UCL students continue Covid lawsuit after talks break down

There could be a quick and fair and sensible settlement on the basis that: 1) the OIA has already determined that the going-rate for a week of lost T because of strike action is c£150 (and perhaps more if hefty international fees have been paid?); 2) a few other Us have already awarded £500 per punter where degree results were delayed because of strike action; and 3) a few US Us have settled on payments of around £100 per student who did not get F2F T because of Covid disruption. Those kind of figures seem in line with the application of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 to the B2C U-S contract to educate and also with CMA guidance that Us should not try to hide behind unfair force majeure clauses purporting to deny or limit liability for breach of contract. But a full review of the U-S contract in the context of consumer law by the High Court and probably the Court of Appeal is long overdue in terms of giving many millions of students who are incurring life-long fees debt the proper consumer protection that they deserve, so Good Luck to the Group Litigation!

I agree with David. As I was directly involved more than 20 years ago in the discussions which led to the abolition of the Visitorial role in student complaints, I can categorically state that the OIAHE was not set up to adjudicate on breach of contract claims, which are matters for the courts. Period, as they say. I wish the students well.

Where will this all end. Turning the UK in to the US with the obsession with litigation and grabbing "what you are due" is doom spiral. Many Unis are already strapped for money if more litigation comes how will they fund that? They can't get more foreign students, governments won't pay and tuition fees won't change. So what will happen? More cut backs, more redundancies, cutting the less profitable courses, dumbing down the content further and have it delivered by fewer and fewer people that are left in academia. None of this will end well. It's already happening just look at the recent articles on this very website. The trajectory is set, some universities will go bust in the not too distant future and not only is no one lifting a finger to stop it, it is actively being pursued by students, upper management and politicians alike.