Goldsmiths MFA students seek refunds after tutor strike disrupts classes

Fine art students at Goldsmiths, University of London, are asking the university to refund part of their tuition fees after a long running strike left them with little formal instruction this term. The industrial dispute has now entered its 21st week, disrupting schedules for master of fine art (MFA) candidates who paid substantial sums to attend the program. The group of students is seeking remuneration for what they describe as lost learning during the first months of the academic year.

The MFA course, which charges nearly 15,000 pounds per year for domestic full-time students and 33,000 pounds for international students, has been particularly affected. Ten of the program's usual 12 tutors joined the strike action. Florence Sweeney, a part-time student on the course, stated that many peers have received virtually no teaching so far. She described the situation as a financial drain and noted that classmates have become distressed, anxious, and in some cases depressed due to the lack of structure.

Management at the university argues that the impact on the wider student body is limited. A spokesperson said that only about 8.5% of staff are currently on strike, meaning most students continue their studies without interruption. The university stated it has offered several compromises, including a pause on compulsory redundancies, but it refused to stop deducting 100% of pay from staff involved in an earlier marking boycott. The university cited large financial outlays to support students as the reason for maintaining those deductions.

The strike began in April as a boycott of grading work over proposed job cuts. University and College Union (UCU) members at the south-east London campus went on indefinite strike in early June after a formal ballot. Joe Newman, a co-president of the local UCU branch, said the action responds to the rapid scale of management cuts. He reported that students were largely supportive of the strike and expressed shock when told the reasons for the walkout.

Goldsmiths has faced financial pressure in recent years due to falling applications in humanities subjects and changes to domestic tuition fees. One staff member described the internal environment as involving continuous rounds of redundancies and restructuring. The university said it faces significant financial challenges and warned that continued disruption could harm its long-term reputation. It is providing regular updates and meetings with schools to support affected students.

James Evans, an international student from the US, said visa and funding rules required him to remain on the course despite the disruption. He reported receiving no marks or feedback on projects from last year. John Carver, a part-time second-year student, suspended his studies after a departmental meeting he described as dismal. He noted that replacement staff brought in during the strike did not know the students, adding to the confusion.

An international student attending a gathering of unhappy students on Friday said induction sessions often turned into discussions about the strike. The student described the arrival experience as shocking after being excited to begin studies at the university. The dispute has left a portion of the fine art cohort without a proper welcome or briefings, despite having traveled from other parts of the world to attend the program.