UK UNIVERSITIES RECEIVE 20,000 COMPLAINTS IN 12 MONTHS
Students and graduates now view themselves as ‘consumers’ who can demand value for money from the institutions which expect them to pay thousands of pounds in tuition fees. New statistics have revealed that UK universities received 20,000 complaints in the last year.
Somewhat bizarrely, the universities minister welcomed the news, saying:
“If there are more complaints because students are more aware of what they should expect of funding and are more demanding, then I think that’s a good thing.
“When there’s a fee of £9,000, the university is obliged to show what they’re doing and provide a decent service.”
A large proportion of the total appeals and complaints relate to cases where students appeal against their grades. But in other cases, students complain because they are unhappy with the content or structure of their courses. Some felt they had received too few taught hours (with lecturers or tutors) – while others had their course relocated to a campus many miles from where they were originally told. The independent adjudicator for higher education, Rob Behrens, said:
“I think the decision to raise the fees has had an impact on student thinking. Students do see themselves more as consumers than they used to. They want the best possible degree they can get.”
We want to know what graduates think, looking back on your university experience. Did your university give good value for money? Was your degree course what you expected? Would you recommend it to someone about to leave school now? Has it helped you to secure a well-paid graduate job? Have your say below…
Only 20,000 complaints? Most from ex-polys I assume. This trend is likely to get worse, even RG Universities will not be spared. Meaningless humanities/social science subjects where one can instead simply walk into a public library and take a book out…£9K a year + living expenses, who would do such a thing? To end up stacking shelves at Tescos or photocopying at an estate agent!
This is no surprise to me. I’m currently at university and some of the staff are so unprofessional. One lecturer in particular NEVER replies to emails, and when I went to his office to resolve the issue he let out a huff. I’m sorry, but I’m paying £9000 a year for this, the least you can do is reply to your bloody emails!
In all honesty, there must be three degree programmes at most (out of thousands) that are worth £9000 a year. Those would be medicine, dentistry (purely for the high salary when qualified) and perhaps chemical engineering.
@Paul
So the major signifier of ‘value’ for you is the kind of salary you can expect when you graduate with that degree?
I’m not having a go – just asking if that’s the case? ie joy of learning etc is a nice-to-have but it’s not what you’re really paying for? I’m just interested to explore this a bit more – students as ‘consumers’ is a huge shift that has only happened in the last 5 years I’d say…?
students as ‘consumers’ is a huge shift that has only happened in the last 5 years I’d say…?
Its not a huge shift, as a ‘consumer’ one always had choice of where to study. That was consumers exercising choice. All that’s happened is that given the monetisation of that choice the students are demanding value for money. I’d argue its not a huge huge, but a natural progression.
What does everyone else think, on that point? What / where is the ‘value’ for you in getting a degree? A better-paid job when you graduate than you would have got if you hadn’t been to uni? Or a higher chance of getting into the career you want, than if you hadn’t been? Or a more stimulating, exciting career than if you hadn’t been? I don’t think there are any right or wrong answers here, just an interesting question I think!
Students as consumers: No. The taxpayer pays until the student gets a job. It is a partnership to educate the young minds of today so they can better society and themselves for tomorrow. This does not condone providing a bad service though.
These descriptive statistics are also misleading. 20,000 complaints. How many were upheld? Complaints about grades? How many related to the grade alone and how many related to the procedure of marking?
Complaints purely about the grade awarded should rarely be entertained given that most marking is now anonymous.
This whole idea that students are now paying £9,000 for their course is also wrong. First, it has always cost this much it has just changed from the tax payer to the student as to who will pay in the end. Second, the £9,000 is not just for the course. It is for the facilities as well. If you want to direct some anger direct it at publishing companies for journal access.
The idea of more contact time. University is about independent learning. Would students gain much more from sitting in a class a few extra hours a week? People are quick to notice the perceived faults but slow to suggest alternatives.
David Willets’ comments also show once again he is not fit for the role. Are the students best placed to determine what they should be getting on a particular course? Complaints are a ‘good thing’ says the man from a political party that thinks competition is the panacea to all of life’s problems. If we pander to the students so easily then universities will provide what is going to keep them happy in what will descend in to a race to the bottom whether consciously or not, ultimately impacting on the wider economy. This is not what universities are about.
