By Kirsty Topping
Challenge: Glen Dickson believes he did not get the degree he deserved
A GRADUATE is planning to sue his former university because he claims he should have received a better degree.
Glen Dickson, 23, has instructed lawyers to act against Edinburgh Napier University to get his degree changed from a 2:2 to the 2:1 he said he should have got.
He says the lower classification has left him unable to get a job and has said he is prepared to take his battle to court.
The former architectural technology student suffered a car crash and serious health problems in his final year – resulting on him missing out on a 2:1 by just 0.09% – and says these factors should have been taken into account by the university.
Glen says his overall grade of 59.41% put him below the 60% needed for an automatic 2:1 but pointed out that other students with marks between 58 and 59.4% were awarded discretionary 2:1s.
He also believes a
“disastrous’ module, which around a third of the 60 students failed, resulting in complaints to the university, pushed his final degree mark down by a further 6%.
The university acknowledged his complaint regarding the module but said the rules dictated that his grievance should have been lodged while he was still a student.
Glen has instructed law firm Beveridge and Kellas to fight for a change to his degree classification and is applying for civil legal aid to help him challenge the grading.
He said:
“I’m really disappointed, I worked really hard throughout my whole degree and I had a 67.9% average at the start of the year. Then this nightmare module made me drop six per cent.
“My average after all my exams was 60.26%, but a weighing is applied to the final exams so I ended up at 59.41%.
“In the university rules it says that people who score between 58 and 59.4% should be considered for a 2:1. It says people with 59.5% or over are automatically a 2:1 but in between those scores there isn’t any guidance.
“I’m not aware of anyone who has scored like this before but it’s left me in a sort of purgatory. All I’d like is my 2:1 score. “
He added:
“So far I’ve made informal and formal complaints to the university but I want to take this as far as it will go. “
A spokeswoman for the Independent Students’ Association Scotland’s Napier branch said it supported Glen. In a letter to his subject department, she said:
“I am of the view that were Glen to take his appeal/complaint externally they would be upheld and referred buck to Edinburgh Napier with a requirement that due process is applied. “
A spokeswoman for the university said:
“We have been liaising with Glen but will not comment publicly on cases like this.
“We have rigorous procedures to ensure the correct degree classification is awarded. Where cases are borderline, we examine the student’s best marks from final year modules to establish what degree they should have.’For complaints to be formally investigated they should be raised while the student is still matriculated with us. If the complainant is no longer a student we advise them of other ways that they can raise issues such as through the ombudsman. “
