London: Around 500 students based in India are believed to be among over 20,000 international applicants seeking compensation from 36 UK universities in a class action legal case for not receiving the level of education they paid for during the COVID pandemic.
Student Group Claim, made up of around 170,000 potential student claimants as part of the collective lawsuit, said this week that a pre-action letter with information about the proposed claim has been issued to all 36 institutions.
The group, represented by law firms Asserson and Harcus Parker, has claimed that students should be compensated for not receiving the level of education expected.
While they paid for in-person teaching and access to university facilities like libraries and studios, their teaching was moved online and facilities were closed for lengthy periods during COVID. “UK undergraduates at university during the pandemic borrowed money at ridiculous interest rates to fund courses which were ruined by online teaching and closed facilities,” said Shimon Goldwater, partner at Asserson.
“Student Group Claim is helping students challenge universities to do what they should have done during COVID: pay students compensation for not providing them with the in-person teaching for which they paid,” he said. Fees for online degree courses in the UK are typically 25-50 per cent less than fees for traditional in-person courses. According to the group’s legal team, universities should have paid that difference in value to students as compensation during the pandemic. “Students who were at university during COVID, particularly in the 2020-21 academic year, had a very rough ride, but they have received no compensation or tuition fee reductions. “Instead, they have been saddled with eye-watering debt from fees and costs for an educational experience that utterly failed them. We are helping them seek fair financial compensation through the courts because this is perhaps the biggest misjustice coming out of the pandemic,” said Adam Zoubir, partner at Harcus Parker.
It comes as a confidential settlement was agreed by University College London (UCL) with its group of students, while admitting no liability and stressing that it followed “UK government guidance and implemented comprehensive safety measures” during the lockdown period.
“We recognise that the COVID years were incredibly difficult for students. COVID-19 created disruption across society, and universities were no exception,” Dr Michael Spence, UCL President & Provost, said in a statement last week. “UCL has never disputed the principle that individuals may seek legal remedies. Throughout the pandemic, we provided clear routes for students to seek redress, and many secured compensation through those established processes. This resolution enables us to focus on our core mission of delivering world-leading research and education,” he said. Student Group Claim says it is pursuing compensation for students linked with the other leading British universities on the basis that under English law, a consumer who pays for a service but is provided with a different service of a lower value is entitled to compensation.
This means they should receive damages reflecting the difference between the market value of the service they paid for and the market value of the service they actually received, it adds. It is inviting other students who may have a claim relating to the 2020-21 academic year, which was the worst affected by COVID, before the September 2026 deadline under the UK’s Limitation Act.
“Anyone who was at university during the pandemic, particularly in the 2020-21 academic year, could have a substantial claim for compensation,” the group said. Universities UK International (UUKi), the representative body for 140 UK universities, said the COVID-19 pandemic threw two years of “unprecedented challenge” at universities and their students.
“Institutions – like other sectors – followed government guidance to adapt to a fast-changing situation. During some periods of lockdown, universities were not permitted to offer in-person teaching as usual and instead they adjusted quickly and creatively to allow students to complete their degrees,” a UUKi spokesperson said.
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