Tens of thousands of students who were at university during the pandemic have joined a group claim for compensation, amid reports one of the UK’s leading institutions has paid out £21 million.
Another 30,000 from various universities signed up to the student group’s claim this week, bringing the total to nearly 200,000, lawyers for the student claimants said.
University College London (UCL) has since confirmed last week that it has reached a settlement with 6,500 former students who launched legal proceedings claiming they were not receiving the education they were paid for during the Covid pandemic.
The university has not admitted any liability and the terms of the settlement have been kept confidential. However, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday that an email to the claimants from their legal team said UCL had agreed to pay £21m to settle the claim.
Neither UCL nor lawyers representing students have confirmed the figure, but it is likely to send shock waves through a university sector already facing serious financial challenges.
Pre-action claim letters have been sent to 36 universities in England and Wales, including Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter, Imperial College London, Leeds, Liverpool and Warwick, but more institutions have themselves been targeted.
Asserson Lawyers partner Shimon Goldwater and Harcus Parker Lawyers partner Adam Jubir, who are jointly representing the students, said: “As the terms of the settlement between the claimants and UCL are confidential, we are unable to comment beyond what we have previously stated.
“However, since UCL announced the settlement, we can confirm that approximately 30,000 additional claimants who attended universities during the pandemic have joined the student group claim. We will continue the next phase of the litigation on behalf of the affected students.”
The legal action is being brought under the Consumer Act, which states that if a consumer pays for a service but is provided with a different service of lesser value, they may be entitled to compensation.
Advocates argued that students paid annual tuition fees for in-person instruction and full access to facilities, but Covid restrictions forced their courses to go online and campuses to close for significant periods.
Fees for online degree courses are typically 25-50% lower than traditional in-person courses, and student lawyers are required to pay their clients “fair financial compensation”.
Dr Michael Spence, UCL’s president and provost, said last week: “Covid-19 has caused disruption in society, and universities are no exception. Throughout the pandemic we have provided clear pathways for students to seek redress, and many have received redress through those established processes.
“This decision will help us focus on our core mission of providing world-leading research and education.”
