Appeals, Grievances and Complaints
Charles Darwin University respects the right of students to complain if they feel that they have been treated unfairly or if they receive poor service and have developed a number processes to resolve students complaints regarding academic or administrative matters. The processes are designed to ensure the University's commitment to:
- attempt to resolve complaints informally in the first instance
- provide a transparent process with a capacity for timely response
- respect for confidentiality.
The University sees complaints as being a valuable form of feedback because they help us to:
- improve the quality of the teaching and learning experience
- meet the University's commitments to students
- resolve problems.
If you believe that you are being unfairly treated, experiencing difficulties with an academic matter, having problems with a credit transfer or you are concerned about related matters, contact the Office of Leadership and Organisational Culture to clarify your rights, responsibilities and options.
How can I access the service?
To access this service please contact the Office of Leadership and Organisational Culture on complaints@cdu.edu.au or 08 8946 6509.
Want to know more about the processes?
A schematic overview of the academic complaints, grievance and appeals process is provided in the following diagram.
Please note that references to 'Support and Equity Services' should now be replaced by 'Office of Leadership and Organisational Culture'.

In order to find out more about the details of the complaints, grievance and appeals processes for students please follow one of the links below (Please note that references to 'Support and Equity Services' should now be replaced by 'Office of Leadership and Organisational Culture').
:
- Student Administrative Complaints and Appeals Process (SACAP) (.pdf)
- Student Grievance with Staff Process (SGSP) (.pdf)
Resources and Forms
- Appeal against decision not to grant Credit Transfer (Higher Education)
- Appeal against decision not to grant RPL or Advanced Standing (VET)
- Assessment Rules (.pdf)
- Statutory Declaration form (.pdf)
Note: You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view pdf files. Get Adobe Acrobat reader.




