Case summary April 2023 | Partly Justified
A student was studying for a degree in business with a foreign language. The student was affected by mental health difficulties and during their first year of study they had discussed and agreed with the provider what support would be helpful.
Case summary October 2023 | Not Justified
A student was disciplined after the fire alarm in their room was disabled by their partner. The provider decided that this was a breach of the Accommodation Terms and Conditions. The student was fined £500 and their accommodation contract was terminated, with a ban on re-applying in the future. The student appealed this sanction as they considered it was too harsh. The provider rejected the appeal.
Case summary October 2023 | Not Justified
A provider investigated a number of complaints about a student behaving inappropriately. After gathering information, it held a panel hearing which the student attended with a representative.
Case summary October 2023 | Not Justified
A student made an arrangement with a third party for the payment of their tuition fees. The student paid the third party an amount in an overseas currency and they expected the third party to pay the student’s fees in British pounds sterling. The student shared their login details with the third party. The provider became aware that the fee payments were made using stolen credit cards.
Case summary October 2023 | Settled
Two groups of students were disciplined after a party at their accommodation caused damage to the property. Two group decisions were made which were based on different sets of evidence.
Case summary October 2023 | Partly Justified
A student was subject to disciplinary proceedings after a complaint was made by other students about their behaviour in a WhatsApp group. Following a disciplinary investigation, the student was excluded from the programme. As a goodwill gesture, the provider offered the student a tuition fee refund.
Case summary October 2023 | Not Justified
A PhD student’s access to some of the provider’s laboratories was suspended after incidents that may have posed a health and safety risk to the student and others.
Case summary October 2023 | Justified
A student, Student A, was unhappy with the actions of Student B in their role as a student union officer. Student A spoke with Student B on two occasions in a week about their dissatisfaction. After these conversations Student B complained to the provider that Student A’s behaviour had been threatening.
Case summary January 2024 | Not Justified
A student received a warning for violating the Student Code of Discipline because smoke in their room set off the fire alarm in their accommodation.
Case summary January 2024 | Not Justified
A student had to move out of accommodation A so the provider could make fire safety improvements to the building. The student was offered £500 for any disruption caused and they were told they could be released from their tenancy agreement if they were unhappy with the alternative accommodation offered.
We publish summaries of some of the complaints that we review. We always leave out of the summary any information that might identify the student who made the complaint. In some cases we decide that it is in the public interest to publish a summary of a complaint that includes the name of the provider.
