A compensation bid by Covid-19 pandemic-hit students seeking to recover some of their “eye-watering” tuition fees after feeling “cheated” by their educational experience at one of London’s leading universities has reached the High Court.
Nearly 1,000 current and former students are bringing a claim against University College London (UCL), with thousands more wanting to join the legal action, alleging the university breached their tuition contracts.
Lawyers for the students accuse the university of trying to “fob them off” in their bid to “seek justice”, arguing UCL broke “promises” over its services during strike and coronavirus-affected years between 2017 and 2022.
Undergraduates and graduates, who can pay from £9,250 to £25,000 in fees per year, say they “have had enough” and are entitled to compensation over cancelled teaching days, tuition moved online and restricted access to facilities such as libraries and laboratories, a judge was told.
UCL is resisting students’ bid to join together their claims for damages at a preliminary hearing in London on Wednesday.
