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The Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) is an independent external body that reviews complaints from students about their university.

In this page, we cover whether you are able to make a complaint to the OIA, how a student can make a complaint to the OIA and explain why you should instruct our university lawyers to help you make a valid complaint.

You can make a complaint to the OIA if:

• You are or were registered at a University, higher education body or studying an award granted by a higher education provider;
• The University in question is a member of the OIA’s complaint scheme;
• If the complaint is within the remit of issues that the OIA can look at.

Given that there are a number of conditions that need to be met before a complaint is even accepted by the OIA, seeking specialist advice from our expert OIA complaint lawyers is essential.

Our university law solicitors will be able to advise you whether you have valid grounds to complain and can also help draft a robust complaint for the OIA to review. Making a complaint to the OIA can be a time and cost-effective way for your case to be reviewed by an independent body.

Although the OIA states that it is not necessary to instruct a higher education lawyer, the OIA’s 2020 annual report notes that only 25% of complaints were justified, partly justified or settled.

Our OIA complaint solicitors are experienced in making complaints to the OIA. Our expertise in university law and OIA guidance will reassure you that the correct forms, deadlines and documentation are submitted in order to ensure your complaint is robust, concise and in line with the expected standards. It is essential that you complaint is clear, addressed all the relevant points and correctly references any policies/regulations.

Please contact us on 01633 240743 or by e-mail [email protected] to discuss how our university law solicitors can help you.

We offer an initial free consultation during which we will explain (a) how we can help and (b) provide an estimate of costs.