A master’s student who struggled to obtain extensions to her studies after being diagnosed with terminal cancer has been awarded a substantial pay-out from the University of Warwick, whose staff have admitted “we got it wrong”.
Riham Sheble said that compensation of £12,000 represented a “significant victory” for migrant students with disabilities in the UK.
Ms Sheble, who is originally from Egypt and came to study in the UK from Qatar, started a film and television course at Warwick in 2018 but has been unable to complete her studies after first being sexually assaulted and then diagnosed with uterine sarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer, that has spread to her spine.
Her latest extension request in April 2022 was initially turned down by the university, putting her future right to stay in the country and access healthcare in jeopardy. Although this decision was eventually overturned, Ms Sheble pursued a complaint for the distress caused.
