While you’re here, we know that issues might happen during your studies. If you’re not satisfied with the experience you have received from a department, service or employee you can raise a complaint.

Any student can provide feedback, safe in the knowledge that it will be fairly investigated. More details about our complaints procedure can be found in our student complaint policy and procedure.

Complaint stages 

These are three stages to raising a complaint:

• Early resolution - speaking directly to the person or area of the University involved 
• Stage one - submitting a form and supporting evidence to the team responsible for complaints and appeals
• Stage two - escalating your stage one complaint if you are dissatisfied with the outcome

Early Resolution 

Some issues are straightforward and can be resolved very quickly. 

To do this, we advise you to raise issues at the time they happen and to try and resolve them with the member of staff or area of the University most directly involved. 

You can do this by emailing or making an appointment to speak to them face to face.

If you’re not sure who to speak to, or you do not feel able to approach the area or person directly, you can contact Hallam Help, your student course representative or the Students Union Advice Centre.

Submitting a complaint

If you believe the early resolution outcome was not reasonable, fair, or was taking too long, you can submit a stage one complaint. 

Send your form and any supporting evidence to appealsandcomplaints@shu.ac.uk.

What happens next

The team will email you within 3 working days to confirm that your complaint has been received. They will review and contact you to discuss your complaint further. Following investigation, you will receive a report and be notified of the outcome.

Escalating a complaint

If you feel that the outcome of your stage one complaint was not reasonable or fair, you can submit a stage two complaint. It’s important you do this within 10 working days of receiving your written stage one outcome.

Send your form and any supporting evidence to appealsandcomplaints@shu.ac.uk.

What happens next

The team will email you within 3 working days to say your complaint has been received. Your complaint will be reviewed by a panel of senior staff members who have not had any previous involvement in your case.

We will contact you every 10 working days to keep you informed of progress, during this time you can have a meeting with the panel. 

You will be informed of the stage two outcome and what action we will take, if any. You’ll also receive a Completion of Procedures statement to confirm that we’ve completed our internal complaints procedure.

If you’re not satisfied with the outcome, you have the right to complain to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (the OIA).

Further details about our complaints procedure can be found in our student complaint policy and procedure.