The report included statistics on the volume and nature of complaints received by the OIA, as well as the outcome of those complaints and the financial compensation awarded.
Despite an increase in the number of students entering the higher education sector, there has been a marked decrease in the number of complaints made to the OIA. A total of 1,517 complaints were made in 2015-16, down from 1,850 in the previous academic year. This 18% drop may be due to a number of changes in the external regulatory environment, including:
The number of complaints to the OIA is now at its lowest since 2010, which is remarkable given that the Consumer Rights Act has added nearly 600 higher education providers to the OIA scheme since 1 September 2015.
As in previous years, the number of complaints made to the OIA is not evenly spread across categories. Of the 1,517 complaints made in 2016-17, the vast majority related to academic issues, which represented a 10% decrease from 2015-16. Complaints of this kind include, for example, a higher education institution's failure to follow internal examination procedures or assessment and moderation processes.
Interestingly, complaints relating to service issues, such as the accuracy of published information, costs, hidden fees and broad issues of consumer protection, have increased by 8%. This may be the result of publication of the Competition and Markets Authority guidelines for higher education establishments, which has helped raise students' general awareness of their rights as consumers.
Students on vocational and professional courses remain the most likely to bring complaints. Postgraduate and international students from outside the EU tend to be represented disproportionately, which could be due to their increased level of financial investment with higher tuition fees, travel costs and visa applications.
The outcome of complaints made in 2015-16 remains largely unchanged, save for a minor increase in the number of complaints that were 'not eligible'. This is likely to be largely due to more students bringing cases before the OIA without first completing their institution's internal processes, or bringing complaints about issues arising before their provider joined the OIA scheme.
The OIA recommended significantly lower amounts of financial compensation in 2016. The total amount of compensation recommended was £293,000 - 38% less than the year before (£485,000). A similar trend is seen in the amount paid in settled cases, which has reduced to £59,000 from £71,000. This is consistent with an overall decrease in the number of students being compensated financially as a result of OIA decisions.
While the decrease in the number of OIA complaints may mean that the student population is generally more satisfied with its experiences or that institutions' internal processes for dealing with and resolving complaints have become more transparent and efficient, statistics are often misleading. A clearer picture on complaints made to the OIA by students may therefore become apparent over the next few years.
We advise and train higher education institutions on their complaints processes or procedures, and can assist institutions in the event that a complaint is made to the OIA.