Viva success/failure rate for phd students

The request was partially successful.

Dear University of Liverpool,

I request the following. For each school/department within the university and for each academic year from 2006 to 2016 please provide:

1) The total number of viva examinations that took place for that school's students for that year.
2) The total number of viva examinations in which a student successfully passed.
3) Total that failed (please count conversion to MSc as a failure).

Please send me the above in .csv format

Yours faithfully,
Michael Lee

foi Uof Liverpool, University of Liverpool

Dear Mr. Lee,

Thank you for your email received 5th March 2018 requesting viva success/failure rates for phd students. I am writing to let you know that we have received your request and will process it as soon as possible, and in any case within 20 working days of the day we received the request. You will hear back from us by 5th April 2018 at the latest.

Yours sincerely

Mrs Lesley Jackson, FOI Co-ordinator
The University of Liverpool, Foundation Building,
765 Brownlow Hill, Liverpool L69 7ZX

Email [University of Liverpool request email]

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Dear foi Uof Liverpool,

I apologise but I need to make the following clarifications with respect to my request:

1) Please only consider statistics regarding PhD students and disregard any other form of award that undergoes viva examinations (e.g. EngD, etc).
2) Please count any resubmission result as part of its own category and do not include it in the failure category.

I'm aware that this changes the nature of my request somewhat. Please let me know if this is possible.

Yours sincerely,
Michael Lee

foi Uof Liverpool, University of Liverpool

3 Attachments

 

[1]Mrs Lesley Jackson Freedom of Information Co-ordinator The Foundation
Building 765 Brownlow Hill Liverpool L69 7ZX F 0151 794 3272 E
[University of Liverpool request email] www.liverpool.ac.uk

 

FOI/LJ

 

3^rd April 2018

 

 

Mr. Michael Lee

Via email:   [2][FOI #468450 email]

 

 

 

Dear Mr. Lee,

 

Thank you for your email received 5^th March 2018 requesting information
about viva success/failure rates.   I am pleased to provide the
information as set out in the attached spreadsheet.

 

If you are not satisfied with the University’s response to your request,
you may ask the University to review it.  If you wish to do this, please
write to the Freedom of Information Reviewer, Legal, Risk & Compliance,
The University of Liverpool, The Foundation Building, 765 Brownlow Hill,
Liverpool, L69 7ZX (email [3][University of Liverpool request email]), enclosing a copy of
your original request and explaining your complaint.  Please include an
address for correspondence.

 

If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have a
right to appeal to the Information Commissioner at:-

 

The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane,
Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

Telephone:     0303 123 1113

Website: [4]www.ico.org.uk  

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Lesley Jackson

 

Freedom of Information Co-ordinator

 

 

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Dear foi Uof Liverpool,

I think a part of my request may have been missed out. In my initial request I stated:
"1) The total number of viva examinations that took place for that school's students for that year.
2) The total number of viva examinations in which a student successfully passed.
3) Total that failed (please count conversion to MSc as a failure)."

However the data you've sent me only appears to contain the total number of vivas that have taken place. Is there a reason for this?

Yours sincerely,
Michael Lee

foi Uof Liverpool, University of Liverpool

Dear Mr. Lee,

I will look into this matter and get back to you as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs Lesley Jackson, FOI Co-ordinator
The University of Liverpool, Foundation Building,
765 Brownlow Hill, Liverpool L69 7ZX

Email [University of Liverpool request email]

show quoted sections

foi Uof Liverpool, University of Liverpool

Dear Mr. Lee,

Please accept my apologies for the oversight.

The University is not required to report on viva examinations and outcomes and does not hold the data in a structured format. We therefore are unable to provide the information in relation to questions 2) and 3). We can say that fails are extremely rare as PGR progression is monitored and PGR not progressing as expected are transferred to MPhil.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs Lesley Jackson, FOI Co-ordinator
The University of Liverpool, Foundation Building,
765 Brownlow Hill, Liverpool L69 7ZX

Email [University of Liverpool request email]

show quoted sections

Dear foi Uof Liverpool,

Thank you for replying to my question.

Yours sincerely,
Michael Lee