University students complaining more

Rising numbers of students are making complaints against their universities as they face a tough job market and seek value for money, a report showed today.

Complaints have almost doubled in the past five years, more than 1,000 being submitted in 2009.

Many are grievances related to institutions' academic appeals processes, assessments and grades, universities breaking their own obligations to students, disciplinary matters and misconduct matters such as plagiarism.

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Some 1,007 complaints were registered with the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) in 2009, up 12 per cent on 2008 when there were 900, according to the annual report of the independent adjudicator Rob Behrens.

In 2005, 537 complaints were lodged.

Mr Behrens said he expected to see the numbers continue to rise as students demand more from their institutions.

Students want to make sure they get the best from their universities at a time when the job market is tough, while many are also aware that they are paying for their education, and want to be sure they are getting value for money, he suggested.

Mr Behrens said: "The labour market is very difficult for students right now. They want to get the best they possibly can from their university experience, which means they will complain if they don't get what they think they deserve.

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"Students see themselves more and more as customers and they are more assertive than they have ever been.

"There is also the debate around the fees issue. They know that what they are getting at university they are paying for."

The year-on-year rises coincide with the introduction of top-up fees in 2006, with students now paying around 3,225 per year.

An independent review of student funding, which could pave the way for a fees rise, is due to report back in the autumn.

Mr Behrens added that the OIA was also becoming better known, which partly accounted for the rise.