Thousands of UK university students are unable to graduate this su mmer amid a bitter dispute between lecturers and universities over pay and pensions.

Staff have been refusing to mark or moderate essays and exam papers since their union balloted for a “marking and assessment boycott” earlier this year.

On Friday union bosses sat down for “exploratory talks” with the two bodies involved, but said there “is still significant ground to be covered” and further negotiations are needed.

But meanwhile, would-be graduates are being given blank degree certificates that could see their job offers or post-graduate degree courses revoked.

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What is a marking boycott – and how does it work?

On 20 April members of the University and Colleges Union (UCU) began a marking assessment boycott as part of a long-standing industrial dispute.

They are negotiating with two separate bodies: Universities UK (UUK) with regards to pay and the University and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) over working conditions.

It means that since then lecturers and staff from 145 higher education institutions have refused to mark essays and dissertations.

They’ve still been allowed to give lectures and seminars, but they can’t set or invigilate exams, mark coursework or moderate papers.

A marking and assessment boycott (MAB) is classed as a “action short of a strike”, which means some staff who belong to unions have still been going to work – and university courses haven’t completely stopped – but there has been huge levels of disruption.

The boycott will only end when both sides have reached an agreement or if the union decides to call off the action.

Staff who are unable to complete any of their normal work are not being paid at all, with some universities offering 50% pay for those still doing other aspects of their jobs.

Can students still graduate?

The number of students impacted by the boycott is disputed. Universities UK says that “fewer than 2% of students will be unable to graduate this summer because of the action”.

But the UCEA says this means 13,000 final-year students could have their graduations delayed.

The UCU says it is up to individual universities to mitigate the impact on students.

‘Letters of completion’

At a graduation ceremony for the University of Edinburgh on 12 July, students were given a “letter of completion” alongside an apology letter – instead of their degree classifications (first class, 2:1, 2:2, third class etc).

Graduating student Alex Mohan Morzeria-Davis received a standing ovation after he made a speech criticising the university for leaving him and his peers with a “list of courses with the letters TBC instead of a mark next to them”.

The university says that although “graduations are continuing as planned”, students can choose to defer until they have their grades instead.

A spokesperson said it is their “priority” to make sure outstanding work is “marked in a timely manner” to “provide a full and final degree classification”.

But they added: “In the meantime affected students can request a letter of completion of studies, which can be provided to employers or other institutions to clarify what marks they have received so far.”

‘Derived marks’

The University of Nottingham is giving affected students the choice of accepting a “derived” or “part-for-whole” mark or waiting for their real grades once the boycott is over.

Those who opt for the estimate, which is based on their other marks, “will be able to attend graduation in July”, but may have to wait months for their final results.

“Whilst your certificate will not be available to collect, we will post this as soon as your work has been marked and your classification is available,” a spokesperson said.

But James Hutchcraft, a law student at Nottingham, claims the impact is “potentially worse” for second-year students like him.

This is because not accepting a derived mark “may mean you will not have your marks in time to progress to your next year of study”.

A spokesperson said this may also result in “not being able to re-register in September” and “losing access to grant and loan funding”.

Mr Hutchcraft says the university is “forcing students to choose between accepting wildly inaccurate guesstimate grades or contesting them but with the threat we may not progress to the final year if we do”.

£500 compensation

The University of Manchester has offered its final-year students up to £500 in compensation “in recognition of the distress and inconvenience” caused by not having their degrees at their graduations – which took place on 11 July.

Some students were still able to get classifications based on their current marks – but still got £150 for the delays.

Those who were more heavily impacted were told their work will be marked and classifications decided by an exam board as soon as the boycott ends – and got the full £500 compensation.

The university says less than 3% of its 11,400 final-year students were unable to graduate.

Graduations delayed

At Cambridge, more than half of the 4,500 final-year students waiting to graduate will not be able to do so, according to its vice-chancellor.

As many as 90% of this year’s 1,000 post-graduates will also be unable to complete their studies, he said.

Provisional marks have been published instead and “even if marks are missing for some students… we have provided colleges and departments with template letters for employers and educational institutions”, the vice chancellor said.

