Goldsmiths MFA students seek refunds after 21 weeks without regular teaching

10 of the 12 tutors typically assigned to the master of fine art (MFA) programme at Goldsmiths, University of London, are currently on strike. This prolonged absence has left many students without regular instruction for 21 weeks, leading a group of enrolled students to formally request financial compensation from the university.

The industrial dispute has disrupted timetables for students who arrived on campus this autumn. Florence Sweeney, a part-time student, described the term as a financial drain, noting that many peers have received virtually no teaching. She reported that some classmates, including those who moved from other countries, arrived without proper briefings or welcome sessions. Sweeney said the situation has caused distress, anxiety, and depression among some students.

Goldsmiths has faced financial pressure in recent years due to falling applications in core humanities and reduced domestic tuition fees. A staff member described the university's response to these challenges as a continuous cycle of redundancies and restructuring. The current action is part of a wider dispute by University and College Union (UCU) members that began as a marking boycott in April.

Management initiated the conflict by deducting 100% of pay from staff participating in the boycott, a move the union argued constituted a lockout. Following a formal ballot, UCU members at the south-east London university have been on indefinite strike since early June. Joe Newman, co-president of the Goldsmiths UCU branch, stated the strike is a reaction to the scale and speed of proposed job cuts. He said students were largely supportive of the action and expressed shock when informed of the reasons for the walkout.

The university maintains that the strike affects only a small portion of its workforce. A spokesperson said around 8.5% of staff are on strike, leaving most students unaffected. The university stated it has offered compromises, including a pause on compulsory redundancies, but it will continue to deduct 100% of pay for the marking boycott. The spokesperson cited large expenditures to ease student impact and warned that continued disruption risks harming the institution's long-term reputation.

MFA students expressed disappointment given the cost of the programme, which charges nearly £15,000 annually for full-time UK students and £33,000 for international students. John Carver, a part-time second-year student, suspended his studies after attending a departmental meeting he described as dismal at the start of term. While he praised the regular tutors, he noted that replacement staff did not know the students.

James Evans, an international student from the US, said visa and funding restrictions required him to remain on the course despite the disruption. He reported receiving no marks last year and has still not received feedback on projects from that period. Evans described this year as lacking structure, with students left to their own devices due to minimal communication.

The next scheduled step involves ongoing meetings between university representatives and affected schools, as the university continues to offer regular updates to students enrolled in the disrupted programmes.