Please note the procedures below are for the following Cambridge Judge Business School programmes only: MBA, Cambridge EMBA, Global EMBA, MFin or Executive MAcc. Please visit the Postgraduate Admissions website for other Cambridge Judge Business School degree programmes, the Institute for Continuing Education for Master of Studies programmes, or the MST Admissions Appeals & Complaints webpage for the Management Studies Tripos.
College allocation
If applicants have a query or concern about their College allocation, they should contact the Senior Tutor or Graduate Tutor within the College in the first instance. View College contact details.
Academic decisions
The programme’s Admissions Office cannot give reasons for not offering admission, nor advise you how to improve your application, and cannot provide feedback on admissions decisions. The programme’s Admissions Offices are not obliged but may agree to provide feedback and should be contacted directly.
If your application has been rejected then you may be able to appeal the decision using the appeals procedure set out on this page.
Admissions Appeals and Complaints procedure
Purpose
An admissions appeal seeks to change an outcome of the admissions process. The appeal may (and usually does) seek to reverse the rejection of an application, but it may alsoask to change a specific aspect of an admissions decision, such as the setting of a particular condition.
An admission complaint also addresses the admissions process but seeks some other remedy than changing its outcome.
A postgraduate admission appeal can be made only in relation to one or more of the following 3 grounds and no other:
- a serious procedural error (such as the provision of inaccurate information or the failure to follow published postgraduate admissions policy) which had a material impact on the relevant admissions decision
- bias, or the perception of bias, in the decision-making process, defined as treating someone less favourably than another successful applicants because of either (a) belonging to a protected group, as set out in the University’s Equal Opportunities Policy or (b) their identity in coming from a disadvantaged social or educational background
- extenuating circumstances affecting your application which, for good reason, you did not inform the University of at the time of your application and which had a material impact on it (extenuating circumstances negatively affecting your prior academic or other achievements must be described in your application and cannot form the ground of an appeal)
What is an admissions complaint?
An admissions complaint is about the admissions process but seeks some other remedy than changing its outcome. An appeal made using the complaints form will be dismissed.
Before you submit an appeal
Most admissions appeals are unsuccessful.
An appeal needs substantive evidence that relates to your selected ground or grounds and you will need to show that this ground was the reason for the outcome you are appealing. Note the following points carefully.
- An admissions appeal cannot be made about a matter of academic judgement, that is, a judgment where only the opinion of an academic expert is sufficient to decide on the issue. Nor will the Appeals and Complaints Panel make an academic judgement itself; rather, where relevant, an application will be referred back to the department concerned, with the additional information received through the appeal process.
- The rejection of a good applicant does not in itself represent evidence, even if that applicant has met the minimum academic requirement. Entry to our courses is extremely competitive and meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.
- The speed of a decision does not in itself provide evidence of procedural error. The University aims to make quick decisions where possible, to help candidates plan their futures. These may be ahead of published deadlines.
- Re-statement of your qualifications and achievements is not evidence for an appeal, nor is additional information about your qualifications and achievements, including any gained after your application. You are welcome to apply to the University in future years if you have additional achievements to report.
Extenuating circumstances
An appeal made on this ground will be rejected if there is no good reason why these were not declared at application, regardless of the circumstances themselves.
You will need to demonstrate that significant issues had a material affected on your application and that this ‘had a material impact on the admission decision’.
- As Cambridge admissions decisions look at the whole of your application, circumstances affecting just one aspect (eg one part of your transcript) are unlikely to have had such an impact.
- Given applications are open for some time, a time-limited illness will not meet this ground.
Before you submit a complaint
An admissions complaint cannot be made about a matter of academic judgement, that is a judgment where only the opinion of an academic expert is sufficient to decide on the issue.
Local informal resolution
Issues are best dealt with informally and by those involved. In the first stage of the process, applicants are required to seek an informal resolution to problems through the relevant programme admissions office, as applicable.
Submitting a complaint or appeal
A complaint or appeal must be submitted using the Admissions Appeals and Complaints form to the Degree Committee for Business and Management Office within 28 days of receiving the formal written admission decision. Submissions outside this timeframe may be dismissed. At its discretion, the Degree Committee Office may accept an appeal or complaint beyond this deadline but only in exceptional cases where a valid reason for delay is evidenced.
Forms can be submitted in one of 3 ways:
a) Online
Submit the online version of the Admissions Appeal form
or
Submit the online version of the Admissions Complaint form
b) Email
Download and complete the Admissions Appeal form (docx), then submit it via email to dcsecretary@jbs.cam.ac.uk. The email subject line should read “FAO Degree Committee Secretary, ADMISSIONS APPEALS”.
or
Download and complete the Admissions Complaint form (docx), then submit it via email to dcsecretary@jbs.cam.ac.uk. The email subject line should read “FAO Degree Committee Secretary, ADMISSIONS COMPLAINTS”.
c) Post
Download and complete the Admissions Appeal form (docx)
or
Download and complete the Admissions Complaint form (docx)
Then send the completed form by post to the address below:
Degree Committee for Business and Management Secretary
Cambridge Judge Business School
Trumpington Street
Cambridge CB2 1AG
United Kingdom
The Degree Committee for Business and Management Secretary may choose to accept a complaint or appeal submitted after the 28-day deadline for exceptional reasons where he or she considers that a valid reason for delay has been evidenced.
An applicant can withdraw a complaint or appeal at any time by emailing or writing to the Degree Committee for Business and Management Secretary. Once a complaint or appeal has been withdrawn it cannot be reinstated.
An applicant will not be disadvantaged for submitting a complaint or appeal if it is made in good faith. Submitting a complaint or appeal will not prevent an applicant from being able to re-apply to Cambridge Judge Business School in the future or affect the applicant’s ability to comply with any offer of study already issued.
Responding to an appeal or complaint
The Secretary of the Degree Committee (or delegate), will acknowledge your appeal or complaint within 5 working days of its receipt, dated from the working day on which the form is first received).
An admissions appeal or complaint can be dismissed if it is trivial, vexing, or malicious, or if it repeats a case that has already been made. An admissions appeal or complaint can be dismissed if no substantive evidence is offered (and for an appeal this must relate to one of the eligible grounds). The rejection of a good candidate does not in and of itself represent evidence.
If your appeal or complaint is accepted as within scope it will be investigated and a decision will be made by the Postgraduate Admissions Appeals and Complaints Panel, which is independent of the Postgraduate Admissions Office or any department or College. The investigation is likely to include requesting responses from the staff or department that considered your application. Though information will only be shared where necessary for the investigation, this is likely to involve sharing your identity and your appeal or complaint with the institution or person which is the subject of complaint or whose decision you are appealing.
All parties involved in an appeal or complaint are expected to act reasonably, fairly and courteously toward each other and to respect the University’s written documentation and legal obligations.
You will normally receive a decision within 20 working days of receiving the appeal acknowledgement. If a decision will take longer than 20 working days, you will receive an update regarding the investigation.
The appeal or complaint decision notification will include the decision, the reason for the decision, and any actions being taken as a result.
The appeal decision letter confirms Cambridge Judge Business School’s final decision in relation to a postgraduate admissions appeal or complaint and ends the process. It is not possible to make a complaint about the conduct of the appeal process.
This decision is likely to be communicated to any staff or department involved in the investigation. Though information will only be shared where necessary for the investigation, this is likely to involve sharing your identity and your appeal or complaint with the institution or person which is the subject of complaint or whose decision you are appealing. The final decision may be communicated to any staff or department involved in the investigation. Information will be handled, retained and disposed of in accordance with the University’s Information Compliance policies.