Complaints to the universities watchdog are on the rise again, with unhappy students receiving a total of more than £650,000 in refunds and compensation last year.

The annual report of the Office of the Independent Adjudicatorshowed that an increasing proportion of complaints were from students dissatisfied with poor facilities, and with course content differing to what was originally offered. Complaints also arose over a lack of teaching and supervision.

The watchdog said it had received 1,635 complaints in 2017, an 8% increase compared with 2016 when complaints were at their lowest level since tuition fees in England were raised to £9,000 a year.

The number of complaints that were justified or settled rose to nearly one in four – the highest rate in recent years. The 24% which were judged to be justified or settled was up from 22% the previous year and the 18% in 2012, when the total number of complaints hit a record level.

Law students and students on business courses were the most likely to complain to their universities and colleges, and to persevere with appeals to the independent adjudicator. The adjudicator said these groups “tended to be more aware of their rights than some other students”.



International students were more likely to complain than UK or EU students, accounting for 23% of complaints despite making up just 13% of the student body.

The bulk of complaints were over “academic status”, including exam marks and degree results, while discrimination and human rights accounted for just 5% of the cases.

Payments were offered to almost 200 students, and totalled £583,321. A further £70,000 was offered through separate settlements agreed after students complained.

In one case described in the annual report a student received £47,000 in compensation and refunds after his complaint about a postgraduate supervisor led to the university terminating his studies for “lack of engagement”.

In another case, a university paid out £17,000 to an international student after it decided his study should have been terminated 18 months earlier due to lack of progress – causing him to pay for fees and living expenses when there was little chance of completing the degree.

The adjudicator even advised universities on churlish apologies that failed to satisfy their recipients, including one that read: “I apologise for any perceived mistakes that have been made by the university, and wish you luck for the future.”

