Case summary August 2026 | Not Justified
A student complained to their provider about its decision to allow an international guest speaker to attend an event. They said that the speaker’s involvement in the event presented a substantial risk of radicalising attendees, and that the provider had failed to act in accordance with its Prevent duties. The provider did not uphold the student’s complaint. It said it had balanced Prevent with its duty to uphold freedom of speech.
Case summary July 2025 | Partly Justified
An international student was asked to attend a viva because Turnitin had indicated that their module assignment contained a high percentage of AI-generated content. The provider was not satisfied with the student’s explanations during the viva, and so it convened an academic misconduct panel.
Case summary July 2025 | Justified
An international student was invited to attend a viva because Turnitin had identified that their coursework contained substantial amounts of AI-generated content.
Case summary April 2025 | Not Justified
An international student was unsuccessful in three modules and was required to re-submit assessments. The student made an academic appeal asking to be allowed to re-submit work for a fourth module, in which they had received a low pass mark. The student supplied a letter describing mental health issues they had been experiencing. The letter appeared to be from a local NHS Trust.
Case summary December 2024 | Settled
An international student was studying on a two-year Masters programme. During the summer between the student’s first and second years the provider learned that the course hadn’t been accredited by the relevant professional, statutory and regulatory body (PSRB) as expected. Students were informed of this several weeks later, 10 days before the start of the second year. Because the course wouldn’t be accredited, students would need to pass an additional exam after completing their studies to be able to register with the PSRB.
Case summary June 2024 | Not Justified
An international PhD student made an application to extend their period of studies. This was their fourth extension request.
Case summary June 2024 | Justified
An international student on an MSc programme with an optional placement year was found to have committed plagiarism in a second and final attempt at an assessment. They were awarded a mark of zero as a penalty.
Case summary June 2024 | Partly Justified
An international MSc student was withdrawn from their course after admitting to plagiarism in multiple coursework assessments. The student appealed against their withdrawal explaining that they were under pressure to perform well, and that because both their partner and their child had been unwell, their partner had been unable to offer them any support. They also explained they felt unable to openly discuss their concerns with anyone.
Case summary June 2024 | Not Justified
An international PhD student was being sponsored by the government in their home country. When they submitted their thesis, it was not successful.
Case summary May 2024 | Not Justified
After two assessment opportunities, an international student was successful in some modules but unsuccessful in others.
We publish summaries of some of the complaints that we review. We always leave out of the summary any information that might identify the student who made the complaint. In some cases we decide that it is in the public interest to publish a summary of a complaint that includes the name of the provider.