I based their worth on the cost of running the programme, and the graduate earnings. Running a chemistry or an engineering department is significant in comparison to say, sociology or English. Asking you for £9000 a year to read and write is laughable.
Hi Guys,
If we take a scientific approach to answering this question you will be surprised by the results.
What is a University Degree?
University is a very expensive four year long IQ test. The University System is nothing more than a filtering process to weed out people based on wealth and intelligence. Employers wait eagerly on the other side of top universities ready to “cherry pick” the best students to help run their business.
Why do we go to University?
Big Government + Big Education + Big Business has made it a “legal requirement” to get a bachelor degree (piece of paper) before you can apply for a decent job today. This has lead to “academic inflation” (everybody has a degree making it worthless) and to “progressive creditialism” additional certifications(money)to prevent too many people from entering the profession.
Today, we have literally millions of students who are graduating from universities with “mortgage size debts” with “no jobs”. This has lead to a new economic term called “underemployment” (people working at jobs that do not require a four year bachelor degree).
So, is college worth it today? The answer is “No”. It makes no sense to waste your time and money if you cannot get a return on your investment.
Thanks
Chris Wells
I have always tried to have a ‘you can’t put a price on the uni experience’ attitude but £9000 just seems like a lot of money compared to the £3000 when I was at uni. I do think it is time for a serious debate on the purpose of university and the value of a degree compared with what you have to pay.
@ Paul
So true. Pathetic, really. How can schools justify their advice to 6th formers? They have no idea of what the ‘real’ world is out there and should be prosecuted for misleading young people. I was one of them. I feel particularly sorry for those from poor/difficult/humble backgrounds who are buying this crap with the glossy marketing brochures/open days.
@ Chris
One long IQ test, really? When you can gain entry to an ex-poly with 1 A’level, Grade ‘E’ via clearing in september? But, obviously, it is not the role of the government to regulate! I know graduates flipping burgers at McDonalds! What help is their degree certificates? And in massive debt at that..
@ Catherine
Compare the annual tuition fees practiced on the continent and the evil EU! Yes, horrible, despicable EU. EUR 150 a year at French Universities! And likewise in Germany. The UK is an absolute rip-off for domestic students, bar the well-off.
My degree has not proved value for money. Then again nobody forced me to sign up. I bought into the lies the glossy prospectus sold me. I was the victim of scam but I’ve largely come to terms with it now.
@Graduate – Do not feel bad bro. Millions of people fell for the scam (including me). I just declared bankruptcy on my student loan. Thank God I do not have to pay it back.
@Nicholas – There is no bachelor degree that is “recession proof”. Therefore, university is practically useless for your survival. You will have to realize that what you’re teachers and family have told you about how the world works “do what you love and the money will follow”. Is bullshit. That is exactly what it is, bullshit!!!
Capitalism does not care about your dreams or what you want to do with your life. Capitalism only cares about making profits. It sucks but it is the cold hard truth. You must learn to accept reality or else you’re toast. If you choose not to embrace the truth and ignore it and live in a bubble of ideals. The end result will always be pain and suffering. Because this view is based on “fantasy” not “reality”.
I have accepted that my dreams (buying a house, having a family, having a good retirement) are not possible in this world without getting into an unholy amount of debt.
This is why socialism is so bad because it brainwashes people into believing that everybody can “do what they love and the money will follow”. People will do whatever possible to try to obtain this “ideal” but 99% of people will fail to achieve this ideal because it is not based in reality. As a result, they are stuck with mortgage size debts with no job and want to commit suicide because they believe something is wrong with them.
The reality is that they have been brainwashed by socialists who keep telling them to have a bachelor degree, 30 year career, a big house, 2.5. kids,and a solid retirement plan.
Capitalism = Reality – We here to survive and reproduce – The Hunger Games – To survive you must make profits – people get paid based on what the market wants and what skills are in demand – taxes are wealth transfers from productive people to fund useless socialism programs that the market does not want and ends up creating “Asset Bubbles” e.g student loans.
Socialism = Bullshit idealistic propaganda – We are here to live out our dreams and do what we love – You need a bachelor degree, 30 year career, a house, and 2.5 kids – Life is not all about the money – We need more government programs – We need more regulations – We need more funding – We should give everybody money.
Socialism has caused the student loan crisis, academic inflation, and progressive creditialism.
