We support around 35 students a year to feel confident about making a Complaint, helping to evidence their dissatisfaction and what they'd like to change.
Check our short guide below and email us at suadvice@bath.ac.uk to start to receive support with your complaint. Your email will be treated in confidence by an Advisor who will usually reply in 1-2 working days.
"The SU Advice Team guided me through the process of filing an official complaint, offered feedback on my form to help me get it to the highest standard possible for the greatest chance of success, and regularly contacted me to track the progress of the case. I got the impression that they cared about me and my issue and were dedicated to helping me resolve it."
You may use the Complaints Process to express dissatisfaction with:
- Something the University has done (or has not done)
- The standard of service provided by the University (or a service provided on their behalf)
An SU Advisor can help if you're unsure whether an issue is legitimate grounds for a complaint. Contact us by email at suadvice@bath.ac.uk.
You can raise a complaint if you are:
- An applicant who has been accepted to study at the University or
- A registered student at the University or
- A former registered student whose leaving date is within the last six months.
You can also submit a complaint as a group with other students, so long as they meet the criteria above. We recommend reading the University Student Complaints Policy, a four-page document outlining the purpose, scope and further details of the policy now.
This opportunity allows you to raise an issue directly with an area or service, to see if it can be resolved quickly and without the need for a formal investigation. This process is described in
Section 1. Informal Resolution of the Complaints Procedure. You might choose to write your complaint as an email with evidence attached. You can ask an SU Advisor to review your email, evidence and who to send the email to by contacting us at
suadvice@bath.ac.uk. When you submit an informal complaint to the University, you can expect a response within 5 working days. The response should describe how your complaint will be addressed. You can ask an SU Advisor for independent advice on how to respond and support with any further correspondence with The University.
You can submit a formal complaint if you're unhappy with the outcome of an informal resolution, or if you feel the issue is too complex to resolve informally. The process to submit a formal complaint and how it will be investigated are explained in
Stage 2. Formal Resolution of the Student Complaints Procedure. We recommend you ask an SU Advisor for support in completing and reviewing the
Student Complaints Form before you submit it. You can submit a joint complaint form as a group if you wish. You should try to submit the Student Complaints Form within 10 working days of receiving a response to an informal complaint. Once you have submitted the Student Complaints Form, you should receive confirmation your complaint has been received by the Student Complaints Team within 5 working days. An SU Advisor can offer support throughout all stages of a formal investigation (
explained in Stage 2. Formal Resolution of the Student Complaints Procedure) including preparing you for the meeting with the University and attending to support you.
You should receive the outcome of your formal complaint within 60 days. If you are dissatisfied with the outcome, an SU Advisor can explain how to appeal the decision using the
Student Appeals Policy. You will need to submit your appeal within 10 working days of receiving the outcome to a formal complaint, so please email
suadvice@bath.ac.uk as soon as you can. We will explain the Appeals Policy and support you to write your appeal. Once you have submitted your appeal, you should receive the outcome within 30 days. If you still feel the complaint has not been resolved, please ask an SU Advisor for information about taking your case to the
Office of the Independent Adjudicator, an independent body who review student complaints in higher education.
Last updated November 2024