Students in limbo as strikes leave them without degree grades

Published: 19:23, 24 May 2026 | Updated: 19:25, 24 May 2026 Hundreds of students could be left in limbo with ‘unclassified degrees’ amid a bitter industrial dispute at one of Scotland’s most prestigious universities. Students have been caught up in a conflict between the University of Edinburgh and a staff union – with no prospect of a refund on tuition fees. The university is looking to slash £140million in outgoings to combat a predicted deficit, with the lion’s share, up to £92million, expected to be cut from staff pay. This has put management at loggerheads with the University and College Union Edinburgh (UCUE). An unconfirmed number of members of the UCUE started a marking and assessment boycott (MAB) on May 1, the latest move in the ongoing industrial spat. This could continue in the run-up to the crucial exam boards meetings next month – and there are fears the disruption may go on for up to a year. It means some students could end up graduating with ‘unclassified degrees’ until their work can be properly assessed. In 2023, a similar industrial spat saw some students graduate in this way – not knowing what grade they had achieved, for example a 2:1, 2:2 and so on. Hundreds of students at the University of Edinburgh could be impacted by bitter dispute Should students paying huge tuition fees get compensated when strikes disrupt their degree results? What's your view?Although it is expected that the degrees will eventually be classified, in the meantime this could cause problems in gaining access to graduate schemes, regulated professions or postgraduate courses. In 2023, classifications were added retrospectively after marking was concluded, with boycotting staff eligible to receive any withheld pay. However, the uncertainty caused anguish for students, with one saying they were ‘absolutely disgusted that our degree classification is being used as a bargaining chip’. The parent of another student said their son had started out ‘keen and eager to learn’ but he ‘doesn’t want to go to a pretend “graduation” – quite understandably.’ Students are also unlikely to be entitled to a refund as industrial disputes are classified as ‘events beyond the university’s reasonable control’. While the tuition fees of Scots students are bankrolled by the Scottish Government, foreign students pay up to £45,000 for a one-year degree at the University of Edinburgh. Around 40 per cent of students at the institution are from overseas. There are fears that the matter will not be resolved before the pivotal Boards of Examiners’ meetings next month that make final decisions on whether students can progress to the next year of study, proceed to their dissertation, or graduate. The University is said to have told employees that anyone taking part in the MAB will have their full pay withheld. The university has said that while it ‘fully’ respects the right of staff to take part in industrial disputes, it will ‘work hard to reduce the impact on our students and our staff community’. The union’s demands in connection with the MAB include ‘agreement with unions on a robust policy for avoiding redundancies’. University principal Professor Sir Peter Mathieson said: ‘We believe that this action is completely unjustifiable and will add unnecessary strain on our students during an already challenging and important time. ‘We’ll take all practical steps to keep exams and coursework submissions on track.’ No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.