English universities told to consider refunds as Covid cases rise

English universities should consider issuing partial tuition fee refunds if teaching is disrupted by Covid-19, the sector regulator has said.

The Office for Students (OfS) urged institutions against a “blanket policy” of refusing refunds as growing numbers of coronavirus cases were reported on UK campuses, and thousands of students were placed in self-isolation.

A small number of institutions have already suspended in-person teaching. Aberystwyth University said on 28 September that teaching would be online-only for the remainder of the week, following confirmation of Covid-19 cases in the student community. Manchester Metropolitan University, where about 1,700 students have been placed in isolation for a fortnight after 127 tested positive, has moved all foundation and first-year teaching online.  

Around 40 universities are reported to have confirmed coronavirus cases in their campus communities. At Queen’s University Belfast, about 100 students have been told to self-isolate after 30 people tested positive.

Some students have questioned why they were told to come to campuses and pay for accommodation when so much teaching was being done remotely – concerns that have mounted as more tuition has gone online and more lockdowns have been imposed.

Manchester Met has announced a two-week rent rebate plus a care package including a £50 grocery gift card for students placed into self-isolation. The University of Glasgow, where 600 students were told to self-isolate after 172 tested positive, had already put a similar package in place.

Nicola Dandridge, the OfS chief executive, said it was “essential” that universities “provide students with as much clarity as possible on what they can expect”.

She said that students “have a right to good-quality higher education – whether that is taught online, in person or a mixture of the two” and that the regulator would be “following up with individual universities and colleges where we have concerns about the arrangements they are making for teaching and academic support” during periods of self-isolation.

“Students make a significant investment in their higher education and have rights as consumers,” Ms Dandridge added. “In considering whether to make partial tuition fee refunds, we would expect a university to consider the circumstances for each student rather than to adopt a blanket policy that refunds are not available.”

On 28 September, a spokesman for the prime minister said that it was expected that all students would be able to return home at Christmas, after health secretary Matt Hancock refused to rule out preventing this.

Michelle Donelan, the universities minister in the Westminster government, welcomed the OfS’ statement. “Universities must give as much clarity to students as possible on the tuition they will be receiving, and should ensure that guidance on Covid-19 testing and welfare and emergency resources is readily available,” she said.

chris.havergal@timeshighereducation.com