Academic Enquiries

Where can I get help with academic problems?

You should first contact your Personal Tutor or Supervisor or someone in your department you feel at ease with. The University Senior Tutor may be able to help. The Counselling Service also offers workshops on Study Skills. As well as this you can contact The Student Advice Centre for help with academic problems.

How do I change to another course at the University?

This is not always easy and depends on your qualifications and whether the new course has a place for you. Speak to both your Personal Tutor and to the Admissions Tutor of the new course. You can also discuss all the implications with The Student Advice Centre or the University Senior Tutor.

How can I transfer to another University?

Look at the UCAS website to see all the courses offered by all UK Universities. Contact the Admissions Tutor of the course you are interested in following. It is probable that you will be required to start the new course from the first year.

What are the penalties for handing work in late?

This can be a deduction of 5% for each day that passes after the deadline. Check in your course handbook. If you have been unable to meet the deadline because of illness you should present a medical certificate from your GP.

What can I do if I have been accused of cheating in an exam?

Make sure you know what you have been accused of and look at Part A of the Regulation covering procedure to be adopted in the event of suspected cheating.

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/gov/calendar/section2/regulations/cheating/

You will be able to submit a written report before the meeting of an Investigating Committee. You can attend the committee and take someone with you. You can seek advice from The Student Advice Centre or from the University Senior Tutor.

What can I do if I have been accused of plagiarism?

Make sure you know what you have been accused of and read Part B of the Regulation covering procedure to be adopted in the event of suspected cheating.

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/gov/calendar/section2/regulations/cheating/

Your Head of Department can impose penalties of a maximum of a 0% mark for the work. You can ask for the case to be referred to an Investigating Committee. You can submit a written report and appear before the Committee accompanied by one other person. You can get further advice and help from The Student Advice Centre or the University Senior Tutor.

How can I avoid an accusation of plagiarism?

Plagiarism is taken very seriously by the University. It is important to use good referencing practice to avoid the possible charge of plagiarism. Your course handbooks should give some instruction and you can also get information from the following website:

http://www.warwick.ac.uk/services/elearning/plato/

How can I make an Academic Complaint?

If you have an academic complaint you should first take it up with the person concerned and if you are dissatisfied with the outcome, the Chair or Head of your Department. If the complaint is not resolved you can write to the Vice Chancellor who will appoint a senior person to conduct an investigation.

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/academicoffice/contact/complain/procedure/

You can get help in conducting your complaint from The Student Advice Centre or the University Senior Tutor.

How can I make an Appeal?

Before your final exams you can only appeal if you are required to withdraw from your degree course. After you have taken your final exams you can appeal against your degree classification or lower qualification (for example, a postgraduate diploma instead of a masters).

The university regulations are at http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/gov/calendar/section2/regulations/

For appeals see Regulation 8.12 for undergraduates, Regulation 16.4 for taught postgraduates and Regulation 16.3 for research postgraduates.

You can download appeal forms from the academic office website:

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/academicoffice/ourservices/examinations/appeals/

There are strict time limits for making an appeal and limited grounds. You can get help with your appeal from The Student Advice Centre or the University Senior Tutor.

What should I do if I am being bullied or harassed?

The University has an anti harassment policy and you can see the harassment guidelines here: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/insite/topic/healthsafety/welfare/harassment

If you feel able to you can approach your harasser directly and ask them to stop or get a friend to do it for you. In some cases this might solve the problem. If it does not work or you do not feel able to do this you can consult one of the support services on campus. You can also make a formal complaint to the University under the University’s harassment policy. You can get advice about harassment from The Student Advice Centre or the University Senior Tutor.

I am having problems with my PhD supervisor. What can I do?

The responsibilities for PhD supervision are divided between the department, the supervisor and the student. They are set out in the guidelines for supervision of research students:

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/academicoffice/ourservices/gsp/admin/graduateschool/guide-supervisefee.pdf

If you have problems with your supervisor, you should discuss the matter with the designated person in your department who may be the Head of the Department. It may be possible to change supervisor.

You can also talk to The Student Advice Centre or the University Senior Tutor about supervisory problems.

Can I take time off from my studies?

Usually only with the agreement of your department. If you have to take time out because of illness or personal or family issues, you would normally have to provide some written evidence of the reason.

Discuss with your personal tutor or supervisor in the first instance. You can also get advice from The Student Advice Centre or from the University Senior Tutor.