Students should not be charged for extra terms, says minister

UNIVERSITIES have been warned not to force students to pay for any extra terms in order to graduate, with a minister saying that this would be unacceptable.

Michelle Donelan, the higher education minister, also said students should not expect to have tuition fees refunded if their university has provided adequate online learning resources.

However, she warned that if universities are unable to set up online tuition then it would be “unacceptable for students to be charged for any additional terms” in order to complete their course, as this would mean they are “effectively being charged twice”.

She made the intervention amid rising concern among vice-chancellors about the financial difficulties their institutions face as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Last week universities demanded a £2billion bailout after saying that without a government-backed cash injection some institutions face “financial failure”.

Universities across the country told students to return home last month and have moved lectures and classes online. Graduation ceremonies and final year exams have been cancelled, with online alternatives offered. Vicechancellors

wrote to the Chancellor of the Exchequer earlier this month to ask for a 100 per cent increase in research funding next academic year to plug the hole in their budget due to the coronavirus pandemic.

University leaders say they face an immediate shortfall of £790 million due to loss of income from accommodation, catering and renting out their facilities for conferences during the Easter holidays.

They also face “extreme” financial risks next academic year since they project a “significant fall” in international students as well as a potential rise in the number of British students deferring their studies.