The 36 universities currently in receipt of pre-action claim letters include Imperial College London, The London School of Economics and Political Science, University of Exeter, University of Bristol, Cardiff University, University of Leeds, University of Liverpool and more.
The move follows 6,000 University College London students, represented by 'Student Group Claim', reaching a settlement with UCL last week over claims their courses were affected by the pandemic. UCL admitted no liability in agreeing to the settlement, but the deal has been enough to shift the spotlight onto a host of other higher education institutions that were allegedly unable to adequately provide the courses students paid for. There is a deadline for student claims relating to Covid of September 2026.
Shimon Goldwater, a partner in Asserson Solicitors, which is representing students, said: "UK undergraduates at university during the pandemic borrowed money at ridiculous interest rates to fund courses which were ruined by online teaching and closed facilities.
"Student Group Claim is helping students challenge universities to do what they should have done during Covid: pay students compensation for not providing them with the in-person teaching for which they paid."
Why are students taking legal action against their universities?
Students are taking action because they do not believe they received the service they paid for – a full, in-person university course.
Consumer law in the UK dictates that if a consumer receives a service that is of lower value than the one they paid for, then they may be entitled to compensation. Student representatives argue that those studying during the pandemic paid for in-person teaching and full access to campus facilities, not an online course. Many universities do offer online-only courses, but often charge a much cheaper rate. Therefore, the argument is that 'Covid students' should be compensated for the difference between the money they paid and the cost of an online-only course.
During different phases of the pandemic, as government guidance and rules shifted, students were at various points forced to return home or stay locked down in university accommodation, with teaching moved online and campus facilities restricted or closed. This was especially problematic for students on courses that relied on specialist facilities or practical teaching, but claimants have also raised issues over whether online learning can ever be considered a fair equivalent to in-person teaching.
Student Group Claim states on its website: "By our current estimate UK-resident undergraduates who were at university during the pandemic will be able to claim on average £5,000 in compensation." In the case of the UCL settlement, the actual agreement remains confidential.
Universities UK, which represents 142 higher learning institutions, has argued that government guidance made online teaching the only available option. A spokesperson said: "During some periods of lockdown, universities were not permitted to offer in-person teaching as usual and instead they adjusted quickly and creatively to allow students to complete their degrees."
How can students take legal action against their university?
The Student Group Claim organisation is seeking students to join group claims against universities. The current batch of legal letters sent out refer to the academic years 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22.
The claim could expand to include more institutions in the future, but the below universities have been contacted by the group at the time of writing:
- University of Bath
- University of Birmingham
- Birmingham City University
- University of Bristol
- Cardiff University
- City St George's, University of London
- Coventry University
- De Montfort University
- University of East Anglia
- University of Exeter
- Imperial College London
- University of Kent
- King's College London
- University of Leeds
- Leeds Beckett University
- University of Liverpool
- Liverpool John Moores University
- London School of Economics and Political Science
- Loughborough University
- The University of Manchester
- Manchester Metropolitan University
- Newcastle University
- University of Nottingham
- Nottingham Trent University
- Northumbria University
- University of Portsmouth
- Queen Mary University of London
- University of Reading
- University of Sheffield
- Sheffield Hallam University
- University of Southampton
- Swansea University
- University of the Arts London
- University of The West of England
- University of Warwick
- University of York
If you think you may have been affected, you could read more about the claim on the Student Group Claim website.
How expensive is studying at university?
Part of the anger over the level of teaching Covid students received is rooted in 'value for money' and the growing cost of studying at university.
If you do not pay your fees upfront, it is essentially impossible to work out how much your university degree will cost you, even decades after you have graduated. The cost of going to university is based on an increasingly complicated combination of loan repayment thresholds, inflation figures, interest calculations, headline fees, maintenance loans and support grants.
Much of the UK's current graduate population will have paid nothing to study at university, with tuition fees only introduced by the Labour government in 1998. This applied only to England, as the devolved governments were able to set their own fee structures and continue to do so. Initially in England, there was a £1,000 per year cap, which was raised to £3,000 in 2004, £3,225 in 2009, £9,000 in 2012, £9,250 in 2017 and £9,535 in 2025. Starting this year, the maximum amount universities can charge will increase annually in line with inflation.
The jump to £9,000 in 2012 was deeply controversial, especially when paired with an interest rate of RPI plus 3% on student loans, and was part of a restructuring of the student loan repayment system that saw graduating borrowers pay 9% of their earnings over a set threshold towards their debt. Further controversy has bubbled up recently over the ethics of freezing this threshold, though there was never a legal commitment from the government to link the figure to average earnings.
Student loans were reformed again in 2023 to lengthen the period before the debt is written off from 30 years to 40 years and decrease the threshold at which you start making repayments. Most graduates and current students remained under the particular loan system and repayment plan that was in place when they started their course, so there is a huge variance among UK graduates in what they paid in tuition fees and how they repay their loans.
You can read more about the cost of going to university in our article 'Student debt: What you need to know about repaying your student loans'.
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