Source · SPSO (Scottish Public Services Ombudsman)

University of Strathclyde

SPSO (Scottish Public Services Ombudsman) Not Upheld Reference 201608630 Sector Education Category policy/administration Decided 01 January 2018

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Full decision

Summary

Mr C, who was studying a one-year postgraduate course, complained that the university failed to follow compensation criteria as set out in a programme handbook. Compensation is where a failed module can be converted to a pass in certain circumstances. Mr C said that a decision should have been taken at the first exam board of the academic year to compensate him for one module.

We found that the programme handbook did not specify whether compensation should be applied at the first or second exam attempts and that it did not specify whether compensation decisions should be taken at the first or second exam board. Decisions on whether and when to apply compensation were for the exam board to take. There was no evidence in the programme handbook to support Mr C's opinion, and Mr C's disagreement with the university's decisions and with their interpretation of matters was not, of itself, evidence of an administrative failing on the university's part. We did not uphold Mr C's complaint.

Related reading

View Decision Report 201608630 as a PDF (11.02 KB) Updated: March 13, 2018

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