Students are taking legal action against 36 more universities, claiming they didn't receive the full education they paid for during the Covid pandemic. This follows a settlement between University College London (UCL) and the Student Claim Group, which is now representing other students and graduates. The main part of the claim is about the difference in tuition fee price between courses delivered online and in person. During the pandemic, most university teaching shifted online for long periods of time, with students either returning home or locking down in university accommodation. Access to shared facilities on campus was restricted, which caused particular anger among students whose courses involved providing specialist facilities for practical work. Many of the students involved in the claim will also have suffered further disruption during strikes by staff in long-running disputes over pensions, pay or working conditions. The 36 universities to have received a pre-action letter are: University of Bath, University of Birmingham, Birmingham City University, University of Bristol, Cardiff University, City St George's, University of London, Coventry University, De Montfort University, University of East Anglia, University of Exeter, Imperial College London, University of Kent, King's College London, University of Leeds, Leeds Beckett University, University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University, London School of Economics and Political Science, Loughborough University, The University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, Newcastle University, University of Nottingham, Nottingham Trent University, Northumbria University, University of Portsmouth, Queen Mary University of London, University of Reading, University of Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam University, University of Southampton, Swansea University, University of the Arts London, University of The West of England, University of Warwick, University of York. The deadline for student claims relating to Covid is in September 2026.
