Source · SPSO (Scottish Public Services Ombudsman)

University of Aberdeen

SPSO (Scottish Public Services Ombudsman) Partly Upheld Reference 201105489 Sector Education Category policy/administration Decided 01 December 2012

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Summary

Mr C was a university student. He raised several issues about the results he received in a number of subjects. In particular, he was dissatisfied with the handling of his appeal against the results he obtained and complained that relevant factors were not taken into account. He was also unhappy with the university's handling of an outstanding debt that he maintained he did not owe, and said that the university had sent debt collectors to his property. He said that the university had blocked his access to university resources and was unhappy that he had not been provided with a copy of the minute of a meeting held as part of the appeals process.

We obtained all the relevant correspondence and guidance, made enquiries of the university and checked their policy and procedures on student appeals and complaints. We did not uphold most of Mr C's complaints. During our investigation we established that there was no evidence to suggest that the issues raised by Mr C had not been properly taken into account during the appeals process. We also found no evidence that the university had sent debt collectors to his property or that they had blocked his access to resources as a result of an outstanding debt. We did find that, while the university had provided a written record of the outcome of the appeal, they had failed to send a copy of the minute of a meeting held as part of the appeal due to an oversight, and we upheld this complaint.

Related reading

View Decision Report 201105489 as a PDF (11.28 KB) Updated: March 13, 2018

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