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University of Silesia in Katowice

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Appealing from decisions and rulings

Individual issues of students are subject to administrative decisions and rulings.

Administrative decisions are made in relation to:

  • expelling a student;
  • invalidity of a diploma;
  • refusal of readmission;
  • exemption from tuition fees or their reduction;
  • scholarships and material assistance;
  • refusal of admission of a student transferring from another university;
  • suspension of a student;
  • in case of foreign students – admission, changing the form of studies or a programme.

Other issues related to the course of studies, such as consent for readmission, leaves, repeating a subject/subjects (module/modules) or a semester, a board exam, prolonging the exam session, changing the form of studies (full-time/part-time), changing a programme, individual organization of studies, individual course of studies – are subject to a ruling.

You may appeal against first instance administrative decisions as well as against rulings, by submitting your appeal to the Rector.

If the first instance decision was made by the Rector (for example a decision on another readmission), you may submit an application for reconsidering the issue. A second instance decision is final, as the University

has no higher instances. However, the student is entitled to file a complaint against a second instance decision to the Provincial Administrative Court in Gliwice claiming that the decision was unlawful.

An appeal against a first instance decision or a ruling should be submitted via the body which made this decision or ruling. The same rule applies to complaints to the Provincial Administrative Court.

Applications (e.g. for a leave or for prolonging the exam session) as well as appeals against administrative decisions (e.g. a decision on expelling a student) have to meet certain formal requirements.

In the case of applications, for most types there are sample applications that can be downloaded from the University’s website. The samples include information to whom and by when you can appeal if the response is unsatisfactory. You may appeal to the Rector against rulings related to your individual issues within 14 days from the receipt of the ruling. Issues that are subject to rulings often undergo simplified procedures, which means that the ruling is made immediately, but in any case it cannot be made later than within 30 days from the submission of the application (unless specific regulations stipulate otherwise). Some applications may be submitted through USOSweb after logging in to your individual student account (under DECYZJE). This is also where you can always check the decision or ruling that has been made.

Appeals against administrative decisions are subject to the regulations of the Code of Administrative Procedures. Apart from providing your up-to-date contact details (mailing address, phone number, e-mail address), you need to specify the decision that you are appealing against (what was the issue and what was decided). It is also advisable to justify your claim appropriately (what decision you would expect) and to provide some arguments supporting your standpoint, although it is enough that the appeal states that the student is not satisfied with the decision. It is also advisable to attach additional documents to support your claim.

When you decide to appeal against a decision or a ruling, there are certain conditions that have to be met if your appeal is to be valid. Otherwise, the issue will not be reconsidered.

First of all, you need to submit your appeal before the relevant deadline, in particular when appealing against administrative decisions that are subject to the Code of Administrative Procedures. Submitting your appeal after the deadline means that is will not be considered at all and there is no chance of changing the decision that you are appealing against. The relevant body will only inform you that you have failed to meet the deadline, and there is no appeal against this. The deadline for appealing against administrative decisions (e.g. on expelling a student, on refusal of readmission, on refusal of admission of a student transferring from another university) is 14 days after the decision was delivered to your postal address (administrative decisions require an acknowledgement of delivery). When 14 days have passed, you are not able to appeal any more.

However, if your failure to meet the deadline results from reasons beyond your control, you may demand a restitution, i.e. prolonging the deadline. In this case, you need to submit the appeal together with your application for a restitution. The application for a restitution has to contain a justification – you have to provide some evidence that the failure to meet the deadline was not your fault (by attaching, for instance, a hospital discharge or a doctor’s certificate). The application for a restitution has to be submitted within 7 days after the circumstance that prevented you from submitting the appeal ceased to exist (e.g. within 7 days after you were discharged from a hospital). This deadline is final (i.e. there is no possibility to submit another appeal).

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