This page describes how to appeal a postgraduate admission decision or complain about an aspect of the admissions process. Please read it carefully to make sure we have the information we need and that you are not wasting your time with an appeal that has no chance of success.
Feedback
The Postgraduate Admissions Office cannot provide feedback on admissions decisions, give reasons for not offering admission, nor advise you on how to improve your application. Faculties or Departments may agree to provide feedback (though they are not obliged to do so) and should be contacted directly.
What is an admissions appeal?
An admissions appeal seeks to change an outcome of the admissions process. Most often this will be an appeal to reverse the rejection of an application and have it reconsidered. However, it might also be against, for example, the imposition of a specific admission condition.
A postgraduate admissions appeal can be made only in relation to one or more of the following three grounds and cannot be made on any other. Appeals that are ineligible will be dismissed.
- A serious procedural error (such as the University’s provision of inaccurate information or a failure to follow published postgraduate admissions policy).
- Bias in the decision-making process, defined as treating someone less favourably than another because of either (a) belonging to a protected group, as set out in the University’s Equal Opportunities Policy or (b) their identity in coming from a disadvantaged social or educational background.
- Extenuating circumstances affecting your application which, for good reason, you did not inform the University of in your application, and which would have had a material impact on the admission decision.
What is an admissions complaint?
An admissions complaint is about the admissions process but seeks some other remedy than changing its outcome. An appeal made using the complaints form will be dismissed.
Before you submit an appeal
Most admissions appeals are unsuccessful.
An appeal needs substantive evidence that relates to your selected ground or grounds and you will need to show that this ground was the reason for the outcome you are appealing. Note the following points carefully.
- An admissions appeal cannot be made about a matter of academic judgement, that is a judgment where only the opinion of an academic expert is sufficient to decide on the issue.
- The rejection of a good applicant does not in itself represent evidence, even if that applicant has met the minimum academic requirement. Entry to our courses is extremely competitive and meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.
- A statement from a Cambridge academic that they are interested in supervising a research proposal does not mean an applicant will be offered a place. The rejection of an applicant who has received such interest does not in itself represent evidence for an appeal.
- The speed of a decision does not in itself provide evidence of procedural error. The University aims to make quick decisions where possible, to help candidates plan their futures. These may be ahead of published deadlines.
- Re-statement of your qualifications and achievements is not evidence for an appeal, nor is additional information about your qualifications and achievements, including any gained after your application. You are welcome to apply to the University in future years if you have additional achievements to report.
Extenuating circumstances
An appeal made on this ground will be rejected if there is no good reason why these were not declared at application, regardless of the circumstances themselves. You will need to demonstrate that significant issues affected your application and that this ‘had a material impact on the admission decision’. As Cambridge admissions decisions look at the whole of your application, circumstances affecting just one aspect (e.g. one part of your transcript) are unlikely to have had such an impact.
Exam grades and meeting your academic condition
In general, we will not consider an admissions appeal based on circumstances or procedural issues affecting your grades in an exam. Instead, you should use the exam mitigation, appeal or review processes in place at the institution where you take your exams (including at Cambridge) so that these circumstances are taken into account in awarding your grade. Where such a process has not been used, you will need to explain why not.
If your admissions appeal does relate to your exam performance it will, in general, only be considered once all relevant exam appeal and mitigation processes have been completed. For students taking a degree at Cambridge this will be the exam allowance or examination review process, as appropriate. In such cases, the 28-day deadline for making an admission appeal will start from the completion of the exam appeal. If you believe there are special circumstances, you should make this case in the appeal form.
Before you submit a complaint
An admissions complaint cannot be made about a matter of academic judgement, that is a judgment where only the opinion of an academic expert is sufficient to decide on the issue.
Other procedures
A separate appeals and complaints process is available for admission to the following courses:
- MBA, EMBA, MFin or MAcc (see the Cambridge Judge Business School website).
- Master of Studies programmes or other courses administered by the Institute of Continuing Education (see the Institute of Continuing Education website).
- PGCE programme (see the Faculty of Education website).
- Graduate Course in Medicine (CGCM) and all undergraduate courses (see the Undergraduate Study website).
Appeals and complaints from registered postgraduate students about their current course should be made through the Office for Student Conduct, Complaints and Appeals. This includes those moving into the doctoral phase of a 1 + 3 programme.
Fee status
An applicant who thinks they have been wrongly assessed for fee status may seek a review by submitting a self-assessment questionnaire. This questionnaire can be downloaded from your Self-Service account or from the Fee reassessment page. This process has its own appeal route, with details provided to relevant applicants. Do not use the appeal process described here to request fee status reassessment or for a fee status reassessment appeal.
Stage 1: Local informal resolution
Before completing an admissions appeal or complaint form, you should seek an informal resolution with staff in the relevant department or other institution - for example, the director of the course you applied to. Contacts can be found via the Postgraduate Course Directory.
If you have a query or concern about your College allocation, you should contact the Senior Tutor or Postgraduate Tutor within the College in the first instance. College contacts are available here.
If you have not attempted local resolution before submitting a stage two form, your appeal or complaint may be withdrawn.
Stage 2: Submitting an appeal or complaint
You must submit your stage two admissions appeal (see the definition of appeal above) using the stage two appeal form.
You must submit your stage two admissions complaint (see the definition of complaint above) using the stage two complaint form.
If the relevant form is unavailable, email pg.appeals@admin.cam.ac.uk.
You must submit an admissions appeal or complaint within 28 calendar days of receiving your formal admission decision. Submissions outside this timeframe may be dismissed. At its discretion, the Postgraduate Admissions Office may accept an appeal or complaint beyond this deadline but only in exceptional cases where a valid reason for delay is evidenced.
You can withdraw an appeal or complaint at any time by emailing the same address, but once withdrawn the appeal or complaint cannot be reinstated.
You will not be disadvantaged for submitting an appeal or complaint made in good faith, and this will not affect any offer of study already issued or prevent you from being able to re-apply to the University in the future.
Responding to your appeal or complaint
We will acknowledge your appeal or complaint within 5 working days of its receipt, dated from the working day on which the form is first received).
An admissions appeal or complaint will be dismissed if it is trivial, vexatious or malicious, or if it repeats a case that has already been made. A case will also be dismissed if it is ineligible. For appeals, that means a case which give no evidence relating to one of the three grounds stated above.
If your appeal or complaint is accepted as within scope it will be investigated. A decision will be made under the authority of the Postgraduate Admissions Appeals and Complaints Panel, which is independent of any University department, office or College.
All parties involved in an appeal or complaint are expected to act reasonably, fairly and courteously toward each other and to respect the University’s written documentation and legal obligations.
You will normally receive a decision within 20 working days of receiving the appeal acknowledgement. If a decision will take longer than 20 working days, you will receive an update regarding the investigation.
The appeal or complaint decision notification will include the decision, the reason for the decision, and any actions being taken as a result.
The appeal or complaint decision confirms the University’s final position in relation to a Postgraduate Admissions appeal or complaint and ends the process.
The investigation is likely to include requesting responses from the staff or department that considered your application. Though information will only be shared where necessary for the investigation, this is likely to involve sharing your identity and your appeal or complaint with the institution or person which is the subject of complaint or whose decision you are appealing. The final decision may be communicated to any staff or department involved in the investigation. Information will be handled, retained and disposed of in accordance with the University’s Information Compliance policies.