@ Chris
How did you manage to declare bankrupt on your student loan? Student loans are exempt from bankruptcy laws I believe so are not cleared under any circumstances. This means that even if you do declare yourself bankrupt you still have to pay your debt and possibly at a higher rate of interest. How did you do it?
@Nicolas
I live in New Zealand. The same problems your country is facing is happening globally.
In New Zealand, when you declare bankruptcy your student loan is included in your bankruptcy application. I had a 60k student loan.
However, it does have some strings attached. They will take all your assets you own. However, since I am a poor student who owns no assets (sad to say)they only took my $4,000 pension
It was worth it. Now I am debt free and can live my life and never get into debt again. Thank God I am free. YES!!!
I’m not too worried about student loans. I will pay nothing until I earn over 21k, and even then it isn’t very much (compared with the old loans). It’s the government who will likely pay the price as less people than expected will be able to make repayments. You couldn’t make it up.
I do get annoyed when I think about what I’m paying for. In real market terms I wouldn’t pay anything more than £1000 a year. When I think about all the times a lecturer has ignored my emails, I want to shove it down his throat. Or the broken and missing lab equipment we have had to deal with, or the lack of information passed to students. It’s so bad that I’m trying to transfer to a different university. I’m think of complaining about this specific lecturer, but I wonder if it will come back to bite me. I complained to the head of department about him and nothing was said (the head ignored all my emails). The staff just back one another up.
Straight up; unless you’re going to oxford, cabridge, durham etc, or doing medicine or dentistry, DON’T EVEN BOTHER WITH UNI.
The government could wipe the student loan book if they taxed the big corporations like Amazon a fair amount. They will never do that though, instead they are about to privatise student loans in 2015. I just hope to god the terms of the loans aren’t changed. If they do I expect there will be severe repercussions.
@ Chris
I cannot believe they raided your pension stripping you bare….it’s despicable.
@Nicolas – I know it just shows you how much the system is rigged against poor people. Me and my friends know how entire economic system works and how dirty the game is…
Success in life at least in monetary terms is not based on skill or intelligence it is based on nepotism, family connections, and how much debt you can take out from the banks.
Let me make self clear in order to become a millionaire in this economic system you must take on enormous amounts of debt (usually millions) and exploit a massive amount of labor. This system is so unfair and I hope it burns to the ground.
The idea that millions of graduates have to take out mortgage size debts in order to apply for a job is disgusting. In other words you have to get into debt in order to labour. This is the definition of an indenture servant.
Just to make matters worst the UK government has pass a law to prevent students from declaring their student loans in bankruptcy. Creating a entire nation of indenture servants. I hope every baby boomer burns in hell for designing this “debt based system”.
Do you think our generation is ever going to be able to own a home?, have a family?, or have a retirement in this economy? It is mathematically impossible to have these things without getting into massive amount of debt. especially, when jobs are disappearing rapidly and students are forced to work minimum wage jobs to survive (underemployed).
So, let me get this straight.You have to spend your entire 20s getting certified for job that does not exist and take out 50 – 100k to get this piece of paper. You then have to spend your entire 30s and possibly your 40s paying back your student loan debt.
So, by the time you are 40 -45 years old you will finally start to have a net positive value. So, in 20 – 25 years of working life you are suppose to buy a house that extremely overvalued, have a family, have kids and put them through college, and save for your retirement.
This is mathematically impossible and shows you that this generation is completely “f**king screwed”.
I mean royally screwed.
Hi Guys,
I even have solution for this problem but as always it will only fall on deaf ears
As you can already see the UK’s education system is so bad that the “free market” is now overwriting the UK’s education system by providing “college courses from top universities” for free online through YouTube and Google. Because this is what the “free market” really wants.
But, we still have a Government education system that forces people to pay 50 — 100k+ and spend four years of their life to get a piece of paper to apply for job.
This is absurd!!! Because this information is already available online where people can study it for free???
When you apply common sense and critical thinking to our current education system it seems retarded if not completely backwards. The Government forces people have to pay a ton of money and spend four years studying before applying for jobs. This method is not only slow and expensive but retarded when I think about it.
Employers want skilled people “right now” not four years later!!!
