Goldsmiths MFA Students Demand Refunds Amid 21-Week Strike

Master of fine art students at Goldsmiths, University of London, are demanding financial compensation after a 21-week tutor strike left them with little formal instruction this term. The dispute has upended timetables for the two-year program, with ten of the usual twelve tutors currently on strike action.

Florence Sweeney, a part-time student, said many fine art majors have received virtually no teaching since the start of the term. She described the situation as a financial drain and noted that classmates have become distressed, anxious, and depressed. Sweeney explained that some students traveled from other countries only to face a lack of proper welcome or briefings upon arrival.

The financial stakes for affected students are high. Full-time UK students pay approximately £15,000 per year, while international students pay around £33,000 for the same two-year course. John Carver, a second-year part-time student, suspended his studies after attending a departmental meeting he described as dismal at the start of the term. He criticized the replacement staff, stating they did not know the students personally.

International student James Evans said visa and funding restrictions forced him to remain enrolled despite the disruption. Evans reported that he received no marks or feedback on projects from the previous year. He described the current academic year as having no structure and barely any communication, leaving students to manage their own progress.

The industrial dispute began in April as a marking boycott over proposed job cuts. Management responded by deducting 100% of pay from participating staff, a move the University and College Union (UCU) argued was effectively a lockout. Following a formal ballot, UCU members at the south-east London university entered an indefinite strike in early June. Joe Newman, co-president of the Goldsmiths UCU branch, stated the action was a response to the scale and speed of management's cuts.

Goldsmiths officials said only 8.5% of staff are on strike, leaving most students unaffected. The university stated it offered compromises, including a pause on compulsory redundancies, but maintained the 100% pay deductions for the initial marking boycott. A university spokesperson said the institution faces financial challenges and that continued disruption risks harming its long-term reputation. The university said it is offering regular updates and meetings with affected schools.

The dispute has occurred against a backdrop of falling applications in core humanities subjects and erosion of domestic tuition fees. One staff member described the result as non-stop rounds of redundancies and restructuring. Goldsmiths is known for alumni including Steve McQueen, Sarah Lucas, and Damien Hirst.