Exclusion and appeals at UJ

If you have been excluded at UJ: a step-by-step guide

Last checked 11 October 2026, from UJ's Academic Regulations, the uLink exclusion guide and the appeals process document. Each faculty sets its own deadline, so check yours.

Getting an exclusion notice is a hard moment, but it is not always the end of your studies at UJ. You have the right to ask your faculty to look at your case again, and the committee that decides is looking for honest reasons and a realistic plan. This guide walks you through what the codes mean, how to appeal and where to find help.

Warning versus exclusion

• E1 or E2 is a warning. UJ describes it as an early alert that your progress is unsatisfactory and that you are at risk of exclusion. It is not an exclusion. Take it seriously and ask for help right away.
• F7 (undergraduate) or 7F (postgraduate) is a formal exclusion. It means you have been academically excluded from your programme. The only route back is an appeal.
• Under the Academic Regulations 2026 you can be excluded in these situations:
  • AR 6.6: you have failed the same module twice. You may not continue with that module unless the Executive Dean (or delegate) gives permission.
  • AR 6.7: to move on to the next year of study you must have passed at least 60% of the modules required in the previous year.
  • AR 6.8: you have not been promoted to the next year for any two years of study. You are then excluded, unless the Executive Dean gives special permission and sets conditions.
• Unsatisfactory attendance or participation (lectures, online learning, tutorials, practicals) can also be taken into account when exclusion decisions are made (AR 5.13).
• Your faculty rules may add their own promotion requirements on top of these (AR 6.4).

Step by step

1. Read your notice carefully. It should tell you how to appeal. Note the date, because the window is short.
2. Find your faculty's deadline. Each faculty sets its own dates. The uLink guide says to check your faculty website and uLink notifications, and to contact your faculty office to confirm the process and deadline.
3. Appeal online through uLink. UJ's examination information page points to uLink, then Results, then F7 Appeals Submission. Your application, motivation and supporting documents all go in online during the submission period.
4. Write a clear, honest motivation. Explain what affected your performance, what has changed, and what you will do differently if you are readmitted.
5. Attach evidence. UJ says the process is evidence-based. Think medical certificates, affidavits, letters or other documents that support your reasons.
6. Submit before the deadline. UJ's template notice says the deadline is absolute and late appeals are not considered, and the regulations say missing the window may mean the opportunity lapses.
7. Wait for the written outcome. The decision is communicated to you in writing (email and SMS in UJ's process document).

Be complete the first time. If you leave out information or documents that matter, you cannot add them later if the appeal is unsuccessful (AR 7.3.4). If you submit incorrect or fraudulent information that matters to the appeal, the committee is entitled to reconsider its decision (AR 7.3.6).

What the Faculty Appeals Committee considers

UJ's process document describes a committee chaired by the Executive Dean or Vice-Dean (Teaching and Learning), with faculty and PsyCaD representatives and an SRC representative in an advisory role. Your case is presented anonymously. The committee looks at things like:

• how many modules you have passed, compared with the percentages set for your type of qualification;
• repeated failure of modules, and any earlier exclusions or earlier appeals where readmission conditions were not met;
• previous warnings, and whether you passed anything after a warning;
• whether you can realistically finish the qualification if given another chance, within the maximum duration of your programme;
• the reasons you gave and the measures you promise to take.

The process document lists factors that generally do not support lifting an exclusion, such as having failed a module twice alongside poor results in other modules, or passing very few modules after a warning. The document is a 2019 template that faculties adapt, so your faculty may apply things differently.

Outcomes and conditions of readmission

• Appeal successful: you are readmitted, usually with conditions that you agree to in writing. In UJ's template, readmission is valid for that academic year only.
• Appeal unsuccessful: the exclusion is confirmed.
• Typical conditions (from UJ's template letters and forms; your own outcome letter is what counts):
  • pass the modules you register for in the first semester, and reach at least a 40% progress mark in year modules;
  • do not cancel any modules;
  • attend all lectures, tutorials and practicals;
  • attend Academic Development Centre workshops, and consult PsyCaD where appropriate;
  • any extra conditions listed in your outcome letter.
• In the template, breaking the conditions means your registration is cancelled and you can be excluded from studying any qualification in that faculty. Treat the conditions as a contract.

If you also have a supplementary exam

If you were excluded but also granted a supplementary assessment, AR 7.3.2 says you must write the supplementary exam and also submit the appeal. Do both. Passing the supplementary exam does not mean the exclusion will be lifted, so do not skip the appeal on the assumption that you will pass.

Supplementary assessments have their own rules (AR 9.5). For example, a module passed through a supplementary last assessment is capped at 50%, and you are responsible for finding out whether you qualify and for the timetable and venue. If illness or a similar reason stopped you attending an exam, a special (sick) exam application must be made within seven calendar days of the original exam date. On the examination information page, the sick/deferred application is on uLink under Results.

Postgraduate warnings (E6 and F5)

For master's and doctoral students, UJ's process document describes time-based warnings. E6 is a warning with a one-year extension once you reach the maximum period for your degree, and F5 is a final warning with a six-month extension. After that the faculty may consider a 7F exclusion. This comes from a template annexure, so confirm the timing with your faculty. A 7F can be appealed in the same way as an F7.

If your appeal fails

• The Faculty Appeals Committee's decision is final (AR 7.3.3). UJ's uLink guide says you have one opportunity to appeal and no re-appeal process. The regulations also say the right to appeal can be used only once for a qualification, and that the Registrar may in exceptional circumstances allow a final attempt after consulting the faculty (AR 5.1.35).
• Ask your faculty office politely to explain the reasons, so you know what would need to change.
• Ask about other options: another qualification at UJ, another faculty, another institution, or recognition of prior learning. UJ's template letter notes that an exclusion stays on your record if you apply to another faculty, and that you keep your academic history (AR 7.3.5).
• Check funding. NSFAS or your bursary may be affected, so ask early and get answers in writing.

Where to get help

• PsyCaD (Centre for Psychological Services and Career Development): free, confidential support for registered students. psychservices@uj.ac.za, WhatsApp 073 802 9604, 24-hour crisis line 082 054 1137.
• Faculty office: confirms your deadline and process. See uj.ac.za/faculties.
• Academic Development Centre: adc@uj.ac.za. Writing Centre: writingcentre@uj.ac.za.
• SRC: the uLink guide says the SRC can support and represent students in appeals, and to contact them before the panel meets.
• Student accounts: studentaccounts@uj.ac.za.

A short checklist

• Read the notice and note the deadline for your faculty.
• Find the appeal on uLink (Results, then F7 Appeals Submission).
• Gather medical, personal or financial evidence.
• Write your motivation: what happened, what changed, your plan.
• If you have a supplementary exam, write it and appeal.
• Submit before the closing time and keep your confirmation.
• Book a PsyCaD or Academic Development Centre appointment.
• If readmitted, read and follow every condition.

Source: UJ Academic Regulations 2026 (sections 5, 6, 7 and 9.5); uLink Academic Warning and Exclusion Guide; UJ Academic Discontinuation Appeals Process; UJ Examination Information.