City University of Hong Kong (CityU) is committed to providing the best possible environment for study. Things may go wrong occasionally, and when this happens, we believe that you should be able to raise any issue that is causing you to be dissatisfied.
CityU will:
CityU will not:
There are a number of regulations and procedures at CityU designed to deal with different issues. If you wish to make a complaint, you should be sure you use the correct regulation or procedure. The table below should help you:
| Nature of complaint | Name of regulation or procedure | Website for more information | Staff member/office to contact for advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Review of a course grade | Academic Regulations | For undergraduate students
(including Associate Degree): https://www.cityu.edu.hk/arro/asmt/revw_main.htm For taught postgraduate: https://www.cityu.edu.hk/pg/taught-postgraduate-programmes For professional doctorate: https://www.cityu.edu.hk/pg/professional-doctorate-programmes For research degree programme: https://www.cityu.edu.hk/pg/research-degree-programmes |
ARRO (for undergraduate
students) SGS (for postgraduate students) |
| Review of final award classification or academic standing decision | Academic Regulations | For undergraduate students (including Associate Degree): https://www.cityu.edu.hk/arro/asmt/revw_main.htm For taught postgraduate: https://www.cityu.edu.hk/pg/taught-postgraduate-programmes For professional doctorate: https://www.cityu.edu.hk/pg/professional-doctorate-programmes For research degree programme: https://www.cityu.edu.hk/pg/research-degree-programmes |
ARRO (for undergraduate
students) SGS (for postgraduate students) |
| Appeal on matters related to research degree studies | Regulation for Research Degrees of MPhil & PhD | https://www.cityu.edu.hk/sgs/studentlan/rpg/intranet/guidebook/ | SGS |
| Against a decision of the Student Discipline Committee or Panel | Code of Student Conduct | https://www.cityu.edu.hk/studentlife/about_us-sdc.aspx | Secretary to Student Discipline Committee |
| About the conduct of the President | Council Procedure for Handling Complaints against the President | http://www.cityu.edu.hk/cuc/ | Secretary to the Council |
| About the conduct of a student | Code of Student Conduct |
https://www.cityu.edu.hk/studentlife/about_us-sdc.aspx |
Head of Department where the student is enrolled, or Head of Service where the incident occurred |
| About the conduct of a staff member | Student Complaints Procedure | http://www.cityu.edu.hk/stdcomplaint | Secretary to Student Complaints Panel |
| Poor teaching or supervision | Student Complaints Procedure | http://www.cityu.edu.hk/stdcomplaint | Secretary to Student Complaints Panel |
| Inadequate or insufficient facilities | Student Complaints Procedure | http://www.cityu.edu.hk/stdcomplaint | Secretary to Student Complaints Panel |
| The failing of any university service | Student Complaints Procedure | http://www.cityu.edu.hk/stdcomplaint | Secretary to Student Complaints Panel |
| Service or activities of Students’ Union (SU) & its affiliated societies | SU Constitution |
https://council.cityusu.hk/ |
SU Council Chairman or SU Chief Arbitrator |
| Service or activities of Postgraduate Association (CUPA) | CUPA Constitution | https://sites.google.com/site/cityupaorg/home | CUPA President |
You should first try to have your complaint resolved informally, by raising the complaint with the most appropriate person in the relevant department/ office/ unit. This is called the "Informal Complaint Process". For example:
| You wish to complain about: | You should speak to: |
|---|---|
| Poor classroom/ laboratory/ workshop facilities | Course or Programme Leader, Facilities Management Office |
| A problem in the Student Residence | Your Residence Master, Student Residence Office |
| Concerns about safety on campus | Facilities Manager, Facilities Management Office |
| Poor supervision (research students) | College/School Research Coordinator, School of Graduate Studies |
The staff member will handle your complaint in accordance with the Student Complaints Procedure.
The Complaint must be made within a reasonable time of the incident giving rise to the Complaint and, in any event, no later than three months after the incident.
You can use this procedure if you are a student of City University of Hong Kong, who
Remarks: Students the School of Continuing and Professional Education are not covered by the Student Complaints Procedure.
If you are not satisfied with the resolution suggested through the informal process, you can make a formal complaint (the “Formal Complaint Process”). To do this you must:
Your written complaint must include:
Once you have submitted a written formal complaint you must not approach the Associate Provost (Student Life) or any member of the Student Complaints Panel to discuss your case. If you have any queries you should contact the Secretary to the Student Complaints Panel.
The Associate Provost (Student Life) or his/her nominee may undertake an initial investigation. This could involve asking you for more information, and asking the person, office or department you are complaining about for information. The Associate Provost (Student Life) will then either:
The Associate Provost (Student Life) will normally notify you of his/her decision within 15 days of receiving your complaint.
The Student Complaints Panel:
If you are not satisfied with the resolution suggested through the formal complaint process, you can make an appeal. There are very limited grounds for making an appeal. These are:
If you think that you can show evidence of either of these two grounds you can make an appeal. The appeal must:
The President or his nominee will consider your appeal and either:
The President or his nominee will normally notify you of his/her decision within 15 days of receiving your appeal. His/her decision is final.
The Complaints Appeal Panel will review all the evidence collected during the informal and formal complaint processes, and submitted to support your appeal, and any new evidence or information that you, or the person/office you have complained about, wish to present. The Panel will decide either:
The Complaints Appeal Panel will complete its investigation and make a decision normally within 30 days of receiving your appeal for review from the President.
The Panel will write a report on its conclusions and recommendations. You and any person or office who is the subject of your complaint will receive a copy of the report.
The decision of the Complaints Appeal Panel is final.
