Newcastle Uni pay out almost £2m in compensation to students
Newcastle University has forked out over £1.7m in compensation to students whose learning was disrupted by recent strike action.
Last updated 21st Jul 2025
Newcastle University has forked out over £1.7m in compensation to students whose learning was disrupted by recent strike action.
A freedom of information request (FOI) has revealed that as of June 30 this year, Newcastle University has paid out £1,717,400 to students who saw scheduled teaching missed, disrupted, or not replaced promptly, as a result of walk-outs by unionised academics. In all, the FOI has also revealed there were 2,752 incidents of teaching disturbed by the discontinuous strike which lasted from March 4 to June 27.
On the compensation figure, the FOI goes on to state this is an ongoing process and the final total will not be known until the scheme closes.
Newcastle Uni has identified 12,769 students eligible for compensation payments. Eligible home fee-paying students can claim a maximum of £600 back for six missed modules with the maximum claim for international students at £1,200.
The University and College Union approved industrial action following management’s decision to slash £20m from its wage bill with the possibility of compulsory redundancies. By June, the University announced it had made its cuts, around 5% of its salary spend, without resorting to compulsory offers.
The University also suffered a £35m shortfall due to the national decline in international students.
A Newcastle University spokesperson said: “We are offering students compensation for missed teaching due to industrial action, which is in line with the latest directions to the sector from the Office for Students (OfS).
“Funds that were saved from unpaid salaries due to industrial action are being redirected towards the compensation scheme.
“For each student, the offer is based on the number of modules that have been impacted and the tuition fee paid.”
Prof Matt Perry, UCU Newcastle branch chair said: “The fact that they can pay £1.7m out to students shows the measure of the impact of our actions plus that the university had the money to cut compulsory redundancies in the first place.”