Case Summaries

Consumer rights issues - CS041905

Case summary April 2019 | Partly Justified

A student enrolled on an International Graduate Medicine (MBBS) programme that included some placements in the USA. In their second year the student complained about information provided in the prospectus about the placements and asked to do their placement in the UK rather than the USA.

The provider’s investigation report concluded that the placement issues in the USA had been resolved and that there was no evidence of an intention to mislead students.

The student complained to us. We reviewed the student’s complaint and concluded that some of the Appeal Committee’s conclusions were not reasonable. We thought that the Committee had not investigated properly or addressed the student’s concerns about information contained in the programme prospectus. We decided that the programme had not been delivered as advertised and the complaint was Partly Justified.

We recommended that the provider should offer to pay the student the sum of £20,000 in compensation for the disappointment, distress and inconvenience caused by the incorrect information in the prospectus and for other issues with the course. We also recommended that the provider should review its internal procedures, guidance and practice to ensure that staff understand the requirements of consumer law and the importance of providing accurate information to applicants and students.