The University has ruled out offering any general financial reimbursement to students affected by disruption caused by recent strikes or the Covid-19 pandemic.

In an email circulated to all students earlier this week (20/06), Professor Graham Virgo, the senior pro-vice-chancellor for education,  stated that while “some students may consider that they have incurred significant financial loss or damage… and believe that they have valid ground(s) for complaint against the University” as a result of the strikes and/or the pandemic, the University would not be offering “a fee refund or financial reimbursement generally to students.” 

This announcement is repeated in the official University guidance regarding complaints on the basis of Covid-19 and the strike action during the past academic year, mentioned by Virgo in his email. The guidance reads that while the University acknowledges the impact of both of these factors on students’ education over the last year, “few (if any) students will in fact have been materially disadvantaged as a result of industrial action and Covid-19” due to the past actions taken by the University to mitigate their impact “as far as reasonably possible.”

Such actions allegedly include “rearranging teaching where possible, providing as much in-person teaching as possible, delivering teaching online if in-person was not possible, modifying examinations or assessments where appropriate (while maintaining academic standards) and providing pastoral support and guidance.” 

Defending its position on financial reimbursement, the official guidance claims that “tuition fees are charged for a wide range of educational facilities, services and learning opportunities” beyond simply teaching facilities, and that teaching obligations were fulfilled (albeit in alternative formats) despite the obstacles posed by the strikes and the pandemic. 

It also states that “the terms of admission, which students agree when they accept a place at Cambridge, includes a clause which states that the University will not be liable for matters outside the University’s control, which explicitly includes strikes or other industrial action, pandemics and restrictions imposed by government or public authorities.” Virgo’s email similarly claims that the impact of the strikes and Covid-19 on Cambridge students were “sector-wide and affected by decisions made outside of the University.”

Students are able to request an exam review “if they believe their performance in examinations has been adversely impacted” by Covid-19 or strike action. 

Formal complaints can also be made by students who “consider that they have incurred significant financial loss or damage as a consequence of industrial action and/or the pandemic and who believe that they have valid ground(s) for complaint against the University.” Complaint forms must be submitted by 18th July. 

The announcement comes after an academic year in which staff have walked out several times as part of UCU strikes over pension cuts and the “four fights” dispute, concerning issues such as pay, job security, workloads and equality.