19th June 2019 9:00
By Blue Tutors
A student who graduated from Anglia Ruskin University has won £60,000 after claiming that the degree she gained was “Mickey-Mouse”. Reported on the BBC, Pok Wong was an international student who graduated with a degree in International Business Strategy in 2013, and she decided to sue the university because she claims that they misled her about her career prospects upon graduation.
Wong said that the Anglia Ruskin assume that international students are just paying for their degree, and that they should care more about actually helping students to learn and have a quality education. She added “they exaggerated the prospects of a career studying with them, and also they exaggerate how connected they are”.
Ms Wong’s original claim was rejected and she was ordered to pay the university £13,700 in legal costs by the county court of London. It was the university’s insurers who chose to settle the case out of court, awarding £15,000 plus legal costs. Anglia Ruskin have not supported this payout and say that the insurers acted negligently.
A spokesperson from the NUS commented that students do have rights to ensure that the degree they apply for is not falsely advertised, and this case shows a recourse for students who are unhappy with their education. However, it was also pointed out that ideally students would work in partnership with universities rather than seeking compensation after graduation.