University of Huddersfield calls for Which? to retract 'false' tuition fee claims

Huddersfield was one of three universities accused of breaching the law by failing to provide vital information

A new report suggests that three in four universities are breaching consumer law by failing to provide prospective students with vital information on their websites such as information about tuition fees and the contact hours they will have with staff (PA)

The consumer group Which? has become embroiled in a legal row with the University of Huddersfield following claims that more than three quarters of UK universities are breaching consumer law by failing to provide prospective students with vital information about tuition fees and teaching time.

Huddersfield was one of three universities accused by the watchdog for consistently breaching the law by failing to provide more than 30 per cent of the information required.

But the university reacted furiously to the allegations, and instructed the leading libel lawyers Eversheds to write to Which? calling for it to retract the claims which it said are “completely false and defamatory”.

It added in a statement: “The University of Huddersfield takes great exception to the findings of Which? The University is confident it is completely compliant with consumer protection legislation.”

Which? explained that it had compared information on providers’ websites “for one single course – Psychology, in the 2016/2017 academic year - across 50 UK higher education institutions between 14 and 25 September 2015”.

It updated its information to add that “Huddersfield have since told us that, as from the 1 October 2015, they were fully compliant with consumer law.”

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published advice in March setting out how consumer law applies to the higher education sector, including measures to ensure that information is available to students so they can compare courses and make an informed choice.

But Which? said nearly two thirds (64 per cent) of institutions failed to provide students with up-to-date information on course fees, and four in five (80 per cent) did not state or provide clarity on any extra fees students may have to pay to complete the course.

Overall it found 76 per cent of the 50 universities it investigated were breaching consumer law by failing to provide prospective students with vital information.

Investigators also named Canterbury Christ Church University and Glasgow Caledonian University, concluding that they were consistently breaching the law by failing to provide more than 30 per cent of the information required.

While no institution consistently provided the required information across all areas, Leeds Trinity University and University of Greenwich demonstrated good practice across a number of areas, the consumer watchdog said. This included details on the number of contact hours students can expect, the workload and assessments for their course and fees they would be expected to pay.

Which? said the majority of students (75 per cent) use a university’s website or their prospectus to make their first and insurance choices with UCAS, and therefore some may not have been able to make a fully informed decision about their course choice.

A spokeswoman for Glasgow University said: “It is important to note that the University contributed to the earlier CMA consultation and is continuing to take account of subsequent advice on consumer law from the CMA. This will ensure programme and fees information is accessible, transparent and reflects best practice.”

A spokeswoman for Canterbury Christ Church said: “The Which? report highlights issues which are extremely important to us and we have taken immediate action to address many of the priority issues raised.”