Coronavirus lockdown: 'I'm not paying £9,250 for Zoom university'

The university education of hundreds of thousands of students across the country has been disrupted across two academic years.

Many are frustrated that the standard of their tuition is not what they had expected but also that they are still having to pay all of their fees.

One university said it will be up to the government to decide whether fees are reimbursed.

The Department for Education said universities must still "maintain quality and academic standards" despite the pandemic.

For Ella Lawton, a journalism and public relations student at the University of the West of England (UWE) near Bristol, her university is "doing its best, though the best isn't good enough".

She has ADHD, autism, chronic fatigue syndrome, dyslexia and dyspraxia and has found her second year especially difficult because all of her classes have been online.

Miss Lawton principally blamed the government for not helping universities enough.

"We need to stop being told that we are receiving the same level of education [that was offered before the pandemic] because it is not," she said.

"The government has repeatedly left out university students. It's not acceptable.

"We are a huge part of society, the economy and we are the future of what the economy - hopefully anyway - and we are being missed out."

Betsy Bowman-Hood, a third-year politics and international relations student at the University of Bristol, started a petition calling for it to formally announce a safety net for students affected by the lockdown.

A measure which was given to last year's students, it protects grades in the face of the disruption caused by the pandemic.

Miss Bowman-Hood's petition has been signed by more than 2,800 people.

Currently living at home near Reading, she said: "I'm not paying £9,250 for Zoom university. I expected in-person teaching.

"I accept why there has not been in-person teaching but [the university] needs to make allowances for that."

Her university said on Friday that it will work with other Russell Group universities and their respective student representatives to ensure there is a "robust package of mitigations" in place "to take account of individuals' circumstances during the national lockdown".

Orin Carlin, a third-year Classics student at Bristol, is paying £1,650 every three months for a house that she is not allowed to stay in.

Currently living at home in Surrey, she said: "I wouldn't prefer to be at home. In terms of the access to the resources I need, I need to be in Bristol. The books I need are in Bristol."

Asked what she wants to happen, she said: "I don't really know. I think that's the reality for a lot of students - we don't really know what the best thing is.

"I think we just need a bit of reassurance - for final-year students especially.

"What we get this year really matters, especially for students applying for Master's [degrees] and graduate schemes."

A University of Bristol spokesperson said support packages for students since the start of the pandemic have cost more than £6.5m and that it is "working hard to mitigate the effects of the latest lockdown".

It said it offered a rent rebate in halls of residence until February and discussions are ongoing about future rent payments.

They added: "We would like to assure students that we are aware of their concerns and will provide further information as soon as we can."

A UWE spokesperson said it "recognised that students' university experience this year has not been as they might have wanted".

It said it updated its academic regulations last March to ensure a no detriment approach for students affected by the lockdown, protecting their grades, is in place, "rather than just being available in limited emergency situations".

They added: "We understand that these are extraordinary times, and the university remains open to support students, including wellbeing support, financial support and support for course-related matters, including assessments."

UWE said it remains "in discussions" with the government over tuition fees.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "We understand this has been a very difficult time for students, which is why we have prioritised their education and wellbeing from the start of this pandemic."

They said universities are responsible for setting fees but if they want to continue charging the full amount, they "are expected to maintain quality and academic standards and the quantity of tuition should not drop."