Thousands of students are taking legal action against their universities for their education during the pandemic.
The University of Nottingham is one of 18 institutions facing lawsuits.
Mikail Ranjit, who moved from Malaysia to study in Nottingham, said Covid measures meant he was paying around £15,000 a year to lecture online.
A spokesman for the university said it was “aware of this potential claim” but “could not comment further at this time.”
Almost 20,000 students have joined class actions via StudentGroupClaim.co.uk to take action against their universities, saying their education was inadequate.
Some were paying up to £40,000 a year, despite reduced timetables and classes being canceled or rescheduled online.
In 2020, students in Nottingham criticized measures in halls of residence.
Mr Ranjit, who was studying law, said he would have had the same standard of education had he stayed at home and accused the university of “keeping us up for as long as possible” before the lectures announcement went online.
“I believe the level of education I received and the level of material I received was not worth the money I paid,” he said.
“I couldn’t have come to myself [Nottingham] anyway and the training would have been the same.”
When Covid restrictions hit the UK, lectures were moved online and it took more than a year for universities to return to mainly face-to-face classes.
Anyone who is dissatisfied with the teaching received should first complain directly to the university. Only when this procedure has been exhausted can they turn to the Office of the Independent Arbitrator.
Last year, a third of the complaints were upheld, many of which concerned the running of courses. Any court may wish to know whether these avenues have been fully followed.
Ryan Dunleavy, a partner at Harcus Parker law firm, which works with students on their claims, said they “didn’t get what they were promised” but still paid the full amount in fees for “subpar service.”
“They received online classes, virtually distance learning, limited or no access to facilities, and sometimes classes were cancelled, for example during strikes,” he said.
“We don’t necessarily criticize what the universities have done, we criticize that they charge the full fees for it.
“Universities have generally increased their income from tuition fees [during the pandemic]and frankly the financial impact of Covid should not have been passed on to the students.
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