CASE SUMMARIES

Coronavirus - CS052201

A group of students was on a two-year healthcare-related postgraduate research course. The students complained to the provider about a number of issues including problems with laboratory work and feedback, frequent timetable changes, and the move from lab-based projects to desk-based projects during a nationwide lockdown in the Covid-19 pandemic.

Coronavirus - CS052202

A student studying for a professionally accredited qualification failed a module. The student appealed the result. They said that they had not been given printed materials for the module and that they had personal circumstances that had affected their performance in the module.

Service issues - CS052203

A student completed a degree in Psychology with Criminology. When the student booked their graduation tickets, they realised for the first time that the degree was a BA. They expected to graduate with a BSc. The student complained to the provider.

Industrial action - CS052204

A student complained about the impact of industrial action on their studies. The provider rejected the complaint and said that it had taken steps to make sure that students could complete their assessments and it had delivered alternative sessions for those sessions that were missed.

Coronavirus: Group complaints - CS052205

A group of students were on a one-year MA in a practical arts-based subject. The course was new for the provider, and the group was in the first cohort, starting in 2018/2019.

Service issues: Group complaint - CS052206

A few months into a new five-year MBBS programme to study medicine at an overseas campus, some students complained about their experience so far. They said the course had fallen short of what the provider had promised in advertising material.

Disability - CS052207

A student suffered a serious injury in an accident during their studies. Some months later they asked their provider for support for the ongoing impact of their injury on their studies.

Disability - CS052208

A student experiencing complex mental health difficulties interrupted their studies during their first year. The provider backdated the student’s interruption so that they weren’t charged tuition fees.

Coronavirus - CS072108

An international student was on a two-year course that started in January 2020, living in accommodation owned by their provider. In March 2020 the student returned to their home country just before the nationwide lockdown was announced in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Coronavirus - CS072101

A student was on a one-year Bar Professional Training Course. In March 2020 the higher education provider stopped all face-to-face teaching because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The student complained to the provider and asked for a refund of tuition fees, saying that in not delivering face-to-face teaching the provider was breaching the terms and conditions of the course. The provider refused to give the student any tuition fee refund.