London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 04, 2025

University to pay out £5k for 'less valuable' experience

University to pay out £5k for 'less valuable' experience

A university has been ordered to pay a student £5,000 in compensation for lost teaching time during England's first lockdown, a complaints watchdog says.

The Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) has released a number of complaints students have made about the impact of Covid on their studies.

They include concerns over disrupted learning, accommodation and missed practical elements of courses.

The cases show the "complex situations" the pandemic brings, the OIA says.

The OIA is independent body that reviews student complaints about universities and other higher education providers in England and Wales under the Higher Education Act 2004.

Its complaints scheme is offered free to students.

In 2020, the OIA received 2,604 complaints, 500 of which related to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Among the complainants was an international medical student who had been studying at an undisclosed university and paying course fees of £38,000.

The student was awarded £5,000 after the university stopped all clinical placements as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, meaning the individual had lost out on practical experience.

The OIA said it was awarded due to the "severe disappointment and inconvenience" the student had experienced because the final year of studies had been "less valuable" than expected.

A healthcare student has also been awarded £1,500 for the "inconvenience and significant disappointment" they faced due to the cancellation of a lab-based research project as part of their Master's degree course.

The student had been moved to remote learning by the university in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak.

The student said this meant missing out on the practical techniques that employers looked for, disadvantaging them when applying for jobs.

The OIA concluded that while the institution had taken a "number of steps" to ensure students were not disadvantaged academically, it could not deliver the promised lab work.

Another student was given £200 after missing out on 14 hours of learning time because of industrial action that took place over November and December 2019, along with disruption caused by coronavirus.

And another case saw the lifting of an international student's accommodation penalty, imposed after they were found to be breaching social-distancing rules when a friend visited their room.

The student, who has a mental health condition, was excluded from the accommodation despite giving reasons for the friend's visit.

The OIA said it considered the penalty "harsh" and that the university had agreed to reduce the penalty to a formal warning.

Some complaints rejected


But not all complaints were upheld by the adjudicator.

One student was not given a refund by the watchdog after paying university accommodation fees in three instalments before the first lockdown was enforced.

The student had asked to be refunded fees paid in March 2020 after the institution got in touch to say they should consider returning home.

The university had decided not to ask any students to pay the third instalment when it became due in April, but refused to refund the amount the student had paid for the six-week period before that.

The OIA ruled that the university had adopted a "fair approach" in a "very challenging" situation by giving the option for students to stay at the accommodation during the lockdown.

Two other students did not have their complaints over issues around teaching arrangements and exam-marking criteria upheld.

'Challenging situations'


Independent adjudicator Felicity Mitchell said: "The case summaries reflect the hugely challenging and complex situations that students and providers have faced as a result of the pandemic.

"Where possible we try to reach a settlement, and we are pleased that in many cases providers and students have been very open to this.

"The summaries illustrate our approach to deciding what is fair and reasonable in these kinds of situations. We hope they will be helpful to providers and students."

The group Universities UK says students should "speak to their universities in the first instance" if they have a complaint.

A spokeswoman added: "Universities are developing plans to support students to have the fullest possible experience when they return to campuses. "

In February, England's Universities Minister Michelle Donelan announced an extra £50m for student hardship funds, on top of £20m agreed in December, in recognition of the disruption students have faced during the pandemic.

Her announcement came as the vice-chancellors of seven universities called for the interest on student loans in England to be scrapped for 15 months.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
×