University of York among institutions facing legal claims from students over Covid disruptions

The University of York is one of 36 UK universities facing potential legal action over disrupted teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic.

More than 170,000 current and former students across England and Wales are taking part in the action, arguing they did not receive the education and campus experience they paid for when courses were moved online and facilities were closed.

Students described how they paid for in-person teaching but received a lower value experience, and claims could be worth thousands of pounds per student.

Legal action argues students should be compensated for the difference

The claims are being brought under consumer law, with lawyers arguing that students paid full tuition fees for in-person teaching and access to university services, but instead received a lower value online experience.

Fees for fully online degrees are typically 25 to 50 per cent cheaper than face to face courses, and the legal action argues students should be compensated for the difference.

Lawyers involved in the case have previously said individual students could receive up to £5,000 each if claims are successful.

The large scale action follows a confidential settlement between University College London and 6,000 students, which has encouraged further claims across the sector.

The University of York is part of national legal case

The University of York is listed alongside universities including Manchester, Nottingham, Bristol and Warwick as part of the group that has received pre-action claim letters.

More universities could be added before the deadline for students to join the claim in September 2026.

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Students involved in the wider case say the move to online learning affected both their education and their future careers.

One student, Georgia Johnson, told the BBC that learning to teach over Zoom had been “frustrating” and had delayed her career.

Georgia graduated from the University of Manchester, gaining a teacher training qualification in 2020. Explaining that she did not feel confident working as a teacher, Georgia said: “I had to do a lot of my own professional development so that I felt ready. I just didn’t feel confident and I felt really anxious about going into the classroom.”

“I just feel really let down the whole time, you spend a lot of money for a degree.”

The legal team argues that many students took on large loans for what they expected to be a full university experience.

Universities UK, which represents higher education institutions, said universities had followed government guidance at the time and adapted quickly to allow students to complete their degrees.

It said that during lockdown periods, in person teaching was not permitted and institutions had to move learning online.

The organisation also said many universities had already provided routes for students to seek refunds or compensation through existing complaints processes.

It is not yet clear how many students are involved in the claim.

If successful, the legal action could have major financial implications for universities across the UK, depending on how many students take part.

The University of York was approached for comment.