The London School of Science and Technology (LSST) has amended its student contract after the Office for Students (OfS) referred concerns about potentially unfair terms and conditions to National Trading Standards.
National Trading Standards advised the OfS that some of the terms used by the institution could be considered unfair under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
This was due to a significant imbalance in the rights and obligations of LSST and its students. In addition, some terms were not written as plainly or transparently as is required in law.
In response to advice from National Trading Standards, LSST has now removed or changed terms in its enrolment contract with students. These included clauses relating to extra costs that could compromise students’ consumer rights.
The OfS has not taken any further regulatory action against LSST in relation to this matter.
Commenting on the latest case report, David Smy, Deputy Director of Enabling Regulation at the OfS, said:
‘Students are entitled to fair and clear terms in the contract they have with their university or college. They invest a significant amount of time and money into their studies, so it’s important that students know their rights and can benefit from the protections of consumer law.
‘We are pleased that LSST has changed its approach to better protect the rights of its students. As we continue to publish the outcomes of our referrals to National Trading Standards, we hope students will considering using them as a checklist of potential issues to watch out for when signing contracts with their university or college.
‘We encourage all higher education providers to review the reports and examine their own contracts to ensure they are fair, understandable and transparent. We will continue to work closely with National Trading Standards where we are concerned that students’ consumer rights are at risk.'
Notes
- The Office for Students is the independent regulator for higher education in England. We are currently consulting on a new strategy for 2025-2030 which seeks to ensure that students from all backgrounds benefit from high quality higher education, delivered by a diverse, sustainable sector that continues to improve. Read the strategy proposals.
- The case report sets out work the OfS and Trading Standards have done to ensure providers’ student contracts do not contain terms that could be deemed unfair or to affect students’ consumer rights. Only a court or enforcement body such as the Competition and Markets Authority can determine whether consumer protection law has been breached.
- Read the case report.
- Read our student guide to consumer rights.