Graduations won’t take place but “celebratory events” have been arranged at that time to “enable students to celebrate with friends and family”.

Will they still be able to get jobs or do post-graduate studies?

Most students who were due to graduate this summer will either be applying for jobs or hoping to start graduate trainee programmes and post-graduate degree courses.

While universities are offering ‘transcripts’ of students’ grades so far – or proof they have completed their courses – many are relying on the goodwill of institutions to let them continue as planned.

Matt Wilson, 21, a third-year psychology student at the University of Brighton, told Sky News he is due to a receive a ‘transcript’ of his marked grades on 26 July.

He says he has been told he may not graduate until either October this year or the next winter ceremony in February 2024.

In an open letter to the vice chancellor signed by 110 of his peers, he wrote: “For those seeking employment imminently after graduating, employers must see degree classifications. We cannot get these before the next academic year has begun. This is unacceptable.”

He told Sky News: “I for one have had rejections from employers who have not welcomed the ‘expected’ degree.”

Lily Darvey, 24, has just finished a four-year degree in Japanese at the University of Edinburgh and has applied to do a masters in game production at Birmingham City University (BCU).

She said although BCU is being understanding – most of their staff are not taking part in the boycott so she is “having issues” with her application.

“They’re struggling to know what to do,” she said.

And although only her dissertation and final essay are yet to be marked, most of her third and fourth-year marks still need to be moderated by a board of examiners in order to decide her classification.

She says this can only happen in August at the earliest, but with the dispute still unresolved, it’s more likely to be in December.

“A lot of people from my course want to go to Japan and there have been issues with places abroad wanting proof of degrees and people not having them,” she told Sky News.

“It’s caused a lot of concern, worry and anxiety. It’s really frustrating to hear the university say that they’re doing all they can when we know that’s not true. It feels dreadful.”

Ollie Lewis, 22, has also just completed a four-year course at Edinburgh, and is applying for a vocational degree in journalism.

“When applying for jobs, I need to explain that my degree is not yet confirmed, something that employers are generally understanding of – but we shouldn’t need to rely on their goodwill,” he said.

Trainee teachers have been told they will be allowed to start their first jobs regardless – after a ruling by the Department for Education.

What about foreign students?

International students who have been sponsored by a UK company to stay and work in the UK are likely to need proof of their degree for their graduate visas.

But the Home Office has said they are “exceptionally exempt from meeting the academic progression requirements” due to the marking boycott and can “request a letter of formal written confirmation from their sponsor assessing they are highly likely to complete their course successfully”.

Foreign students who were hoping to stay in the UK for post-graduate studies will only have eight weeks to get their final results from when they make their applications.

The University of Cambridge says this will mean up to £1,000 in extra fees and up to 400 of its students risking being sent home.

What have both sides said – and when will the dispute be resolved?

Friday’s negotiations failed to end the boycott.

A statement said that while they were “constructive” and “both sides welcomed the positive tone of the discussion”, there will have to be “further urgent talks” before an agreement can be reached.

“Further discussion will also take place with the Joint HE Trade Unions to consider the scope and remit of a review of sector finances,” it added.

Students have expressed almost universal support of their lecturers and blame the universities themselves for refusing to increase their pay.

The UCU is calling for a pay rise of either retail price index (RPI) inflation, which was 11.3% in May, plus an extra 2% or 12% – whichever is higher.

The UCEA says it has offered increases between 5% and 8% backdated to February but they have so far been rejected.

Raj Jethwa, UCEA’s chief executive said ahead of Friday’s talks: “Despite the financial pressures facing the sector, this pay award is comparable to settlements in the wider economy including the public sector workers pay rises of between 5% and 7%.”

University lecturers are not part of the public sector pay deal struck with the government, which will see teachers get pay rises of 6.5%.

A spokesperson for UUK added: “Universities have been working hard to minimise any pockets of disruption – but every student impacted is one too many and we understand how frustrating this is for them.

“Although approaches will vary by institution, we know that many universities are providing interim marks based on achievements to-date so that students can progress to the next stage of their education or lives.”

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