Vice-chancellors have called for maintenance grants for students studying weekend-only courses to be restored until a solution can be found to the increasingly bitter row.

Universities UK (UUK) issued the call after nine institutions fired the starting gun on legal proceedings over the withdrawal of support for around 22,000 students.

Earlier on 16 April, the National Union of Students (NUS) presented a petition on the issue – itself boasting more than 13,000 signatures – to the Department for Education.

According to the government, weekend-only students are classified as on “distance learning” courses, regardless of whether they study on campus, and are therefore ineligible for maintenance loans.

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The students involved have been told that they will have to repay sums received so far, which include childcare grants in some cases, and can amount to thousands of pounds. However, universities claim that the definition of weekend-only students has been unclear. 

In a statement, UUK said that affected students and their families risked “immediate hardship and distress”.

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“We are calling on government to protect students and their families by reinstating maintenance payments until a fair and practical solution can be found,” the organisation said.

"Universities are evolving to meet the changing needs of learners. Students of all ages need more flexibility than ever to fit in their studies around work and caring responsibilities.

“The government should support those with the motivation to invest in developing their skills and must ensure the system reflects the reality of life for today’s students.

“This should include supporting those studying at weekends if their course is taught in person and at the intensity where maintenance support is required, in the same way it would for any other days of the week.”

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Only three of the institutions taking legal action have been named: Bath Spa University, London Metropolitan University, and Southampton Solent University. More than 20 providers are thought to be affected in total, also including Oxford Brookes University and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.

In a pre-action protocol letter, they say that the classification of in-person, timetabled weekend teaching as distance learning “defies common sense” and is inconsistent with Student Support Regulations that have been in use since 2011.

Speaking prior to the petition handover, Alex Stanley, the NUS’ vice-president, said that students were “bearing the brunt of failed communications between the Student Loans Company and their universities”.

“Regardless of where any blame lies, the immediate solution would be for the secretary of state to use the discretion she has in the regulations, and stop the immediate clawback of these students’ payments so that they are not plunged into poverty,” Stanley said.

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Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has previously said that the situation is “not students’ fault” and that the government “will always prioritise protecting students and safeguarding taxpayers’ money”. 

“Too many organisations have let their students down, through either incompetence or abuse of the system,” she said when the decision was first made. 

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The SLC has previously said it is clear that “providers are responsible for ensuring that courses are classified correctly and that student-facing information must reflect accurate attendance requirements, including weekday attendance where this is a condition of maintenance support”.

chris.havergal@timeshighereducation.com