International Swansea Uni students removed from Master’s for paying tuition fees ‘hours late’

Three Swansea University students have been taken off their courses after their tuition fees were paid a few hours late.

Omolade Olaitan, 27, Emmanuel Okohoboh, 26, and Paulette Ojogun, 30 were all removed from their respective courses at Swansea Uni’s School of Management because they paid their full course fees less than one day after the deadline.

The three former Swansea students told ITV Wales that their fee payments had been slightly delayed due to a banking crisis in Nigeria which led to the government attempting to create a new currency.

They claim they explained their situation to the university and showed evidence to ITV that the payments had been made to the university, albeit “hours late”.

One student also said that they had been removed from their course, even though they paid their fees on time, unlike the other students mentioned.

Omolade told ITV that although her payment was received only hours after the deadline, she received an email from the university telling her to return to Nigeria and defer her studies as she would no longer be able to study there. She said: “I am this close to losing my sanity as a human being.

“On the 29th [March], I got an email from [the university]. They confirmed my payment and they told me that because the payment didn’t come in before the deadline, they can no longer allow me to enrol and that I should pack my bags and go back to my home country.”

She also added that she has continued to submit assignments and receive course material from her friends in the hope that the university changes its mind.

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Emmanuel, who is in the same situation as Omolade, explained that when he tried to plead with his faculty to remain a student there, they threatened to escort him off campus. He also noted that he has not received any of his fees back from Swansea Uni.

Paulette finally added that, just like the other two students, she had made her first payment on time but when the second one was received late, she was also removed from her course. She said that she has attempted to contact the university but that they won’t give her “a listening ear”.

Swansea University released a statement regarding the students’ situations, saying: “We have been saddened over recent months to hear of the difficulties of the banking situation in Nigeria and the impact that this has had upon the wellbeing of our Nigerian students.

“The university requires all international students to pay 50 per cent of their fees in order that they may fully enrol on their programmes of study and all international students are informed of this within their original offer letters and associated pre-arrival communication.

“The university has closely monitored the deteriorating situation in respect of the impact of the Nigerian banking crisis and we have revised our existing policy around payment of fees and enrolment to further support our students.

“The university has put in place extended deadlines in order to allow as much time as possible for payments to reach us whilst ensuring that all times the university acted in accordance with its requirements under its UKVI sponsor licence.

“Our Faculty team dealt with the students on multiple occasions, offering guidance about their situation and advice about the best course of action to protect their opportunities for future studies.

“However, when there was no further information or help the Faculty could offer and the individuals had been unenrolled by the university, they continued to make repeated visits to the faculty office and so were asked to leave by staff.”

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