A CONSUMER watchdog says a Scottish university is among three in Britain that is consistently adopting "unlawful" practice by failing to provide prospective students with full information on courses including tuition fees.
Glasgow Caledonian University along with Canterbury Christ Church University and the University of Huddersfield were singled out for what Which? called "consistently adopting unlawful practice" by failing to provide approximately 30% of information required, including up to date information on fees.
It found that three in four universities are breaching consumer law by failing to provide at least one piece of vital information for prospective student about their courses.
Three other Scottish universities, the University of St Andrews, Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh and the University of Stirling were found to have fallen into the "unlawful" practice category in relation to the provision of certain elements of course information.
The University of Stirling was highlighted over lack of clarity on assessments, expected workloads and contract hours.
The Queen Margaret University received a black mark from Which? for fees information.
The University of St Andrews were criticised for its information on core modules and length of courses.
Which? said it will be submitting its findings to the Competition and Markets Authority which is investigating whether the higher education sector is complying with its published guidance on how consumer law applies to the higher education sector, including measures to ensure terms are transparent and fair.
The CMA, which replaced the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), had conducted a compliance review of the higher education sector following complaints about unexpected changes to courses after they have begun, with modules or larger elements of degrees being withdrawn or revised, or fees increasing.
Which? said its research carried out across 50 UK higher education institutions in September, this year, concentrating on one single course, showed around two-thirds (64%) of institutions failed to provide students with up to date information on course fees, and four in five (80%) did not state or provide clarity on any extra fees students may have to pay to complete the course.
Which? executive director, Richard Lloyd, said: “Students deserve to know at least the basics of what they can expect from a course before signing up, so it’s disappointing to find that a large number of universities still breaching consumer law. It’s encouraging to see some providers demonstrating good practice, but we now need all universities to make better information easily available and accessible for prospective students.”
Glasgow Caledonian University said it was "committed to providing the best possible service to students and potential applicants and would like to reassure them that we endeavour at all times to present information in the clearest and fairest manner".
A university spokesman added: " It is important to note that the University contributed to the earlier CMA consultation and is continuing to take account of subsequent advice on consumer law from the CMA. This will ensure programme and fees information is accessible, transparent and reflects best practice.
A University of Stirling spokeswoman said: "We have undertaken a review of our arrangements and are implementing an action plan to optimise the range and accessibility of the information we provide to our applicants and students. The University is committed to providing the highest quality student experience, and making sure that prospective students have access to clear and comprehensive information on studying with us."
Queen Margaret University said undergraduate fees had not yet been included on the website but web text was due to be updated in the next few days.
A University of St Andrews spokeswoman added: “All information for entry in September 2016 was available online by 24 September 2015, which falls within the period of the Which? survey.
“While we believe all relevant, up-to-date information was available at the time, we acknowledge that some of this information could be more readily accessible online.
“We take this issue very seriously and are already working on improved technology that will make the search process as direct and clear as possible for all prospective students.”
Meanwhile, the university think-tank million+ criticised the report suggesting that it gives a misleading view of university compliance with competition law.
Pam Tatlow, chief executive of the university think tank million+, said: “A ten-day survey of a small selection of web pages for a single course undertaken almost five months before the majority of students apply and twelve months before they start their degrees, is hardly the basis on which to suggest that universities are not complying with their duties under competition law or the guidance issued by the Competition and Markets Authority.
“University websites are important but they are only one part of the picture. Prospective students are provided with information on open days and by course tutors but they also research websites such as Unistats and seek advice from their schools and colleges.
"Judging the performance of universities on such a partial basis is misleading and unlikely to help students understand the admissions process or make the right choice of university and course.”
Universities UK chief executive Nicola Dandridge said clear and relevant information for students was important and universities continued to work with the CMA to ensure they complied with the statutory requirements in consumer protection law.
But she added: "It is important to recognise that the relationship that exists between a student and their university is a distinctive relationship to do with learning and teaching, rather than a standard consumer contract."
Which? said it compared information on providers’ websites for one single course – Psychology, in the 2016/2017 academic year - across 50 UK higher education institutions between 14 and 25 September 2015.
"We selected Psychology as indicative of a typical undergraduate degree. Psychology was in the top five most applied for courses for the academic year 2014/2015 according to official UCAS data, with over 106,000 applications made that year," it said.
Which? said that in line with CMA’s advice, researchers assessed whether or not categories of information were available on providers’ websites.
They included the fees they could expect to pay and any extra costs.
They also looked at the core modules which students can expect to be taught, the number of contact hours which students can expect to have with university staff, entry requirements and the number of contact hours which students can expect to have with university staff,
Other categories examined include the student workload, the teaching qualifications of the university staff, the manner in which students could expect to be assessed and the award which would be offered on course completion.
The report is a response to how well universities were complying with CMA advice provided in March about how universities comply with their obligations under consumer protection law – in particular the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs) and the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (CCRs) – and to enable students to make informed decisions about what and where to study.
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