Guide to Academic Appeals

The following information is to help guide students who wish to submit an academic appeal against a University decision for:

Admission and readmission	Fitness to Practice Requirements
Academic Integrity	Academic Pause and Exclusion
Special Consideration	Exclusion under the General Coursework Rules
Recognition of prior learning	Termination of Higher Degree Research candidature
Grade Appeal	Decisions relating to the award of PhD, MPhil or MRes degree
Enrolment, Leave of Absence, Suspension of Studies, and Withdrawal

This resource should be read alongside the Academic Appeals Policy and Procedure.

The purpose of an appeal is to dispute a decision because you believe that the University has made an error. For example, the University may not have correctly applied a policy or procedure when processing your application.

You need to consider whether you meet the grounds for appeal. Simply disagreeing with a decision or saying that it feels unfair are not grounds for an appeal. If you meet the grounds for appeal, then you need to outline the potential University error in detail.

Grounds for appeal

An academic appeal is an application to overturn a University decision (eligible decisions are listed above). An academic appeal needs to address the grounds for appeal which are:

Academic Appeals Policy (6)

the procedure for dealing with the matter was unfair in the circumstances because one or more of the following things occurred:
- the required procedure for making the decision was not followed
- there was a lack of procedural fairness (see FAQ page)
- new information has become available that was not able to be obtained at the time of the decision and which should be taken into consideration; and
as a result, the student affected suffered substantial injustice

Things to consider when writing your academic appeal

Can you identify the steps that were not followed in the processing of your application?
Can you identify which information or evidence was overlooked by the decision-maker?
Do you have any new information or evidence that you did not present at the time of your application? Why should this be considered?
Procedural Fairness may include:
- Have you been given clear reasoning for the decision?
- Do you think that your evidence was considered when the decision was made?

Academic appeals timeframes

To appeal	Made under the following policy	Deadline
Admission and Re-admission	Admission Policy	Ten (10) working days
A breach or a sanction decision	Academic Integrity Policy	Ten (10) working days
Special Consideration	Special Consideration Policy	Ten (10) working days
Recognition of Prior Learning	Recognition of Prior Learning Policy	Ten (10) Working Days
Grade Appeal	Assessment Procedure	Ten (10) working days
Enrolment, Leave of Absence, Suspension of Studies, and Withdrawal	Enrolment Policy,Leave of Absence and Suspension of Studies Procedure, and Withdrawal Procedure	Ten (10) working days
Academic Pause and Exclusion	Academic Progression Policy	Twenty (20) working days
Exclusion	General Coursework Rules	Twenty (20) working days
Fitness to Practice requirements	Fitness to Practice Procedure	Twenty (20) working days
Suspend or Exclude	Academic Integrity Policy	Twenty (20) working days
Termination of Higher Degree by Research candidature	Higher Degree Research Rules	Twenty (20) working days
Award of PhD, MPhil or MRes degrees	Higher Degree Research Thesis Preparation, Submission and Examination Policy	Twenty (20) working days
Research degree enrolment, Leave of Absence and Withdrawal	Higher Degree Research Variations to Candidature Policy	Twenty (20) working days

What should I do if I have missed the academic appeals deadline?

If an academic appeal is lodged after the deadline, it may not be processed. If there were exceptional circumstances that prevented you from meeting the deadline then you might consider the following options:

Before the academic appeal deadline

Seek an extension before the due date by emailing academic_appeals@mq.edu.au outlining these areas:
The decision you are appealing
If available, the reference number
Reasons you could not meet the deadline (provide evidence)

After the academic appeal deadline

You can explain the exceptional circumstances that prevented you from submitting by the due date by including supporting documentation.

How do I submit an appeal?

Refer to the Academic Appeals information for further details and the form.

Feedback and support with your appeal

If you would like feedback on your appeal, complete the Student CARE MQ Referral form select “Advocacy support” as the reason for referral, and attach your draft appeal (with evidence) to your submission.