Appealing a University decision

Macquarie University is committed to a transparent, equitable and consistent approach on decisions that affect students.

University decisions and your right to appeal

The University makes a range of decisions affecting students, from course admissions and Recognition of Prior learning, to marks you receive for a particular unit, as well as a range of other decisions. The University aims to make fair and equitable decisions and has established policies and procedures to ensure this happens.

If you have been notified of a decision made by the University and you are not satisfied with the decision-making process, you may be able to lodge an appeal.

Not all decisions can be appealed, however the decisions that can be appealed are outlined in the sections below, including links to the relevant rules, policies and procedures. These documents set out the processes that are followed in our decision making.

  • You can only appeal your final grade in a unit
  • If your appeal is based on your final exam, it is highly recommended you request to view your exam before lodging a Grade Appeal.
  • Students studying units in the:
    • Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, and Faculty of Science and Engineering should contact the unit convenor to organise a script viewing. You may need to book an appointment to view the script and keep copies of your emails as these may be needed for evidence in your appeal.
    • Macquarie Business School should not contact unit convenors directly. For more information about booking an exam script viewing, see the business school's Appeals Against Final Grades website.
    • Macquarie University College should submit an AskMQ enquiry. Include the words 'Final Exam Script Viewing' and the Unit Code in your request.
  • If you don’t have grounds to lodge a Grade Appeal, your Appeal will not be considered. If you’re uncertain about the grounds for your appeal, please review this Guide to Grade Appeals.
  • Grade Appeals must be supported by evidence.
  • Submit your Grade Appeal via AskMQ Grade Appeal Form within 15 business days of published result date for your unit.
  • There are only three possible outcomes to your Grade Appeal. These are:
    • no change
    • an increase; or
    • a reduction in the final grade.
    • Note: having your grade reviewed will not necessarily result in a positive change or increase in your grade.
  • The Academic Appeals Policy provides a right to appeal the outcome of your Grade Appeal, only on the basis of procedural irregularities.

If you are uncertain of the procedures or need help to submit your Grade Appeal, contact Student Advocacy.

Appeals are when you request that the university review the process by which a decision was made. Appeals do not review the merits of that decision; instead the focus is on the decision-making process. For example, you can appeal because you believe a Grade Appeal was not conducted fairly, but you cannot appeal the outcome of a Grade Appeal because you disagree with the outcome of the Grade Appeal.

Your appeal must clearly identify how the procedure for dealing with your issue was unfair, and detail that one or more the following grounds for appeal occurred:

  • the required procedure for making the decision was not followed;
  • there was a lack of procedural fairness in making the decision;
  • new information has become available that was not available at the time the decision was made and which should be taken into consideration.

You also need to demonstrate that you suffered substantial injustice as a result of the decision.

You must provide reasoning and supporting information to show that the decision made by the University was unfair due to one of the grounds listed above. You must also demonstrate that as a result of one of these grounds existing or occurring, the decision was substantially unfair.

When the University makes a decision that affects you in the categories outlined below, you will receive a notification of that decision which will include information on your right to appeal the decision and steps on lodging an appeal. You may only appeal on specific grounds and within the time frame specified - appeals outside this time frame will not be considered.

You have the right to appeal any of the following types of decisions. You will also find links to the relevant policy or procedure for each type of decision, as well as the timeframe for submitting an appeal below.

10 working days
20 working days

If you are uncertain of the procedures or need help to submit your appeal, contact the Complaints, Appeals and Misconduct team or Student Advocacy for advice.

Your appeal should be submitted via the University’s appeal system.

If you are uncertain of the procedures or need help to submit your appeal, contact the Complaints, Appeals and Misconduct team or Student Advocacy for advice.

It is important that your appeal makes the connection between the grounds you are appealing on, and your personal circumstances. It is also important that you provide any information that supports your appeal.

You will receive confirmation that your academic appeal has been received. You will be kept informed of what is happening and the next steps in the process via your student email account.

We aim to process your appeal as quickly and informally as possible. However, some appeals are more complex and may take more than 30 working days to finalise.

You will receive notification of the outcome of your appeal from the university to your student email address.

Your appeal will be unsuccessful if you are unable to demonstrate that one of the grounds existed or occurred and that the decision was substantially unjust.

If your appeal is successful (ie if your appeal is upheld), there may be a number of possible outcomes:

  • The original decision may be overturned, and your original request sent for action to the appropriate team/s;
  • The original decision may be sent to a new decision-maker in the relevant area for reconsideration, following appropriate processes. This means a new decision will be made, though it is important to note this does not mean that a different result will be reached: for example, a successful appeal may not necessarily result in your candidature being reinstated.

If your Appeal is unsuccessful, you also have further options outside of the University.

Agencies that you may consider contacting include:

More information

For more information or to enquire about appeals, please contact the Complaints, Appeals and Misconduct team or Student Advocacy for advice.