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Criminal Convictions Policy and Procedure for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Admissions – July 2016
Professional Services (the latter two being drawn from the University’s Undergraduate or
Postgraduate Recruitment and Admissions Monitoring Committee on each occasion that a
Panel is needed). In cases where special professional issues are at stake, the Panel may be
extended to include a member of staff with specialist professional knowledge, nominated by
the Dean of Undergraduate/Postgraduate Studies in the relevant Faculty. Notes of the Panel’s
discussion will be taken by a member of staff chosen by the Academic Registrar.
d)
The Panel may:
i) decide that there is no reason to stop the offer being made to the applicant or an academic
interview from going ahead (or that there is no reason to withdraw an offer already made)
or
ii) decide that the offer may be made to the applicant but subject to the satisfaction of
conditions, for example concerning scope of access to facilities, accommodation or
support or
iii) decide that the applicant should not be made an offer for the course applied for because of
professional constraints but may be considered for other courses at the institution or
iv) decide that the applicant should be rejected (or that an offer already made should be
withdrawn) on the ground of the criminal conviction.
In reaching a decision, the Panel may request further information and/or interview the
applicant if it is felt appropriate. Criteria that might be used to determine the decision are set
out in the appendix.
e)
The Panel shall inform the Admissions Officer in writing of the decision and reason(s) for the
decision. The notification shall be kept securely by the Admissions Officer, for one year after
the end of the current academic year in the case of an unsuccessful application and for six
years after the end of the student relationship with the University in the case of successful
applications. The Admissions Officer will put a note on the applicant’s electronic record to
explain where documents relating to the criminal conviction are being kept.
f)
If the outcome is that the offer to the applicant or an academic interview should go ahead, the
application shall be processed in the usual way. If the Panel wishes to attach any non-
academic conditions to the offer, the Admissions Officer shall explain these in writing to the
applicant. If the outcome is that the applicant should be rejected on the ground of the criminal
conviction, the Admissions Officer shall write to the applicant to inform him or her of the
decision and to give a brief explanation of the reason(s) for it.
g)
The Admissions Officer shall inform the relevant admissions selector and Head of School of
the outcome. If the applicant is to be made an offer, the Head of School will be asked to
decide whether anyone else within the School needs to be informed about the conviction. The
Admissions Officer will let the applicant know who else is to be informed.
Appeal
17. An appeal against the decision of a Panel may be made only on the following grounds:
i) That the decision was perverse in that no reasonable person could have reached it on the
available evidence
ii) Procedural irregularity under Paragraph 16