Goldsmiths students demand tuition refunds

Master of fine art students at Goldsmiths, University of London, formally requested tuition refunds on Friday after a 21-week staff strike left them with minimal instruction this term. Florence Sweeney, a part-time student, described the current academic year as a financial drain where many fine art majors received virtually no teaching. She stated that a group of students is seeking remuneration for the lost learning time.

The disruption stems from an industrial dispute involving University and College Union members that began in April as a marking boycott. Management responded by deducting 100% of pay from participating staff, a move the union labeled a lockout. Following a formal ballot, staff at the south-east London university have been on an indefinite strike since early June. Joe Newman, co-president of the local UCU branch, attributed the action to management’s rapid pace of job cuts.

The MFA program has been particularly hard hit, with 10 of its 12 regular tutors joining the walkout. John Carver, a second-year part-time student, suspended his studies after a departmental meeting he called dismal at the start of the term. He noted that while regular tutors were praised, the replacement staff did not know the students. An international student from the United States, James Evans, said he is bound to the course by visa and funding restrictions. Evans reported having no marks or feedback on projects from last year and described this year’s environment as lacking structure and communication.

Goldsmiths has faced financial pressure in recent years due to falling applications in humanities and reduced domestic tuition fees. One staff member characterized the internal atmosphere as non-stop rounds of redundancies and restructuring. The university argues that only about 8.5% of staff are on strike, leaving most students unaffected. A spokesperson said the institution offered compromises, including a pause on compulsory redundancies, but maintained the pay deductions for the marking boycott to offset support costs for affected students.

Students expressed frustration over the cost of the program, which charges full-time UK students nearly £15,000 per year and international students £33,000. At a Friday gathering, an international student told The Guardian that induction sessions frequently turned into strike discussions. The student, who arrived in autumn, said the experience was quite shocking after initial excitement. Sweeney added that classmates have become distressed and anxious, with some moving from other continents to find themselves without proper briefings or a welcome.