Successful Ideas

These are all the ideas, from both the HE and FE ideas forum, that have been acted upon so far.

Back to Current Ideas (HE) Back to Current Ideas (FE/College)
Back to list
  • 50 score
    54 voters

    Tuition fee reimbursement

    Submitted 4 years ago by Anonymous
    Expired
    • Education
    • Money
    • Resources
    • Accessibility
    • Academy
    • Advice
    • Lectures and Lecturers
    14comments
    Refund the last term payment of tuition fees. I recently just paid the December 1st fees but face to face ended on the 4th and I heard somewhere that we would be getting the money back??
Julian Schmitz
11:22am on 8 Dec 20 At least, there should be a reduction/discount.
Pamela Cording
11:12pm on 4 Jan 21 Although the pandemic is outside of the university's control, this 2020/21 academic year has not provided the structure or tuition expected for the fees charged. I am in my final year and, despite the efforts of lecturers who are really working hard, I am not receiving the support or learning that I would have received under "normal" circumstances. Consideration needs to be given in respect of this matter as we are not receiving the education and support that would usually be provided. A reduction in fees should reflect this.
Carla Fletcher
12:28pm on 5 Jan 21 I completely agree that tuition fees need to have at least a reduction! I am in third year, with two children at home and have had little to no support nor any leniency. These times are hard for everyone and in no way, shape or form have we been receiving the level of education or support that we would have normally despite lecturers trying their hardest to accommodate this situation.
Caitlin Kennedy
12:45pm on 5 Jan 21 I agree that we should have the right to a partial refund. I am in my first year of university and have always been very excited to reach this stage of my life as people say that it is the best of your life; you meet new people, learn new hobbies, have fun, learn and earn a degree. However, most of this has been harder to accomplish with being online. Most people feel uncomfortable or awkward putting on their camera in the space of their own home, people who may not have a luxurious home or have parents/siblings arguing in the background. I have had to purchase my own internet source that on occasion doesn't work well and my learning/ communicating with my peers is being cut off only to have to pay thousands of pounds back when it wasn't worth it to begin with. If I knew what would have come out of this year, I would have deferred a year until the university experience I was promised was back in place as I feel my tuition does not reflect what I am gaining from this year at this precise time.
Francesca Bullock
12:55pm on 5 Jan 21 I am in my first year of uni and i feel a refund of some sort is acceptable as we are not getting the full university experience due to most of it being online. I have a child at home as well as trying to do my lectures and things online. I know i am not alone in not being able to concentrate/motivate myself fully at home. I am better when learning in a learning environment.
Jade Robertson
11:33pm on 5 Jan 21 I agree this since having to work from home due to coronavirus I feel like I’ve basically taught myself , there hasn’t been any support for remote learners , it’s also not been great for everyone else , I know the lecturers have tried the best they can with the current situation. But I still feel we should get some money back.
Lucy Webb
12:17pm on 8 Jan 21 I highly agree with this idea. We at least deserve a reduction in the fees, as the quality of learning simply isn't the same. I don't see why we should be paying the standard amount of £9,250 that other students before us had paid, as they had on-campus learning, whilst we didn't. Many students I know, and I say that online learning simply isn't the same. It is unfair to charge us the usual amount.
Meg Mountford
12:32pm on 8 Jan 21 I agree 100% the level of support and quality of learning, despite lecturers trying their hardest, is simply not good enough. We are paying full price for a year in which we have not been getting a fulfilling level of education, and the costs should therefore be reduced for this year.
Miles Duncan
8:42pm on 8 Jan 21 At the very least the university needs to look at extending dissertation deadlines for third year students, this should be immediate. With regards to refunds, the university has recently gone through cutting courses due to budget. A long process they didn't do correctly the first time, let's not force them into a course portfolio review for a second time. Instead of pushing the university to bankruptcy we should be asking the university to utilise their platform to put pressure on the DfE. They should pressure them for rent rebates and reducing debt owed back this year.
Kay Atkinson
10:19pm on 17 Jan 21 I support this whole heartedly. I'm in Foundation year so am currently doing 5 different subjects, all from home. While I know my lecturers are doing their best, we are getting a much lower standard of support and education so why are we expected to pay the same amount for less?
Sonia Sian
9:43am on 21 Jan 21 I completely support this. There should definitely be a reduction in fees for this year. The standard of "university life" and education is much lower than previous years. At most, we had 3 hours of face to face teaching a week last semester - but induction was all online and that last 2 weeks were all online. Typically we'd have around 14 hours on campus. We are unable to use all the facilities freely, there is also very little face to face contact with staff - and we felt that hugely when taking an online exam last week. Theres so much miscommunication and not as much support as normal. This semester looks to be mostly online too, there should definitely be some sort of reduction to help students. A lot of students would normally have part time jobs to help pay for things but covid has put a real strain on everything.
Laura Maher
8:13am on 25 Feb 21 This idea has reached the voting threshold and is being taken to Summit this Friday, 2-4pm. You can join by following this link: https://ca.bbcollab.com/guest/22c45e2a4b9d469f97150ebbc73183cc To whomever submitted this idea : you are invited to give a speech for your idea at this forum, or submit one to be delivered on your behalf. Please contact me at laura.maher@derbyunion.co.uk If any person would like to speak for this idea in the event that the original poster does not wish to, please also contact me.
Debbie Clarke
10:29pm on 25 Feb 21 I believe a partial refund should be considered. The lecturers are working hard to supply the required teaching, but surely the cost to the Uni is lower with us not being there?
Dave Lochtie
3:43pm on 3 Mar 21 Following this idea, at our recent Student Summit, we brought over 150 students together to discuss and debate the refund of tuition fees for students affected by COVID-19. The proposal was overwhelming approved by a clear and large majority and according to our Standing Orders, this will now become a Union policy that we will actively campaign for over the next three years. What does this mean for our next steps? Here is an overview of the actions we will take immediately - https://www.derbyunion.co.uk/news/article/6013/Lockdown-Update-3-March/