What evidence should I include with my appeal?

The evidence that you need to submit with your appeal will vary depending on the grounds under which you are appealing. The most common evidence submitted is medical evidence and we've included information below on how this should be presented. Please also read below for other evidence, and some additional information to be aware of, especially if submitting evidence that is not written in English (for example a medical report from a doctor from a home country). 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• MEDICAL EVIDENCE
• OTHER EVIDENCE
• ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO BE AWARE OF WHEN SUBMITTING EVIDENCE

MEDICAL EVIDENCE

The most common appeals that are submitted tend to be to notify the University of extenuating circumstances, and especially new Serious Adverse Circumstances (SACS) which were not available and/or not declared within the usual timeframes, and the majority of these relate to previously undisclosed medical issues. 

Where medical evidence is submitted with your appeal, it must be from a GP, Hospital, or other appropriate, professional source. It should also be from the time when your studies were affected as this will help ensure that the evidence accurately reflects the impact on your studies at that time. 

Panels generally value medical evidence that is obtained through direct, in-person consultation rather than online consultations carried out entirely by email or text message. Therefore, if you have medical evidence from an in-person consultation, it will likely carry more weight.

When looking for a medical professional to provide a letter of support / medical report for your case, it is vital that you tell them the whole story about what has happened and how you have been feeling, and, preferably, the evidence that they supply should provide their own opinion on how your symptoms could reasonably have affected you at the time, as ‘hearsay’ evidence is not as strong.

When speaking to a doctor / medical professional, you should ask them to ideally include the below in their report / letter of support:

• A diagnosis;
• Whether the condition is long-term; a prognosis would be helpful if the condition is only recently acquired or identified;
• When was the last episode of ill-health and did the condition improve with treatment;
• If there is a pattern of relapse-remittance to the illness – and if so, what are the triggers and how well-informed is the patient about them;
• How well the patient participates in the understanding and management of their condition, seeking help from appropriate sources and engaging in self-care;
• The effect the condition will have upon learning / attendance at University;
• The impact upon day-to-day activities and relationships.

If you have received treatment for a condition, and are seeking to demonstrate a fitness to return to your studies, it would also be useful to receive information on:

• The form and length of treatment;
• Evidence of your engagement with the treatment;
• An assessment of the outcomes of the treatment.

If you will require ongoing care during your studies at University can you also ask the medical professional to indicate:

• If they have made a referral to the relevant local service; or
• If you been informed of the service/care to secure in Durham via your Durham-based GP; and
• If you have a relapse plan or a crisis plan in place.

When completing their evidence, if you can also please ask them to provide details of their professional qualifications and accrediting body too that would also be useful and will show that they have the required training and knowledge about your condition. 

You can also include copies of any medical records that you are able to obtain, but having a written report from a medical professional, outlining their opinion on your condition and how it has affected you, will give more weight to the evidence and to your case. 

If you are unable to submit medical evidence with your appeal before the deadline, it may not be considered if provided later. Therefore, if you require additional time to obtain the necessary written report, please contact your relevant Faculty Appeal email address (these can be found on the University website here) as soon as possible to request an extension to the submission deadline.

OTHER EVIDENCE

If you are appealing under grounds other than medical grounds, then please make sure to provide copies of any documents / processes that you would like to be considered with your appeal (copies of emails, procedures etc) which outline the basis of your case. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO BE AWARE OF WHEN SUBMITTING EVIDENCE

Evidence that is not written in English language must be accompanied by a certified translation.  

Where evidence is submitted at the Faculty stage, and you go on to make an appeal to SAAC, all evidence already submitted at that level will be provided to SAAC by your Faculty therefore you should only attach any previously unsubmitted evidence to your SAAC appeal, and provide an explanation as to why it was not presented at an earlier stage.

If you're ready to submit a Faculty Appeal then please keep reading our next article here which explains how, and when this should be submitted, if you are looking to submit a SAAC appeal then you can skip straight to that article here too.