Goldsmiths MFA fees: Students demand refunds after 21-week strike

Master of fine art students at Goldsmiths, University of London, are seeking compensation for a lack of teaching during a 21-week industrial dispute. The group argues that the disruption has rendered their tuition fees, which range from £15,000 to £33,000 per year, excessive for the education received.

The strike involves 10 of the 12 usual tutors on the MFA programme. Florence Sweeney, a part-time student, stated that many students have received virtually no teaching this term. She described the financial burden as a drain and reported that classmates have become distressed, anxious, or depressed. Some international students arrived from abroad without proper welcome briefings or induction sessions.

One international student told the Guardian that induction sessions frequently devolved into discussions about the strike. The student, who expressed excitement about starting at Goldsmiths, described the arrival experience as shocking. James Evans, a US student, noted that visa and funding restrictions require him to remain on the course. He reported receiving no marks last year and lacking feedback on current projects. Evans characterized this year's structure as non-existent and communication as minimal.

John Carver, a part-time second-year student, suspended his studies following a departmental meeting at the start of the term. He criticized the replacement tutors for not knowing the students, although he praised the regular faculty. The MFA course is a two-year program that charges nearly £15,000 annually for full-time UK students and £33,000 for international students.

The dispute began as a marking boycott in April over proposed job cuts. Management responded by deducting 100% of pay from participating staff, a move the union argued constituted a lockout. A formal ballot led to an indefinite strike by a group of University and College Union members starting in early June. Joe Newman, co-president of the Goldsmiths UCU branch, said the action responds to the scale and speed of management cuts. He noted that students are largely supportive and often surprised when learning the reasons for the strike.

Goldsmiths has faced financial pressure from falling applications in core humanities subjects and reduced domestic tuition fees. One staff member described the institution's response as continuous rounds of redundancies and restructuring. The university stated that only about 8.5% of staff are on strike, leaving most students unaffected. Management offered a pause on compulsory redundancies but maintained the full pay deductions for the initial boycott. A university spokesperson cited significant financial challenges and stated that continued disruption risks long-term reputation damage.

The university said it is providing regular updates and meetings with schools to support affected students. The MFA students remain focused on securing remuneration for the lost learning time during the ongoing strike.