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Quick guide to student complaints

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Birkbeck Students' Union has a dedicated advice service for students and can provide guidance and support to students thinking of submitting a complaint. You can reach a Student Adviser by email at su-advice@bbk.ac.uk. Please see the Student Complaints Policy for more detailed information.

What is meant by complaint?

A complaint is a written expression of dissatisfaction about the College's action or lack of action, or about the standard of service provided by or on behalf of the College.

There is a separate process for appeals if you are unhappy with academic decisions regarding assessment outcomes, mitigating circumstances, progression or termination of registration. The College welcomes feedback from students. If you wish to give informal feedback, you can do so by contacting the relevant Faculty/School directly.

Who can complain?

Any currently registered Birkbeck student can complain, as well as students who left the College no more than three months ago (either because they have been awarded a degree or because they have formally ceased their studies).

Applicants to the College can also complain, but only if they think that the Admissions Policy has not been applied properly.

Why complain?

Before complaining, you should always try to seek informal resolution with your School or the relevant central service first. A list of early resolution contacts can be found on the Regulations and Policies page, or there are plenty of other ways for you to raise concerns and provide feedback:

  • talk directly to your module convenor, dissertation or project supervisor, personal tutor, or another member of staff in your Faculty/School
  • visit the Professional Services Directory
  • contact Student Advice, or raise a query through ASK
  • ask your Student Rep to raise your concerns on your behalf
  • complete Module Evaluation surveys and student surveys
  • contact the Students’ Union.

Before you submit a complaint, think about what outcome you want to achieve. If you want an explanation, an apology, or simply to talk your concerns through with someone, then this is more appropriately handled informally than through the formal complaints process.

Sometimes your concerns may not be possible to resolve informally, and you may want to make a formal complaint about your School or a central service.

If you submit a formal complaint, you will be asked if you have attempted early resolution and might be referred to your School or relevant central service to attempt this in the first instance.

When can I complain?

Any complaint should be made within four weeks of the incident(s) you are complaining about having occurred. Any complaint submitted after this deadline may not be accepted, unless you have compelling reasons for not having complained sooner. This deadline is in place to ensure that an effective investigation can be carried out and any issues rectified promptly, which becomes more difficult after long periods of time have elapsed.

Please note that lengthy attempts at early resolution may not be accepted as a reason for missing the deadline.

How do I submit a complaint?

You submit a formal complaint by completing the complaints form and sending it to studentcomplaints@bbk.ac.uk. Any relevant supporting evidence to the complaint must be included with the complaint form.

Your complaint should be as clear and concise as possible; while it can be tempting to provide lots of details, this can often get in the way of your main point(s) and desired outcomes being understood.

Submitting evidence to support a complaint

Evidence to support your complaint should usually be in written form. For example, if you are complaining about slow responses to emails from a School, you could include the email correspondence, showing clearly the emails you sent that received no response.

If you do not have evidence of an incident, you could submit statements from witnesses who were present at the time. It is students' responsibility to submit supporting evidence with complaints. Please note, Birkbeck does not record telephone conversations.

Your preferred outcomes

It is important to clearly express what you would consider a satisfactory or preferred resolution to your complaint when you first submit your complaint. This will allow us to better understand what outcomes you are hoping to achieve and how we can best help you. It will also allow us to advise you in circumstances where the desired outcomes are not feasible, or within the limits of the Complaints Policy.

What happens when I complain?

Your submitted complaint will be considered. Should the complaint be in time and valid, a request for a response from the relevant School or service made, the complaint can also be considered by an independent investigator. Please note that an independent investigator may communicate with you during the investigation of your complaint.

Any response to the complaint, or the investigation outcome, will be communicated to you by the Complaints team. If your complaint is considered better dealt with at the early resolution stage, it may be referred to the relevant School or central service to handle informally.

What if I want to challenge the complaint outcome?

If you believe that the complaint outcome was unreasonable, against College regulation or policy, or that a mistake was made in the handling of your complaint, you can request that the complaint is reviewed.

You should request your complaint review within two weeks of receiving the complaint outcome. If your request is accepted, you may be given a written resolution, be referred to mediation, or the complaint may be referred to a complaint panel.

The Office of the Independent Adjudicator

If you've completed the College's internal complaints process and remain unsatisfied, you can refer your complaint to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA). In order to contact the OIA the College needs to provide you with a Completion of Procedures letter.