Unhappy students received £2,500 pay out last academic year
By Maddy Russell, Second Year Politics & International Relations
Students received £2,500 in compensation from the University for the 2017/18 academic year.
Compensation payouts by the University of Bristol have increased by £1,500 between 2014 and 2018, as the number of student grievances has risen.
In total, the University paid out in 62 cases of student grievances, amounting to a total of £2,500 for the 2017/18 academic year. This is an increase from only 22 compensation payouts in the 2014/15 academic year.
28 of the complaints made by students last year were responses to academic issues. 18 were made for unacceptable behavior, five in regards to finance and four about accommodation.
Equality, Liberation and Access Officer Sally Patterson said in response to the figures: 'whilst it is disappointing to see a rise in 'unacceptable behavior' complaints, this can be seen as a positive as it suggests that more students are comfortable to come forward and make a complaint.'
Bristol is thought to have paid out more complaints from students than the University of the West of England (UWE), which refunded or compensated 38 grievance complaints in the previous academic year.
Whilst Bristol paid out a larger number of complaints, UWE students received around five times more compensation than their UOB counterparts.
UWE is believed to have paid £12,554 to unhappy students for the 2017/18 academic year, with the majority of complaints revolving around administration policies and academic provisions.
In both universities payouts for formal complaints have more than doubled between 2014/15 and 2017/18.
Featured image: Cameron Scheijde / Epigram
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