Employer went bust - Uni making me pay tuition fee

Beckyg__ · 28 October 2019 at 1:50PM

Hi everyone

New to the forum so hoping I am posting on the correct bit...

I am just looking for some advice really.. My partner goes to university part time (1 day a week) whilst working the other days. His employer agreed to pay his tuition fees and so it was agreed they would sponsor him for the whole course. He has now completed 2 years of university.

The problem is that the company he worked for went into administration recently around 2 months ago. The university have just flagged to him that his second year has not been paid for by the employer... leaving him liable for £5000 tuition fee for the year.

I find this confusing how the uni still let him study for the whole year, fully enrolling and sitting exams. If he knew at the start of the year that his employer had not paid and he was liable then he would have likely had second thoughts about completing the studies.

It seems to me that a mistake has been made by the university as they should have flagged this with us sooner, not at the end of the year when his studies for the year have already been completed.

I was wondering what grounds we stood? Do we make a complaint?

Thanks

Becky

Browntoa · 28 October 2019 at 2:06PM

Someone has to pay for it , university is a business these days

Socajam · 28 October 2019 at 2:19PM

Browntoa I agree here.
Also it was up to your partner to ensure that his course was paid for every year by checking with the employer.
Small part of the fault lies with the university, but if my employer was paid for my course, I would make sure that I check to ensure that payment was received
It's called "personal responsibility" something that it seriously lacking these days. It is far easier to blame someone else.

Beckyg__ · 28 October 2019 at 4:02PM

Thanks for your response however it is not helpful.

I would appreciate if you could be slightly more compassionate baring in mind we have just lost £5k in savings towards our first home.

[Deleted User] · 28 October 2019 at 4:26PM

I used to work in postgrad admin at a uni up until about four years ago. Most of the students I dealt with were sponsored by their employers and the rule then was that the student was out if the employer hadn't paid by the start of the second semester (about February). At that stage the students were given the option of paying themselves, but very few ever did. Also that was usually the first the student knew about their fees not being paid as all the invoices etc. went to the employer.
Anyway, you need to find out what the official charging policy is at the uni your husband goes to as it can vary from uni to uni. If they broke their own rules you may have a case for arguing that you shouldn't be required to pay, but otherwise you will unfortunately have to find the 5K.

Socajam · 28 October 2019 at 4:52PM

Beckyg__ wrote: »

Thanks for your response however it is not helpful.

I would appreciate if you could be slightly more compassionate baring in mind we have just lost £5k in savings towards our first home.

Compassionate for what saying that people need to take more personal responsibility for their failures. How is being compassionate going to help you. The money needs to be paid if your husband wants to continue his course.
The question is can you afford or not?
These days everybody wants to blame someone for their shortcomings instead of admitting that if they had taken the initiative to find out, your husband would not be in the situation he is now.
I had to learn personal responsibility at a young age and its something that should be taught first at home and then in schools.

Beckyg__ · 28 October 2019 at 6:17PM

Rabbit24 wrote: »

I used to work in postgrad admin at a uni up until about four years ago. Most of the students I dealt with were sponsored by their employers and the rule then was that the student was out if the employer hadn't paid by the start of the second semester (about February). At that stage the students were given the option of paying themselves, but very few ever did. Also that was usually the first the student knew about their fees not being paid as all the invoices etc. went to the employer.
Anyway, you need to find out what the official charging policy is at the uni your husband goes to as it can vary from uni to uni. If they broke their own rules you may have a case for arguing that you shouldn't be required to pay, but otherwise you will unfortunately have to find the 5K.

Thank you for your reply

Yes, this is why I'm finding it frustrating. The university website states that an invoice is issued at the beginning of the academic year and then:

"If the Tuition Fee due to the University remains unpaid 28 days after the date it is due for payment the University shall be entitled to take legal action to recover the debt and/or take any or all of the following steps:

commence legal action to recover the debt together with any interest and costs incurred in so doing;
give the Student notice that unless, within a further 14 day period, arrangements that the University considers satisfactory are made for payment of the outstanding amount, the University will terminate the Student's studies,
in respect of the Course to which the outstanding Tuition Fee relates, delay in giving the Student any award or qualification which would otherwise have been made, not permit the Student to attend the Graduation Ceremony, and/or refuse to allow the Student to proceed to any further stage of the Course, until all outstanding amounts have been paid."

His studies were not terminated and he was able to sit exams and gain qualifications. I'm not sure what to do going forward?

ruperts · 28 October 2019 at 7:13PM

Did the administators offer any support to employees? If that's still open I'd probably put the question to them first and see what they say.

Failing that I think you might need legal representation. I'm no lawyer but it seems to me that you've got a strong case. Presumably a sponsorship agreement exists which states that fees would be paid by the employer, and presumably invoices were sent directly from the university to the employer and your partner had nothing to do with making the payment. If so I can't see why the debt should automatically pass to your partner. I think the university would be one of probably quite a few creditors that may or may not get their invoice paid through the administration process.

It might also be worth just asking the university on what basis they believe the debt to have automatically passed to your partner, as if it's hidden somewhere in their T & C's then you probably will have to pay. If it's not though and they maintain that he'll have to pay, I'd go legal with it myself.

jaybeetoo · 30 October 2019 at 6:24PM

Ignore Socajam and Browntoa.

I agree with Rabbit24. Also, has you husband tried asking the NUS for help?

Socajam · 30 October 2019 at 8:14PM

jaybeetoo wrote: »

Ignore Socajam and Browntoa.

I agree with Rabbit24. Also, has you husband tried asking the NUS for help?

Ignore us because we could be right. The responsibility lies with the husband.
If someone was paying your mortgage, would you sit back and assume that it was paid every month,or would you check to ensure that it was paid.
My accountant does my taxes every year and assures me that they are filed with the Inland Revenue. I always takes her word as "gospel". Something went off in my hand told me that I am playing with fire. What would happen if she were to lie to me, I would have no comeback, as the IR would say that it is my fault for not checking to ensure that my taxes are up to date.
I have started to check and guess what, they were filed, sitting in my IR account was 1200 pounds If I had not decided to check, that money would have stated there unaccounted.
My point is the company was paying his university fees, but in the final analysis, the burden of proof to ensure that those fees were paid, lies with the recipient - the OP's husband.

PasturesNew · 30 October 2019 at 8:19PM

Socajam wrote: »

It's called "personal responsibility" something that it seriously lacking these days. It is far easier to blame someone else.

... yes, yes, yes.

But when you get off that horse I might suggest a concept called "trust". One'd not know one had to check up on something an employer was dealing with. The person will have been entirely new to the situation and Uni.

You don't know what you don't know.... and they can't be blamed for trusting an employer - and an employer who'd paid it OK the previous year and paid their wages to now.....

Employer went bust - Uni making me pay tuition fee

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