As of 2015, there are minimum standards that apply to a higher education provider’s services for students
Consumer rights in higher education are now a focus for the UK Government and means that higher education institutions must comply with consumer protection law and meet the standards defined by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
Students are now recognised in law as ‘consumers’ since the introduction of Consumer Rights legislation in 2015. This means students are now given the same protection as any consumer buying goods or services.
There are now regular stories appearing of universities being fined for non-compliance, with The Times leading a story with the headline ‘Students could sue over shoddy but expensive degree courses’.
In November 2017, the Advertising Standards Authority told six UK universities to take down marketing claims that could be misleading. The universities all had complaints upheld against them around describing themselves as a ‘top university’ for several rankings.
In addition to the rights of the consumer, the Consumer Rights legislation also places obligations on the universities. There are now minimum standards that apply to a Higher Education provider’s services for students around information provision, complaint handling, and for fairness in their course terms and conditions.
Universities face increasing scrutiny from the CMA
Increasing scrutiny from the CMA means universities now face the challenge of training staff to raise awareness about the types of online and offline information they need to supply to students in order to comply with the new legislation.
For example, a lack of or change in information regarding the course could result in reputational damage for universities, having to refund course fees or students claiming damages.
The University of East Anglia (UEA) was fined by the CMA following “significant changes to the content of a course” that their students complained about. As you can see with cases like this from the UEA, it’s not the institution's fault as such – but it’s just so easy to fall foul of these measures.
Why consumer rights training is needed in higher education
As universities enter the corporate world – in a very competitive market – it’s natural that marketing professionals under some pressure will make promises that are hard to quantify. Our training course highlights that due diligence should be carried out in any claims, and this can even include individual academics talking to students at an open day.
As well as gaining a new understanding of rights afforded to ‘students as consumers’, universities and colleges should be aware of what measures their organisation needs to take to remain compliant with this legislation.
In response to the legislation, we released Consumer Rights in Higher Education training to help organisations comply with this legislation.
Created for the University of Exeter, among others, the training course gives Higher Education providers and their employees with information they’ll need to ensure they understand and adhere to these obligations.
Areas covered by the course include:
- The student research and application stage, where information forms part of the ‘Student Contract’
- The ‘Student Contract’ formed when the student accepts the offer of a place
- The student complaints process
The 30-minute course can be viewed on a desktop computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone using any browser.
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This content was initially published on Marshallelearning.com (July 2018) and has been uploaded to and lightly amended on Ciphr.com as part of the brand amalgamation in August 2024