SCOTLAND: Students sue for higher grades

Growing numbers of students in Scotland are taking legal action against their universities for failing to provide adequate support for degree courses. According to the legal firm Ross Harper, six students across the country have taken out cases after receiving lower grades than they expected, writes Fiona MacLeod for Scotland on Sunday.

A spokesman for the firm said it was dealing with four cases of former students seeking legal action against their university, and added that a further two had settled through the institution's own grievance procedure. He said students now see themselves more as consumers of services and were more likely to complain when they believed university courses were sub-standard. One student, who has received legal aid to fight her claim, says she is around £10,000 (US$16,007) in debt after a year-long course during which her tutor was absent for long periods.

The spokesman said: "This is a growing issue, although we always encourage people to try to resolve the issue through the institution's own systems. The actions tend to be from international students or postgraduates who have to pay fees, but some are from undergraduates whose fees are paid by the Scottish Government.
Full report on the Scotland on Sunday site