Marking and assessment boycott at United Kingdom universities

An ongoing labour dispute is currently affecting universities in the United Kingdom (UK) and may affect students planning to go to the UK on exchange in the fall 2023 term.

What is happening? 

University educators and professors are currently engaged in a marking and assessment boycott to address various issues related to their working conditions, pay, and other aspects of their employment.

As of now, the situation remains uncertain as the union's mandate to continue the marking boycott extends into October, with a possibility of a further extension. This could lead to potential delays or disruptions in receiving final grades and might also impact other aspects of the semester.

Does this mean students won’t be able to earn any credits?

We are not 100% sure at this time. Some students who went on exchange to the UK for the winter 2023 term experienced delays in receiving their final grades. To minimize the impact on our students, most partner institutions offered provisional transcripts to help graduating students plan ahead. Given the uncertainty around the duration and intensity of the current dispute, we cannot predict whether it will affect the exchange term.

When will the dispute end and what is the potential impact?

While there has been some progress on the national dispute at our partner institutions, we cannot be certain of its effect on UK universities in the coming academic year. Although our exchange partner schools have reported positive movements towards a resolution, we cannot predict future actions.

The University and College Union (UCU) members can continue striking until their mandate expires on October 20th. After that date, the union can still ask its members to vote on the introduction of a new mandate, potentially leading to another marking and assessment boycott for the 23-24 academic year. If the boycott continues into the fall term, there may be a delay in transcript processing, which could affect your graduation plans.

Is UWaterloo suggesting that students cancel their exchange term? 

We want to clarify that the University of Waterloo is not suggesting that students cancel their exchange term. Our primary goal is to create awareness of the potential disruption so that students can make an informed decision based on their circumstances. All exchange terms inherently carry some level of risk and we want to ensure students are well-informed about this particular situation. While our exchange partners are working hard to minimize disruptions for students, labour actions are unpredictable.

What are my next steps as an exchange student?

1. Decide if going on exchange is still right for you. Consider your graduation plans/ timelines and if an exchange experience is worth the risk to you. It's your decision and unfortunately we can't make it for you. If you decide to withdraw reach out to us and we will inform your host school and faculty.
2. Stay up to date on information from your host school. Read their emails and check the University and College Union website often.
3. Talk to us. As your Global Learning Coordinators, it's our job to answer your questions and help you plan your exchange.