There are people who want to do these jobs but cant because of the financial barriers to entry and time needed to get the piece of paper in order to do the job. The solution is simple. Take away the “barriers to entry” imposed by government and allow the”free market” to do what it does best by providing people with the skills they need to get a job for free in a shorter amount of time.
For example, people should be able to take 3-4 week course and do an exam. The employer can then train them on the job after that. This method would solve the skill “mismatch problem” faster and allow people to retrain quickly if their field becomes automated with very little cost.
Do you see the power of the free market? It provides college education for free and trains people faster that solves the skill mismatch problem and allows people to get jobs in their field.
In addition, the UK Government needs to remove the exception of student loan debt in bankruptcy. This will allow everybody to declare bankruptcy. This method is a lot better than have millions dollars of tax payers money wasted on bailing out themselves. Instead this money can be used for other public programs.
Why is it once you finish college broke and in debt that things could have been much better if we just change our education system and point kids in the right direction?
Mark my words, that the education system is going to change and new methods of certification that are faster and cost less is going to take place.
But in the meantime everybody. Enjoy the decline.
Chris your ideas are very narrow here. That is not to say the system won’t change and it certainly is changing.
Sure, have a free market. Why bother funding education at all? Let us all live in the status quo. Everything will be fine.
Some people may be fine with learning everything online but the majority of studies support blended learning I am afraid.
If you argue that the ‘free market’ wants ‘free education’ then everything would be free. How are people meant to earn a living who are providing these courses? Please don’t say advertisement.
I would suggest you calm down a little bit and try to look at the situation a bit more objectively.
While we are at it, let’s get rid of tax. That’s a socialist ideal. Don’t worry, I am sure the money will flow straight to the essential resources like the police and NHS.
@Jeff
Oh great another “statist zombie” that has been brainwashed by socialists. I’m the father you never had who is slapping you across the face with a thing called “reality”. I will school you with a free lesson called Real World Economics 101 below.
What about big government? What about rewarding people who want to work hard?
When a government passes a law with good intentions it usually achieves the opposite. For example, the government spends billions of dollars of taxpayers money to subsidize higher education in the form of student loans to encourage more students to attend college. This might sound good at first. But in reality it causes tuition prices to increase because now everybody can get a student loan and can go to college.
This law gives colleges the incentive to lower their enrollment standards and offer places to anyone who can get a student loan. Colleges also have an incentive to offer useless courses (women studies) that do not help the student establish a career in the labor market. Do you really think they had this shit 50 years ago?
Student loan companies make it sound like “free money” and give an endless supply of money to anyone that has a pulse. They do not ask the student what they want to major in and what career they would like to do? In addition, they do not even ask the student how he/she will pay it back?
As mention all over the internet, millions of students who have completed university are finding out that their degrees are totally worthless because now everybody has one. In addition, this leads to oversupply of graduates for the amount of jobs available.
Many of these students are now stuck with mortgage size debts with no job or even worst underemployed (working at a job that does not require a four year bachelor degree).Plus, the Government passed a law to prevent students from declaring student loans in bankruptcy. Creating a nation of indenture servants.
This shows how destructive “one law” can be on millions of people and the free-market. Secondly, the Government is not of the people by the people for the people. The Government is a tool of the rich by the rich for the rich.
In addition, the Government establishes monopolies and protects them via the patent office. This is anti-competitive and forces everyone to pay higher prices and prevents innovation and entrepreneurship. Taxes are wealth transfers (legalized theft) from productive people to fund useless socialism programs that the market does not want and ends up creating “Asset Bubbles” e.g the college bubble (student loans).
Furthermore, the Government has made the situation much worse by imposing “continuing barriers” plus “barriers to entry” into certain professions e.g accountants, lawyers, and engineers. For example, barriers of entry include a four year bachelor degree plus four years of experience to get an entry level position.
In addition, to become a member of a “Society” whether that be an accounting society, law society, or an engineering society. Each year you must take additional training courses and pay a renewal license fee.
This has lead to progressive credentialism (endless chase of more and more credentials for a job that can be done with less or no education at all). This is to prevent too many people from entering the profession.
Ultimately, destroying millions of people’s lives by forcing them to keep paying more and more money to get certified to apply for a job. In other words, by the time they are 95 years old they will finally have all the credentials needed to apply for a job plus a massive mortgage size debt.
