We’ve been ‘forgotten’ by Edinburgh University, final year languages students say

Students have told The Tab Edinburgh they feel “forgotten” by the university’s response to the marking boycott and they could face major delays in receiving their grades.

Whilst final-year university students across the country have faced anxiety, unanswered questions, and the possibility of graduating without a degree over the past week, most students can assume that their work will eventually be marked and they will receive a degree in the near future.

However, for final-year students at the School of Languages, Literature and Culture (LLC) at the University of Edinburgh, this may not be a possibility.

In a Twitter thread posted by Lucie Graham, she details how the university’s mitigation policy requires 80 credits in third year and 60 in fourth year, which means that for language students, who are required to complete a year abroad, this criterion would be impossible to fulfil.

https://twitter.com/LucieGrahamx/status/1671151719370342400

Lucie told The Tab Edinburgh: “There is no confirmation that ANY of our work will EVER be marked. Spending many stressful and difficult weeks in the library…for what?”

Writing on Twitter, Lucie said: “@EdinburghUni should be ashamed. Your status as an ancient, reputable institution is in tatters. You need to revise your mitigation policies, taking into account the experiences of students across all schools. @LLCatEdinburgh we urge you to put pressure on the uni to do so.”

Another student, Hannah, who is a final-year student studying Japanese spoke to The Tab Edinburgh about her concern about the effect of this delay on her job and visa prospects in the near future. She told us “The fact I put so much effort into my work and to find out it might not get marked is such a slap in the face. Absolutely furious.”

Here is my email that I am sending Peter Mathieson of Edinburgh Uni about the appalling decision to give us deferred degrees. I am supposed to be starting a job in Japan in August but this might have a catastrophic impact on my ability to get a visa on time @ucu pic.twitter.com/K8UEeNxhA1

— Hannah はな 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇯🇵🐬🐧🚅 (@hannah_0012kf) June 19, 2023

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Fellow fourth-year student Lily Darvey, who also studies Japanese, also feels anxious about the lack of marks available to her, telling The Tab Edinburgh: “I feel as though this whole ordeal has severely affected my confidence whilst looking for a job. I am left feeling like I am lying on applications by saying I have a degree when theoretically right now I don’t.

“I have experienced applications that ask me to say what my degree classification is and I have had to lie and give my own prediction because we haven’t been given any prediction from the university. I am constantly feeling anxious that a job might question me about this or ask for evidence, at which point I will have nothing to give them. I feel like a fraud, even though I have done all the work!”

“Other coursemates of mine are hoping to move to Japan after our graduation and work out there, now there is a new added stress as to whether these “completion certificates” will be adequate for immigration measures.”

I cannot fit the full length of the email I have written to Peter Mathieson, principal of @EdinburghUni
I have an indefinite deferred decision, all because the university is not willing to support its staff, it should never have come to this @ucu @ucuedinburgh #markingboycott pic.twitter.com/Je9Tkydu7i

— Lily (@lilydarvey) June 19, 2023

This news comes after hundreds of students faced delayed or non-classified degree decisions on Monday after dissertations and final-year work goes unmarked amid the UCU marking boycott.

In response, a University of Edinburgh spokesperson said: “The University of Edinburgh has agreed a number of temporary variations to the assessment regulations that are designed to maintain academic integrity and assure students of the true value of their degrees. These variations do require sufficient levels of marks to be provided to the examination boards.

“Unfortunately, in the case of impacted language degrees, these thresholds could not be met at the current time, owing to missing marks as a result of the marking and assessment boycott. The variations were approved using formal University governance and consultation routes as is standard in such situations.”

A further statement on the general marking boycott was also released by the university earlier this week.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• From self-interest to solidarity: Why I support the strikes as an Edinburgh final year
• ‘It’s beyond ridiculous’: Edinburgh final years react to their ‘no decision degrees’
• Edinburgh Uni results day: Final years given ‘no decision’ degrees amid marking boycott