Universities: students in Scotland to graduate without knowing degree results following marking boycott

Final-year students at the University of Edinburgh have slammed the institution after it revealed via email - just weeks before graduation ceremonies are due to start - that many will graduate without knowing their final degree results.

Students took to social media to express their anger over the idea of “walking across the graduation stage with a blank piece of paper” and to share their anxieties about the impact the situation could have on job prospects. Meanwhile, others questioned the money spent on their degree - with many pointing out that studies had already been disrupted by strikes and Covid.

The delay to deciding degree classifications comes after a marking and assessment boycott by university professors. Members of the University and College Union (UCU) at 145 institutions across the UK took part in the industrial action as part of a dispute over pay and working conditions.

When announcing the situation on Monday (19 June), the University of Edinburgh said its priority was to mark exams in a “timely manner”. Amid criticism from students over refusing to negotiate with staff, the institution added that it is “disappointed” that its “efforts to seek a resolution” with the union “were rejected” and its “attempts to appeal to staff directly have also been unsuccessful.”

Responding to the news, University of Edinburgh student Hope Conway-Gebbie said: “After four years of utter chaos between a shambolic covid response and constant strikes, I’ve just found out I, (and my peers in at least three schools), will be ‘graduating’ without a degree. Shouldn’t have expected anything less from the University of Edinburgh.”

Student Ollie Lewis added: “I’ll be walking across the graduation stage with an empty piece of paper. No result. If any Vice Chancellor or government minister ever tells you they care about students again, please politely tell them where to go. This is a grotesque situation.” He later noted that a graduation is “supposed to be a celebration of what I’ve achieved - and I don’t know what I’ve achieved... £40k well spent, eh?"

Students from Scotland pay £1,820 per year at the University of Edinburgh, while students from the rest of the UK pay £9,250. The price is much higher for international students, at £22,000 for each year of study. Undergraduate degrees in Scotland last for four years.

Meanwhile, others were particularly worried about what this would mean for future jobs - with many of those who had already secured employment dependent on a classification to be accepted. Hannah, an international student who studied an MA in Japanese at the university, is supposed to be starting a job in Japan in August - but has voiced concern that the degree delay could have a “catastrophic impact on my ability to get a visa on time.”

She then made clear that her anger was towards the university, not the lecturers, explaining: “I am in full support of striking staff, so none of my anger is going to be directed at them at all. Instead, I am absolutely furious at management and the way they have decided to deal with the situation. The impact this may have on many of us is catastrophic. It feels like there is absolutely no regard for student wellbeing whatsoever.”

There is particular concern over what may happen to languages students, with Spanish and Politics student Lucie Graham claiming “all languages students were forgotten about when the university decided their mitigation policies regarding the marking boycott.” She explained: “University mitigation policies decided that in order to award a degree students must have 80 ratified credits from 3rd year and 60 from 4th. But with our year abroads, this would never have been possible for us.”

This means she and some of her classmates have now been told that the exam board might convene in January - but this is yet to be confirmed. “There is no confirmation that ANY of our work will EVER be marked,” she said. “Spending many stressful and difficult weeks in the library… for what?”

The National Union of Students told NationalWorld that the University of Edinburgh is not the only institution affected. Students at the University of Strathclyde are facing a similar situation, with those who have completed their degrees to receive a “provisional award” rather than a degree classification.

Those at the University of Aberdeen have also been affected, as dissertations have been marked by other members of staff who were not necessarily experts on their subject matter. Some students said they felt their work had been “downgraded”.

Commenting on the situation, a spokesperson at the University of Edinburgh told NationalWorld: “Most of our students will receive a classified degree. In other cases, we have provided a provisional award or we have not yet been able to provide an outcome.

“We recognise the significant impact this is having on our students’ lives and future plans and we share their disappointment at being caught in the crossfire of this national dispute.” They added that a dedicated hotline has been set up to support those affected.

The spokesperson also said the university is working with employers, careers services, and other universities where students may be seeking further study to help lessen the “uncertainty they are facing over their futures.” The Home Office has confirmed international students will be able to extend their visa permission from within the UK.

The University of Strathclyde added that it “regrets the uncertainty that the marking boycott is causing”, while a spokesperson for the University of Aberdeen told NationalWorld its “academic standards have been maintained, with marking undertaken by colleagues with appropriate expertise which will allow our students to graduate with their classified degrees.”

Management at the universities insist the delay is as a result of the marking and assessment boycott by professors and lecturers, but the UCU argue universities have failed to engage in talks to bring the dispute to an end. Students added that a solution should have been sorted out sooner than just weeks before their ceremonies.