Nurses: Training

(asked on 30th December 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of reimbursing the 2018-19 cohort of nursing students for their tuition fees.


Answered by
Michelle Donelan Portrait
Michelle Donelan
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
This question was answered on 11th January 2021

This is a difficult and uncertain time for students, but we are working with the sector to make sure all reasonable efforts are being made to enable students to continue their studies. The government expects universities and other higher education providers to continue delivering a high-quality academic experience and help students to achieve qualifications that they and employers value.

The government is extremely grateful to all students who opted into a paid clinical placement in the NHS during the COVID-19 response. We have ensured that all these students were rewarded fairly for their hard work. Nursing, midwifery, and allied health students who opted into a paid clinical placement received a salary and automatic NHS pension entitlement at the appropriate band. Time spent on paid placements as part of the COVID-19 response also counted towards the requirement for students to complete a specified number of training hours in order to successfully complete their degrees. There are no plans for tuition fee refunds or a specific debt write-off scheme for student volunteers.

Whether or not an individual student is entitled to a refund of fees will depend on the specific contractual arrangements between the provider and student. Universities and other higher education providers are autonomous and responsible for setting their own fees. In deciding to keep charging full fees, providers will want to ensure that they can continue to deliver courses which are fit for purpose and help students progress their qualifications.

If students have concerns, there is a process in place. They should first raise their concerns with their university. If their concerns remain unresolved, students at providers in England or Wales can ask the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education to consider their complaint.

Reticulating Splines