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Who are the Student Academic Affairs Team?
The Student Academic Affairs Team (SAAT) supports students with:
- Student Complaints
- Student Misconduct
- Academic Misconduct
- Academic Appeals
- Fitness to Practice and
- Fitness to Study
Student Complaints
If you feel that the quality of your teaching, learning, or overall student experience isn’t meeting expectations, you have the right to make a complaint.
Only current students or those who left within the last 6 months can use the complaints process.
Important
You can’t use the complaints process to challenge your grades or marks. If you have concerns about your results, speak to your course team and use the Academic Appeals process instead.
Student Misconduct
Everyone has the right to study in a safe, respectful environment. If another student’s behaviour makes you feel unsafe or uncomfortable, you can report it through the student misconduct process.
This includes:
- Bullying or harassment
- Stalking or sexual misconduct
- Violence or criminal behaviour
- Any behaviour that breaks the Student Charter or Code of Conduct
Reports are handled by the Student Affairs and Advisory Team (SAAT) and investigated under the Student Conduct Ordinance.
Penalties may be imposed if a student is found to have breached the conduct standards required under our Terms and Conditions, Code of Conduct and/or our Student Conduct Ordinance. If serious misconduct is found, the case may go to the Student Discipline Committee (SDC), who can issue penalties such as fines or permanent expulsion from a course.
Student Complaints
Who can report?
- Students
- Staff
- Public (e.g. placement providers or employers)
Important:
Only current Ulster students can be investigated through this process. If the issue involves a staff member, it will be handled separately by the People and Culture team.
Academic Misconduct
Academic integrity is at the heart of everything we do as an university and the qualifications we award. Academic misconduct covers a range of activities which breach academic integrity.
This includes:
- Copying
- Cheating (contract and otherwise)
- Plagiarism
Academic misconduct can lead to serious penalties that may affect your grades, degree result, or even stop you from graduating. That’s why it’s important to understand what’s expected, get the right support, and know the consequences of breaching academic integrity.
Complaints 2
Academic Appeals
The academic appeals process allows you to appeal a confirmed grade/mark within a short window of time.
There are two types of academic appeal possible:
- Extenuating circumstances or information not known to the Board of Examiners at the time of confirming grade/marks
- Procedural (or other) irregularities.
An academic appeal cannot normally change a grade/mark, it can however enable resits/additional submissions if successful.
Other contacts
If you are experiencing difficult personal circumstances which are affecting your ability to study, you should reach out to your course team or the Student Wellbeing Team.
Advice and guidance is also available from the Student’s Union Advice Bureau.
