Both of Sheffield’s Universities face legal action over the quality of education delivered during the Covid-19 pandemic.
This week, University College London (UCL) reached a confidential settlement with its students and graduates after an estimated 6,000 people sought compensation for the quality of teaching they received amidst strikes and lockdowns.
The legal firms behind the case, Asserson and Harcus Parker, are now working with Student Group Claim to begin legal action against 36 other institutions, which include the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University.
In a press release, Student Group Claim announced they were representing “more than 170,000 potential claimants” across the country.
Shimon Goldwater, partner at Asserson solicitors, said: “UK undergraduates at university during the pandemic borrowed money at ridiculous interest rates to fund courses which were ruined by online teaching and closed facilities.
“Student Group Claim is helping students challenge universities to do what they should have done during Covid: pay students compensation for not providing them with the in-person teaching for which they paid.”
Neither UCL nor its students are able to discuss details of the settlement, but Goldwater told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme that students could be entitled to “around £5,000”.
The prospect of paying this amount of compensation per student comes at an already challenging time for a number of universities.
For example, Sheffield Hallam University have announced £40m cuts during the previous academic year and a further £28m for this year.
In addition, they announced earlier this week that City Athletics Stadium, which they manage, could no longer be used for licensed competitions as it could not afford the £1.5m costs to meet the necessary requirements.
A possible solution to its financial shortfall is the proposed sale of historic mansions on its Collegiate Campus, which are no longer in use for teaching.
Student Group Claim encourages anyone that attended university, particularly in the 2020-21 academic year to make a claim on its website.
Any claims relating to the 2020-21 academic year will begin to expire under the Limitation Act starting from September 2026.
The University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University have been approached for comment.