Each university has its own distinct set of disciplinary policies and procedures. Please use the links below to reveal the information of interest.
Links to procedures and policies
Precautionary / interim measures?
Circumstances can arise where it is necessary for the University to take precautionary action in order to manage risk to the University, its members, and/or to the wider community.
Examples of precautionary measures:
- Temporarily suspend a student from all or part of their studies or research. This may include suspension from placement or any other University activity, including examinations, receiving information about results or progression, and re-enrolment.
- Temporarily exclude a student from using all or particular University services or facilities and/or entering the University campus. This may also include temporarily withdrawing or amending a student’s Brunel computer account access privileges.
Approach to police involvement?
If a student’s conduct is in breach of the law, the University may at its discretion refer the matter to the police and/or other suitable authorities.
In addition, where a police or other external investigation or criminal proceedings has been initiated in relation to an alleged act of misconduct, the University may suspend its consideration of the matter under this or any other Regulation (at any stage) until such investigation and/or proceedings have been concluded. The University’s consideration of a matter under this procedure may be resumed at any stage should the University deem it to be appropriate in the circumstances.
Right to be represented?
General misconduct & Academic misconduct
Any student subject to this procedure will be entitled to be accompanied by and/or represented at any stage by a staff member, current student of the University, or member of the Advice and Representation Centre in the Union of Brunel Students.
Neither the University nor the student will normally be permitted to be represented by a legal practitioner at meetings or hearings held under this procedure.
N.B. Even where universities state that legal representation is not permitted, we have often successfully argued that students ought to be in accordance with the principles of natural justice.
Penalties?
General misconduct
Where it considers that the allegation has been proven, the Panel will determine which, if any, penalty should be applied.
The Panel may take into account any mitigating circumstances presented by the student when applying any of the penalties, and will apply a penalty that is appropriate in all the circumstances.
The possible penalties are:
- Formal warning;
- Exclusion of the student from specified areas of the University, or from specified University activities (including placements), services, or facilities (including residences) for a defined period;
- Requirement to attend or complete relevant training programme;
- Requirement to apologise to the aggrieved party;
- The student is banned from attending graduation;
- Requirement to pay compensation for the damage or loss caused (up to the value of £300);
- Requirement to pay compensation for the damage or loss caused;
- Exclusion of the student from the whole University for a defined period;
- Suspension of the student’s studies, in whole or in part, for a defined period;
- Permanent expulsion from the University (with or without credit or award already achieved).
Academic misconduct
In all proven cases of academic misconduct the decision maker will seek to remove any academic advantage gained by the student through the identified misconduct.
The possible penalties are:
- For a first offence or less serious cases (Undergraduate “UG” and Postgraduate Taught “PGT”): A mark of zero/grade of F will be assigned to the piece of work in question and to the associated assessment block. Reassessment will be permitted (or a further attempt in the case of an offence that occurs during reassessment), but the maximum achievable grade in the assessment block will be capped at the relevant threshold grade. The affected assessment block will contribute grade point 0 to the GPA calculation for the classification of any award (except in the case of PGT dissertations). The reassessment will not contribute to the reassessment volume limit defined in Senate Regulation 2 (UG) or Senate Regulation 3 (PGT);
- For a second offence or more serious cases (Undergraduate “UG” and Postgraduate Taught “PGT”): The student will be expelled from the University and barred from re-entry. A mark of zero/grade of F will be assigned to the piece of work in question and to the associated assessment block. The Panel will determine whether the student should retain any credits previously gained. Where credits are retained, the student may be awarded an intermediate award;
- First offence (Postgraduate Research “PGR”): The student will be expelled from the University and barred from re-entry. Where a student is studying on a programme with taught components, the Panel will determine whether the student should retain any credits previously gained.
In addition or as a substitute to the above scheme, the following penalties may be applied:
- Issue a formal written warning;
- Require the student to attend a relevant training programme;
- Require the student to apologise to the aggrieved party;
- Ban the student from attending graduation;
- Require the student to pay compensation for the damage or loss caused (up to the value of £300);
- Exclude the student from specified areas of the University or from specified University activities (including placements), services or facilities (including residences) for a defined period;
- Require the student to pay compensation for the damage or loss caused;
- Exclude the student from the whole University for a defined period;
- Suspend the student’s studies, in whole or in part, for a defined period;
- Permanently expel the student from the University (with or without credit or award already achieved).
Right to appeal?
General misconduct
Where the Panel applies a penalty, the student may submit a request for an appeal against the decision.
Grounds - A student may request to appeal on one or more of the following grounds:
- That there has been a procedural irregularity;
- That there was bias on the part of the decision-maker or decision-making body;
- That the decision is unreasonable and/or that the penalty is disproportionate;
- That there is new material evidence which the student can demonstrate was for good reason not previously available.
Deadline
A request to appeal should be submitted in writing to the Secretary to the MPS Board within 10 working days of the date of written notification of the decision being appealed.
Academic misconduct
Grounds - A student may request to appeal on one or more of the following grounds:
- That there has been a procedural irregularity;
- That there was bias on the part of the decision-maker or decision-making body;
- That the decision is unreasonable and/or that the penalty is disproportionate;
- That there is new material evidence which the student can demonstrate was for good reason not previously available.
Deadline
A request to appeal should be submitted in writing to the Secretary of the MPS Board within 10 working days of the date of written notification of the decision being appealed.
Member of the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (“OIA”) Scheme?
Yes. Decisions taken under this procedure may be eligible for review by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA), which is an independent body set up to review student complaints.
Where applicable, students will be provided with a Completion of Procedures Letter and information about how to apply to the OIA for a review of a decision taken under this procedure.
This means that you could potentially complain to the OIA once you have exhausted the University’s internal procedures.
Contact our Student & University lawyers:
If you require further information or advice from our team of specialist lawyers, please contact a member of the team using one of the methods below.
This information was drafted in the months leading up to September 2023. It does not constitute legal advice. As University policies are updated from time-to-time, the information on this page may contain some inaccuracies and you should always check your University’s resources and/or seek legal advice where appropriate.
We treat all personal data in accordance with our data protection policy.