Higher education providers have paid students tens of thousands of pounds in compensation after their courses failed to secure expected accreditation.

The Office of the Independent Adjudicator, the sector ombudsman for England and Wales, has warned universities that they should provide ¡°timely¡± communication to students if courses lose their accreditation in light of the cases.?

In a series of case studies, the OIA how an international student received ?50,000 after their university informed students that their course had failed to secure accreditation only 10 days before the start of term.?

The student complained to the provider, claiming that while they had applied to an alternative institution, they were unable to complete the transfer as they had already signed an accommodation contract with the original provider, and there wasn¡¯t enough time for them to arrange a new student visa.?

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The institution offered the student ?4,000 in compensation, resulting in the student complaining to the OIA, who said that ¡°the provider¡¯s offer wasn¡¯t reasonable because it didn¡¯t go far enough to recognise the impact of the issues on the student¡±, and it eventually agreed to pay the student ?50,000.?

In another , a student received ?35,000 after their course lost accreditation as they entered their second year.

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The provider had made arrangements to transfer students to a different institution as well as offering a small compensation package, but the student in question was unable to accept the transfer package?because of their childcare responsibilities. They requested further compensation for loss of earnings and additional compensation for inconvenience.

When the student complained, the provider did not uphold the student¡¯s complaint, and offered them an exit award and ?7,500 that had been issued to all affected students, in addition to a ?2,000 support payment that had already been made.

After intervention from the OIA, the provider put forward an alternative offer of a full tuition fee refund, more than ?28,000 for loss of earnings, and ?7,000 for distress and inconvenience.

The OIA the case studies?demonstrated ¡°the importance of clear and timely advice for students to enable them to make informed choices about continuing to study¡±, adding: ¡°Providers should consider the additional support students may need to manage the impact of a transfer on their academic, financial and personal well-being.¡±

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It further noted that students will have to reach any decisions about transfers ¡°promptly¡±, and that it is good practice for providers to communicate any deadlines clearly.

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com