The Office for Students has welcomed today’s announcement from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) that the University of Liverpool has changed its student debt penalty policy.
This means that the university will no longer issue academic sanctions - such as the removal of library or email access - for students who have debts which are unrelated to their fees.
Commenting, Susan Lapworth, director for competition and registration at the Office for Students, said:
'We welcome today’s announcement that the University of Liverpool has formally committed to drop academic sanctions for students with debts, for example for accommodation costs, that are not related to their tuition fees.
'The fair treatment of students is important to us as a regulator. All universities and other higher education providers should be mindful of today’s CMA announcement and ensure that their debt collection policies comply with consumer law. Our own regulatory framework sets out the need for universities to demonstrate they are complying with consumer protection law, and we will continue to support the important work of the CMA on these issues.'
For further information contact Sean Beynon on 0117 905 7676 or [email protected]