Student appeals

Appeals

If the University places a condition on your enrolment or excludes you from your course after you attend an Unsatisfactory Progress Committee show cause meeting, you'll receive an email to your student email account that includes information about your options for appeal or review.

You must lodge your Student Appeal Application within 20 working days from the date you receive that email.

You may have grounds for appeal if you can demonstrate that the decision maker:

• Was unfair or unjust,
• didn't act in line with the Academic Progress Statute 2010,
• failed to take account of a relevant consideration, or took account of an irrelevant consideration.

Complaints and reviews

If you have a complaint about how your case was handled, the Student Complaints Office can explain what actions you can take. These might include:

1. firstly, asking the University Ombudsman to review the processes the University followed, to make sure they were correct
2. if internal reviews are unsuccessful, asking the Victorian Ombudsman to review the processes the University used and determine whether they were reasonable or unreasonable.

International students

If you hold an international student visa, La Trobe University is obligated by law to report your student status to the Department of Home Affairs. Changes to your enrolment in your course, including leave of absence, reduced enrolment or exclusion, may lead to the cancellation of your Australian visa.

If you:

• choose not to appeal, we'll lodge the report 20 working days after the date of the exclusion letter we send to you
• choose to appeal, and if your appeal is unsuccessful, we'll lodge the report 20 working days after the date of the letter informing you that your appeal was unsuccessful.

The 20 working days gives you time to lodge a complaint or ask for a review. Contact La Trobe International for support and assistance.

You may have grounds for appeal if you can demonstrate:

• the Policy and Procedure were not appropriately followed in the reaching of the determination or penalty; or
• there was bias towards the student on the part of any individual involved with the findings; or
• more evidence has become available that was not available to decision-makers at the time.

You may have grounds for appeal if you can demonstrate:

• The finding was based on flawed or incorrect information,
• the decision was not made in line with the General Misconduct Statute 2009,
• the penalty imposed is too severe.