Students banned from accessing university emails for failing to pay rent, against CMA guidance

Students have been banned from accessing university emails and shut out from campus libraries after failing to pay rent, it has been revealed.

Undergraduates at the University of Liverpool who live in university-owned accommodation and are unable to pay their rent on time are being handed "academic sanctions", contrary to Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) guidance.

Punishments include being locked out the library and being denied access to their university account which allows students to submit coursework and respond to emails. Students are not allowed to enroll for the next academic year if their rent remains unpaid.

They could even be prevented from graduating if their debts have not been paid off, according to the university's guidance. Academic penalties for non-academic debt are prohibited by the CMA.

In 2017, 687 Liverpool students were given sanctions. It was found that they are subsequently 12.9 per cent less likely to successfully complete the year and were almost twice as likely to resit exams, according to the university's assessment feedback working group.

In July 2016, the CMA published an open letter to all British universities telling them that they could "no longer apply academic sanctions when students are in non-academic debt".

Nisha Arora, the CMA director, has previously said: "Students shouldn’t be prevented from graduating or re-enrolling because they owe money for accommodation or other non-academic services.

"Compliance with consumer protection law is an important way to ensure that students have the right information to make informed decisions about what and where to study and are treated fairly when they get there."

The CMA declined to comment on whether they would be taking action against the University of Liverpool.

The University of Liverpool has also been criticised by its students for setting "extortionate" rent prices.

Rory Hughes, president of the Liverpool Guild of Students, said: "The University of Liverpool has one of the most extortionate rent portfolios for halls of residence in the country, in one of the cheapest student cities to live.

"Currently, the average rent in halls is more than 110 per cent of the average student's maintenance loan."

Last academic year, 16 per cent of students failed to pay their rent on time and are therefore subject to academic sanctions, compared to the national average of 1.7 per cent, according to The Tab student paper.

A spokesman for the University of Liverpool said: “We always seek to deal with these matters in a fair and proportionate way and we are of course aware of the guidance provided by the CMA.

“The University keeps its approach to sanctions for non-payment of residential costs under review and is working with the Liverpool Guild of Students and others to discuss this, and additional support for students in arrears."