Graduation Fee

[WaldoMcFroog]

I've recently done two years distance learning at a Scottish University and achieved a Postgraduate Diploma in Electronic Information Managment.

I have just got off the phone from being told that it will cost me �40 to graduate. I told them I have no interest in going to the graduation ceremony, I just want the qualification certificate. '�40' came the response.

Considering I've paid over �4,000 in fees over the past couple of years for what effectively amounts to about 30 pdfs (Often out of date and erroneous at that) and about eight bits of marking, I feel quiet agreived at this. In fact, I didn't even get everything I paid for; not once did I get a phone call from a tutor, even though I was supposed to get one from every tutor for each course I did. As much as anything, it was this that made me decide not to take a third year and turn it into a Masters.

It's not the money as such - I can afford it - but the principle of it.

Am I right to feel aggrieved over this? Is this a common thing now? When I did my undergraduate degree I never got asked to pay for the bloody certificate!

[Buenchico]

The award of a degree is actually the granting of admission into a category of membership of a university. (That's why members of some religious groups have to apply to to have their degree rescinded. Their religion prohibits them from 'belonging' to any other organization, including a university).

It's common practice for universities to separate tuition and examination fees from 'membership fees'. I certainly had to pay for my Bachelor's degree - and that was back in 1975!

Chris

[Gef]

First of all congratulations Waldo. I think this is now fairly common. It cost nothing for my daughter's boyfriend to graduate from his first degree course at Glasgow in 2005 but he has just had to pay to get his MSc from the same university. totally unjustified in my opinion.

[ewand]

I would suggest, Waldo, that the issues you have mentioned in your question (lack of tutor call and out of date materials etc.) should be documented in a well thought out letter, outlining the issues of the course and the fact that simply was not the course that was offered etc. If you copy the letter to someone high enough within the institution then at best, you'd receive some compensation and they'd improve the course, and at worst, they'd improve the course for future students. If no one brings it up, then they'd believe they can continue in such a way until someone does.

Good luck, and congratulations.

[WaldoMcFroog]

Believe me, I've put the whinges into every course evaluation questionaire they've sent me. I was including them more to big up my exasperation at how much I'd paid for the course, only to find this additional charge at the end.

Why not just include it in the course fees? After all, who wouldn't want to have their certificate upon completing and passing the qualification?

Anyway, thanks everyone for the answers so far!

[ewand]

I know it can be frustrating but i'm not entirely convinced that a course questionnaire is completely listened to, especially if it is submitted along with many others. A letter is a far more personal approach, and in my opinion, carries a lot more weight.

Anyway, that isn't what you asked, and i'm nattering on, but the extra payment is an issue that many people bring up who I've known do this type of course, therefore a University could save themselves the potential conflict and simply include it in the cost.

However, I suppose you could suggest that without paying the �40, you could simply use the letters after your name (WaldoMcFroog Dip.E.I.Mgmt. (!)) though if you needed to prove them, you're �40 out of pocket.