Lets be more objective? How about the 2.5 million people unemployed with degrees and mortgage size debts? The Government gave student loans to 18 years with no assets and pass a law to prevent them from declaring their student loans in bankruptcy just in case they could not find a job to pay it back. And you still believe the government should keep funding education?
LOOK AT WHAT THE EDUCATION SYSTEM HAS DONE TO YOUR PEOPLE. BY YOUR DEEDS YOU SHALL KNOW THEM. LOOK AT WHAT THE EDUCATION SYSTEM HAS PRODUCED. A NATION OF INDENTURED SERVANTS
You can thank me later for providing you this free lesson on Real World Economics. I bet you have learnt more about economics from me than any of your teachers in your entire human existence.
PS: I do believe some Government is needed to have a civilized society because socialists (parasites) like you cannot seem to live without it. 
I’ve just spent another two hours on an application tonight. If they reply and let me on their graduate scheme it will make me feel the 20k I spent on a degree was worthwhile. It is out of my hands now. THEY need to respond. I can’t do any more.
@Graduate
If we look at it strictly in financial terms. You are actually better off living in your mum’s basement playing video games and smoking pot all day than going to college today. This the cold hard truth.
@Jeff
The only thing that has changed is that Nick Clegg has tripled college tuition to £9000 a year. This was to help people from poor backgrounds to go to the best universities. Is this guy serious? When you already have 2.5 million people with college degrees unemployed.
How is this going to help future students get a job? How is this going to help generate 2.5 million graduate jobs for the people currently unemployed?
How is tripling the tuition fees help poor people pay back their student loan debts? How about we ask a current student on this forum and see what he thinks about paying triple the tuition was worth it for information that can be learnt for free from public library.
@Paul
How is Nick Clegg’s tripled the college tuition program working for you? Has it help you find a job? Has it help you pay back your student loan debt?
It seems to me, the only thing guarantee for sure is that you have to pay back triple the amount of student loan debt for information that can be learnt for free online or from the public library.
Paul let us know what you think.
I agree that humanities and social science degrees are charged toouch these days. How can you charge 9k just for a lecturer, a room and read of lecture material. The fee is out of line with value for money, so uni’s are taking the pee in charging the same as all the other courses here, might as well get a few books of amazon. Think uni’s mislead nieve young students telling them they can go off and be this, that or the other st the end of the course, when odds are if they are doing humanites social sciences they are likely to be unemployed. Think uni’s should be more fact based in what they deliver and held to account for it. Not have some overly persuasive lecturer bs some nieve student on open day then not deliver on all their bs.
Also, think Employer’s should foot the Bill somewhere, why should they have fully qualified graduates as a free be now that students foot the entire bill? The salaries many offer particularly after tax hardly take this into account. Not sure the new 9k is enough to put off the tossers WHO dont care about their subject just the student lifestyle, far too many ate still turning up at uni creating a pain in the bum for those that are bothered.
@Chris
I’m still at university. Nothing good has come from tripling tuition fees. I think I, like many others, are simply going to ignore the debt. The repayment rates are lower so it’s win win in that respect. If you’re earning £30k plus, I guess university has been of some worth. If I’m earning less than £21k I never have to pay a penny.
@Paul
Thanks for your comment. You have just confirm how retarded the education system has become. I know how the whole system works, but, it just seems no matter what you do, you are still screwed. I have many friends who are qualified accountants, lawyers, engineers, and they cannot find jobs. Some of them work as bus drivers or at restaurants.
It amazes me when I have dinner at a restaurant or go to a convenient store. The people who serve me a more qualified than I am and even more qualified than our politicians.
This just shows how screwed up the economic system has become. Basically, it is saying to people who want to work hard don’t bother because your chances of getting a decent job depends on birth not worth.
Personally, this has lead me into confusion about what career I see myself doing if a careers actually exists at all. I am thinking of a strategy that can menu-ever me through this economic shit hole.
I hope you find a job or else you will become just another job statistic. As always may the odds be in your favor.
WELCOME TO THE HUNGER GAMES!!!
ENJOY THE DECLINE!!!
I graduated two years ago from university and have now been offered my first job after endless months of work experience and placements. Looking back I definitely think that my degree was worth it to some extent but thinking about all the debt that I’m in has made me think that maybe I didn’t need necessarily need it to get to where I am now.
@ Juliana
Two years to get your first job out of university?