Source · Select Committees · Petitions Committee
Recommendation 6
6
Rejected
The Government has put in place unprecedented financial support measures to respond to Covid-19, paying...
Recommendation
The Government has put in place unprecedented financial support measures to respond to Covid-19, paying the salaries of hundreds of thousands of employees nationally, and funding grants and loans for a huge number of businesses and industries. These are exceptional actions, in exceptional circumstances. Given the importance of the higher education sector to the UK economy, and the exceptional circumstances facing both universities and university students, the Government should consider providing additional funding to universities to enable them to pay any refunds university students are entitled to as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak. The Government could also consider alternative means for reimbursing students, where an independent process has found that they are entitled to a refund, such as reducing student loans of students who are entitled to a refund. (Paragraph 31) Looking to the future
Government Response Summary
The government rejects providing additional funding to universities for student refunds or reducing student loans as a reimbursement method. It reiterates that refunds are a matter for individual providers based on contractual arrangements and points to existing stabilisation packages for the sector.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
As the Committee has noted, the Government has provided unprecedented financial support during COVID-19. We are, however, clear that whether an individual student is entitled to a refund of fees will depend on the specific contractual arrangements between the student and their provider. It is a matter for providers to determine whether a refund is appropriate and, if so, how such refunds should be paid. In other situations, including compensation paid in response to complaints arising from industrial action at universities, this has taken place via direct refund. Any refund is a matter for providers, so the Government is not considering writing off or reducing tuition fee loans. As set out above, the Government announced a stabilisation package in May and a restructuring regime in July to support the sector through this unprecedented period.