Samantha Buss

Whilst we hope your results day is a celebratory day for you, we know that for some students, results day can be stressful. Your Union is here, by your side and ready to offer the support you need. 

Our expert academic advice service is here to help by providing you expert, free, and independent academic advice. If you have questions about how you can access support, or where you can find more information about academic appeals or academic misconduct issues, then keep reading. 

Get Advice 

We offer an Advice service which offers free, independent, and confidential advice on a range of issues – all delivered by expertly trained advice professionals. Working within the Support Zone, our advisors understand all the details of University procedures and regulations, and can help you understand them better too. 

Our advisors have the answers to the questions you may have about your results, including queries about compensation, third attempts, or retakes in the late summer assessment period. If you're looking for support with an academic appeal or handling academic misconduct allegations instead, the Advice team can help.

Throughout this results period, our Advice Team are offering bookable "quick query" appointments every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 11:00 - 13:00 until 25 July. If you want to book an appointment, visit our bookings page which will show you available appointments for the next 10 days. 

If you'd rather, you can also always email ussu.advice@surrey.ac.uk and our expert team will get back to you within 2 working days, and often, you'll hear back the same day.

Academic Appeals

In certain circumstances, you can submit an academic appeal to change an academic decision made by the University, such as the decision to terminate your course or the outcome of an exam or assessment. Unfortunately, you can not appeal a mark because you believe you are deserving of a better grade, as this would be considered challenging “academic judgement” and you can not appeal on these grounds. However, if you believe your grade was wrong as a result of an error or bias, you may be able to appeal.

Academic appeals need to be submitted within 10 university working days from when you were formally notified of the University’s decision. In practice, this means within 10 working days from the date on your course termination letter or your results. Weekends, bank holidays and university closure days do not count towards this total. 

We know that making an academic appeal can be stressful as you navigate the process and deadlines. It is strongly advised that you seek advice from our Academic Advice team when making an academic appeal. The team can let you know whether you have a case for an appeal, and advise you on your application. 

Please email the Advice team on ussu.advice@surrey.ac.uk as soon as you are thinking about about an appeal so we have as much time as possible to support you. The more information you can provide in your email about why you wish to appeal, the more we can help.

Academic Misconduct Allegations

If the University has been in contact with you about suspected academic misconduct in one of your assessments, you might be feeling worried about how to proceed. We can help you as you undergo the University's Academic Integrity process. 

Academic Integrity refers to the Universities procedure for handling allegations of suspected academic misconduct in assessments. There are two stages to the Academic Integrity process: a preliminary Interview/Discussion stage and a panel stage. Normally, students will only need to attend the first stage, as only the most complex cases will progress to the second stage. 

We know that being suspected of academic misconduct can be hard for some students so we are able to support you in understanding the process, advising on the kinds of questions you might be asked so you feel prepared, and we may be able to come to the Interview and Panel with you so you have the support you need.

If you would like support, we suggest you email us on ussu.advice@surrey.ac.uk as soon as possible and title your email Academic Integrity Interview or Panel. It is helpful if you include your invite letter and all evidence/paperwork into your email, so your advice team can help you as quickly as possible.