Students begin Covid compensation claim against more UK universities

More than 170,000 students across the country are seeking compensation against 36 universities, including University of Warwick, due to the impact caused by government Covid restrictions.

The sudden spike in claims came after the Financial Times revealed that University College London (UCL) “agreed to pay £21mn to settle a lawsuit brought by students over Covid disruption” in a confidential settlement involving 6,500 former students. It is the first case of its kind to reach the High Court, and the terms of the settlement remain confidential.

The defence maintains that the pandemic was beyond the universities’ ‘reasonable control’

The case was brought under consumer law, which covers lawsuits where a consumer pays for a service but receives one of lower-value, entitling them to compensation.

Students alleged that disruptions to learning, such as cancelled lectures, reduced access to libraries, and less academic support, meant they did not receive the full educational value of the courses they paid for. Courses that rely on specialist facilities, such as art studios and laboratories, were the worst hit by restrictions.

Covid-19 created disruption across society, and universities were no exception

Dr Michael Spence

Covid restrictions meant all courses were forced to moved online; ordinarily, online-based courses would be 25-50% cheaper than their in-person counterparts. Lawyers for the students are leveraging this price difference to push for financial compensation.

The defence maintains that the pandemic was beyond the universities’ ‘reasonable control’, and that moving courses online was a result of mandatory government restrictions that institutions were required to follow.

Dr Michael Spence, the UCL president since 2021, has said that “Covid-19 created disruption across society, and universities were no exception”. When quizzed on the settlement, he stated that “this resolution enables us to focus on our core mission of delivering world-leading research and education”. The University admitted no liability and declined to comment on the settlement sum.

Over 30,000 students from 36 different universities have joined the Student Group Claim in the week following the UCL pay out. Large-scale legal action is expected to continue in the coming weeks as pressure mounts on the country’s top institutions.