others where studies necessitate interaction with children and working with adults in regulated activity (courses where a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) record check is required), applicants must declare all criminal convictions including spent sentences and cautions and bind-over orders. These courses are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

For all other courses, applicants are required to declare any relevant unspent convictions at the point of accepting an offer (and on a continuing basis), although earlier disclosure, between the University offering a place and the applicant accepting, is encouraged.

Our information and guidance for applicants with a criminal conviction provides information to applicants who have a criminal conviction and who are applying, or have applied, for a place to study at The University of Manchester.

If you have not reached the age of 18 at the start of your course, you are legally considered to be a minor (not yet an adult) under English law. The University has an ‘enhanced duty of care’ in these cases. We will carry out a risk assessment to determine what special arrangements, if any, need to be agreed before we can make you an offer. Our process of admitting minors outlines how the University will meet this obligation.

This procedure outlines how the University will verify information provided in support of an application to a programme of study, a student visa application, or a tuition fee status assessment. The procedure is applicable to any person once they have submitted an application to study at the University, for any level of study, prior to the point of registration, whether submitting their application directly to the University, or via a third party such as UCAS or DfE Apply. The procedure provides information on how the University will investigate suspected cases of admissions fraud and the possible consequences. 

• Read the full Applicant Admissions Fraud Prevention Procedure.

This procedure is applicable to registered students of the University and provides information on how the University will investigate suspected cases of admissions fraud once a student has registered with the University, and the possible consequences where it is determined, on the balance of probabilities that they, or through someone acting on their behalf, have gained admission to the University through submitting fraudulent information.  

• Read the full Detecting and Dealing with Fraudulent Applications – Registered Students Procedure.