Signposting students to our Scheme: downloadable tools

This information can be added to all advice and guidance

It’s helpful if students can access information about our Scheme on your website. You can adapt and add the following wording to your advice pages. This information will help students understand more about who we are and what we do, and what their options are if their complaint or appeal hasn’t been resolved by their provider. You can also add information about your own service and whether students can access guidance, support or representation through the internal and/or OIA processes.

“The Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) runs a free, independent and impartial scheme to review student complaints. [Provider name] is a member of the Scheme and if you are unhappy with its final decision about your [complaint/appeal/disciplinary case etc], you may be able to complain to the OIA.

You normally need to have completed [this procedure/name of procedure] before you complain to the OIA. [Name of provider] will send you a letter called a “Completion of Procedures Letter” (COP letter) when you have reached the end of the relevant internal processes and there are no further steps you can take internally. You will have 12 months to complain to the OIA, normally from the date the COP Letter was issued. This is a strict deadline and it’s worth remembering that the longer you wait to complain to the OIA, the more difficult it can become to put things right.

You can find more information about making a complaint to the OIA, what it can and can’t look at and what it can do to put things right here: https://www.oiahe.org.uk/students or by contacting [Name of the relevant Students' Union, Association or Guild advice service/contact email].”

Get in touch with the OIA:

Call: 0118 959 9813
Email: enquiries@oiahe.org.uk
Website: www.oiahe.org.uk

This information can be added to all advice and guidance relating to any internal processes where a Completion of Procedures letter is issued by the provider, including but not limited to:

student complaints
academic appeals
academic and non-academic disciplinary matters
fitness to practise
fitness to study
bullying and harassment
breaches of other codes of conduct and regulations

Introduction to the OIA for students' union Points of Contact

a guidance leaflet for staff within SRBs | January 2019

PDF, 1053Kb

OIA Complaint Form

View/print the OIA Complaint Form. You can also use our online complaint form through MyOIA.

PDF, 289Kb

Have you heard of the OIA | Posters

SRBs can download and print this poster to display in student spaces, such as the advice centre, cafes, hallways, reception areas, notice boards, water points, consultation rooms, etc. Anywhere your students will see it is fine with us!