Scottish university students plan graduation ceremony protests and boycotts as anger grows over ‘unclassified’ degrees

Higher education institutions have been criticised over industrial action response

Students at Scottish universities are planning protests and boycotts of coming graduation ceremonies amid anger at “insulting” unclassified degrees.

Demonstrations are being planned by some final-year students who accuse university bosses of “disrespecting” their work.

Many students have been told they will not receive degree classifications when they graduate because of a lack of progress in ending an ongoing marking and assessment boycott by staff.

Glasgow University student Jess Wilson wither her dissertation

The industrial action has been under way by the University and College Union across the UK since April.

Jess Wilson, a 23-year-old sociology student at Glasgow University, said she was planning a protest at her graduation ceremony on Wednesday.

“We’re planning on collecting our graduation gowns, because it is actually our graduation day, and then protesting prior to the ceremony, outside the gates of the uni, where people have to walk by to get in,” she said.

"I’ve got placards I’m making and I’m bringing with me, and then a couple of us planning on walking to get our degrees with placards around our necks.”

Edinburgh University student James Fraser, who studies social anthropology and politics, told The Scotsman he was intending to boycott his own graduation ceremony next month.

"I would say I’m angry and disappointed,” he said. “The university has offered us a chance to graduate, but they’ve said we’ll have to graduate under the banner of an unclassified degree.

“I will not be attending any graduation ceremony where I’m going to be presented with an unclassified degree because I think it’s insulting."

Both Mr Fraser and Ms Wilson blamed university management for the “whole fiasco”, rather than the staff involved in industrial action. "The communication from the university has been absolutely shocking – it has been non-existent, quite frankly,” Ms Wilson said.

"We all place 100 per cent of the blame on the universities. They’ve continually disrespected their staff, and now they’re disrespecting their students. It shows now they don’t value their degrees if they are willing to put out unclassified degrees.

“It undermines the work we’ve all put in. I did my dissertation this year, it was 12,000 words, and it has not even been marked by the person it is meant to be marked by – it has been marked by someone else in the department who wasn’t a specialist in the subject.

"I spent a couple of days in total despair because I got my grade back from my dissertation and it was lower than I expected, it was lower than I was basically told I would get.

"A lot of people have said their grades have been a lot lower than they are used to, or expected.”

A Glasgow University spokesman said the institution appreciated this “will be a particularly stressful time for students who have not yet received their grades” due to the marking and assessment boycott.

"We have written to all students with the latest information, advice and support and the university is doing everything it can to mitigate against the impact of this industrial action,” he said.

"We have committed that no student will be prevented from graduating or onwards progression due to industrial action.

"Graduating students who have not received grades can attend graduation ceremonies and will receive a parchment, pending final confirmation of their degree classification.”