The High Court has given University College London 4-8 months to try and agree a settlement with nearly 1,000 students and graduates who want refunds for time lost to strikes and the impacts of Covid. If they can’t agree on compensation then it could go to trial. This could have an impact on whether 120,000 graduates and students from various universities can try and win compensation.
Thousands of students are trying to win money back from their universities for time lost to lecturer strikes and the impacts of Covid-19.
120,000 current and former students who studied in the UK have signed up to a scheme run by two law firms called Student Group Claim. When I last wrote about this in December, it was 20,000.
It’s a no win no fee scheme where students only pay the lawyers if they’re successful. In this case it’s up to 35% of whatever they win.
The group says millions of students could benefit from this and claims it could cost universities hundreds of millions of pounds if enough students win money back.
It estimates that domestic students at university during the pandemic could get around £5,000 back with international students perhaps getting more.
Letters have been sent to 18 universities. UCL is the first university to have a claim made against it.
A Student Group Claim lawyer told me that the next step is to try and negotiate with the university to try and agree and settlement and if this isn't successful then they'll go to trial.
I’ll update on that when we know more.
UCL says it is “pleased that the High Court has ordered that proceedings be stayed to allow for the parties to attempt to resolve the students’ claims without the need for further litigation”.
The list of students affected by strikes is getting longer with 70,000 University and College Union (UCU) members striking at 150 universities over 18 days in February and March. It’s all to do with disputes over pay, pensions and working conditions. Members of the UCU are also involved in a marking boycott which has delayed graduations and seen some students graduate without knowing their final mark.
Students pay for university and have a contract with them. That means that under UK law universities and colleges have to provide the services they promised to students. That doesn’t change for strikes.
The Office for Students is an independent public organisation that reports to Parliament and makes sure that government and universities are working in students’ best interests.
It’s made this guide for students unhappy with the impact of strikes.
Back in December, I spoke to students who had studied across the UK to hear their experiences of university during the pandemic and strikes. You can watch that video below.