Student Grievance Policy
Mechanisms for Receiving and Dealing with Student Grievances
Article 1. General
1.a Grievance Definition: expressing dissatisfaction, disappointment or injustice by students regarding one or more of the aspects related to the services they receive; whether academic or non-academic.
1.b Eligible Applicants: Any student formally registered at the university can fill a grievance request form. Grievance applications however should not be anonymous; meaning that the applicant should identify him/herself.
1.c Grievance Outcomes: students should be aware of the fact that it is not necessary, under all circumstances, that the outcomes of their grievance applications are satisfactory to their own standpoints or respond completely to their requests; rather, the outcomes should comply with the rules, policies and regulations applied at the university.
1.d Grievance Purpose: student grievances allow the university to benefit from the feedback received from students. They also assure that the voice of students is being heard by the relevant parties and that their requests, whether academic or non-academic are not denied, neglected, ignored or underestimated. Student grievances also help to improve the quality of services provided by the university.
1.e Scope of Grievances: students can place a grievance request against any academic, non-academic, administrative or support services they receive at the university. This also includes the IT, library or the food and beverage services.
Article 2. Recipients of Grievance Requests
1. Academic Grievances:
Grievance requests should be submitted to the following personnel:
a) Head of academic department;
b) Dean of Faculty.
2. Non-academic grievances:
Grievance requests should be submitted to the following personnel:
a) Dean of Student Affairs.
In case the grievance request could not be handled locally, at the department or faculty levels, it should then be sent to the Dean of Student Affairs to take action. In case the grievance application was sent directly to the Dean of Student Affairs, then the latter should decide whether to handle it in person or to send it back to the relevant faculty for investigation.
Article 3. Controls Applied to Grievance Requests
The grievance request form should be complete and should include:
a. Student full name, ID number, major and contact details.
b. A full explanation of the case.
c. The person or the entity against which the grievance application is placed.
d. The type or cause of the damage/loss/dissatisfaction.
e. Previous efforts/attempts made by the student to resolve the issue locally, whether at the department or faculty levels prior to launching the grievance request.
f. All available/relevant information/data/details related to the case.
g. Other documents/proofs relevant to the case.
h. Date of the application.
Article 4. Grievance request Form
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Date |
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Student Full Name |
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SID Number |
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Major/Faculty |
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Year of Study |
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University Email |
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Contact Number(s) |
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Case Explanation
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Previous actions taken prior to launching the application
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Expected outcomes
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Article 5. Grievances Register – copies maintained at academic faculties and the Deanship of Student Affairs
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No. |
Student Name |
Year of Study |
Grievance No. |
Topic |
Date of Application |
Student Signature |
Response Date |
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Article 6. Steps for Launching a Written Grievance Request
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1. |
The student fills and places a grievance request form – Article 4. |
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2. |
The student submits the grievance request form – Article 2. |
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3. |
In case the form is found to be incomplete, then it is sent back to the applicant in order to revise and complete – Article 3. |
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4. |
The grievance request form is then reviewed by the recipient- Article 2. |
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5. |
In case the grievance request is academic, then the Dean of the relevant faculty forms a grievance committee at the faculty level to discuss the grievance request. |
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6. |
In case the grievance request is non-academic, then the Dean of Student Affairs forms a grievance committee to discuss the grievance request. |
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7. |
The outcomes of the grievance request are then communicated to the student(s) within two weeks at most. |
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8. |
The outcomes of the grievance request are conclusive, yet, in case the applicant(s) was dissatisfied with the outcomes of the grievance request, he/she can appeal (by submitting a written petition) so that the grievance request is reassessed. |
Article 7. Grievance Committees
Grievance committees are formed at two levels:
a) Faculty Level; typically consisting of:
1. The Dean of the relevant faculty – Chair
2. The Head of the relevant academic department – member
3. The academic advisor of the applicant – member
b) University Level; typically consisting of:
1. The Dean of Student Affairs – Chair
2. The Vice Dean of Student Affairs – member
3. The Dean of the relevant faculty