The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) sets out the consumer rights of students. The consumer rights issue which is directly affected by course and programme modifications relates to ‘information provision’ and the need for universities to provide up front, clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information for students.Changes made to courses and programmes may affect ‘material information’ which according to the CMA is information which allows students to make “an informed choice about which universities and courses to apply for”. This includes information such as programme title, core modules, programme composition and assessment. Please keep in mind the impact of the CMA guidelines on any proposals which are submitted for course and programme changes. Changes which do not provide students with sufficient time to consider their options, namely those proposed outside of the School’s established timelines for the proposal and modification of taught provision, will only be considered in exceptional circumstances.
Full details of the CMA guidance can be found in the Higher education: guide to consumer rights for students.