Do not study at the University of Leeds

This post is aimed at prospective students and their guardians and features a (very) inconclusive list of complaints against the university administration. Since it is virtually impossible to hold UK HE institutions to account, I hope that this will make at least one person reconsider their choice to study there.

I am personally aware of the following affecting the English, Mathematics, and Business Schools (LUBS), so it is likely a uni-wide problem:

1. Students in every school are having their timetables changed, weeks after module enrolment. This means that many students are not getting the degrees they signed up for, with modules being moved from one semester to another, having their assessments changed from exams to coursework, or having them outright cancelled. The latter especially affects the School of Mathematics, who have had 50% of their modules cancelled. Paid £30k to study a subject you were promised three years ago? Too bad sucker; Leeds has your money now.

Note: The given explanation is that these cuts were due to 'inadequate funding'. This is the Maths department. Not Czech or Fly-fishing or Makrami. Heaven help the rest of us.

2. The change in timetables means there are clashes in compulsory modules. This especially affects Joint Honours students, as departments don't communicate between themselves, and lecturers are often unwilling to offer concessions, such as recording lectures. I know personally that the Programme Director for Economics is staunchly against recording his lectures, and since the Uni leaves this to individual discretion, this leaves JH students (or those with learning difficulties) in a bit of a rut. They have to choose which compulsory class to attend, and have their attendance penalised for whichever they don't.

3. The stated reason behind changing assessments from exam to coursework is due to Covid-19, and the need for proper social distancing. This would be a credible argument, were it not for the fact that many modules still have exams. This was NOT a university-wide decision. These departments (especially LUBS) are simply capitalising on the pandemic in order to put forward unpopular reforms, knowing students will be too panicked to question them.

4. The aforementioned Programme Director does not believe in 'spoon-feeding' the class. Does this mean he won't offer answers before a seminar? No. It means he doesn't even give you the answer AFTER the seminar, so you've no way of knowing what to amend or how to progress.

5. Masters' students start date has been moved from September to January. Naturally this has screwed up the local housing prospects, as no landlord is going to let you six months in their property. Enjoy being homeless, or paying to bum around doing nothing for months!

6. As mentioned above, Business School Joint Honours students are second-class citizens. You don't get access to many careers events, mentoring opportunities, or jobs if your Parent School isn't LUBS. You will not have access to certain pre-requisite modules, which limits your module choice in successive years. For instance, with many modules now having been moved or cancelled, you may literally have no options available to you, since you lack the pre-requisites for what remains. You can't even take the compulsory modules, and they're prioritised for Single Honours studs anyway. You're screwed.

Oh, and obviously no consideration will be given for the newfound clashes, because you were an idiot for picking this degree in the first place... is the University's unofficial stance.

As a JH student, you are also not typically included in mailing lists for both subjects. None of the JH students who have had their degrees overhauled have even been notified by the uni. This is absurd.

7. Overcrowding. Now that anyone who planned to Study Abroad or do a Work Placement has had their year cancelled, they are left to share space with everyone who was simply moving into final year. On top of that, while exams do not necessitate going to a cramped library to look for sources, the new surge of coursework assessments does. I'm sure I don't have to illustrate how this will affect immuno-compromised or vulnerable students, who will flock to public facilities in greater numbers because they have no other choice.


Please understand: I wouldn't resort to this if one could communicate meaningfully with University administration. No concessions will be made for you if you encounter any of these problems; you will be bounced between departments, fobbed off with various waiting lists, or shut down by frequently curt professors. If they bother to respond at all.

These are just the most egregious issues I have compiled. There are many others.

On a final note, the University appears to be using Covid-19 as an excuse to push reforms that would otherwise have caused an outrage. It is my hope that after this is all over, prospective students take another thing into account while researching universities: how well they responded to the pandemic.

Stay safe out there.

That sounds awful - what are you studying? Do you know if other universities are as bad?

Also, couldn't you just ask to be added to the mailing list

This post is aimed at prospective students and their guardians and features a (very) inconclusive list of complaints against the university administration. Since it is virtually impossible to hold UK HE institutions to account, I hope that this will make at least one person reconsider their choice to study there.

I am personally aware of the following affecting the English, Mathematics, and Business Schools (LUBS), so it is likely a uni-wide problem:

1. Students in every school are having their timetables changed, weeks after module enrolment. This means that many students are not getting the degrees they signed up for, with modules being moved from one semester to another, having their assessments changed from exams to coursework, or having them outright cancelled. The latter especially affects the School of Mathematics, who have had 50% of their modules cancelled. Paid £30k to study a subject you were promised three years ago? Too bad sucker; Leeds has your money now.

Note: The given explanation is that these cuts were due to 'inadequate funding'. This is the Maths department. Not Czech or Fly-fishing or Makrami. Heaven help the rest of us.

2. The change in timetables means there are clashes in compulsory modules. This especially affects Joint Honours students, as departments don't communicate between themselves, and lecturers are often unwilling to offer concessions, such as recording lectures. I know personally that the Programme Director for Economics is staunchly against recording his lectures, and since the Uni leaves this to individual discretion, this leaves JH students (or those with learning difficulties) in a bit of a rut. They have to choose which compulsory class to attend, and have their attendance penalised for whichever they don't.

3. The stated reason behind changing assessments from exam to coursework is due to Covid-19, and the need for proper social distancing. This would be a credible argument, were it not for the fact that many modules still have exams. This was NOT a university-wide decision. These departments (especially LUBS) are simply capitalising on the pandemic in order to put forward unpopular reforms, knowing students will be too panicked to question them.

4. The aforementioned Programme Director does not believe in 'spoon-feeding' the class. Does this mean he won't offer answers before a seminar? No. It means he doesn't even give you the answer AFTER the seminar, so you've no way of knowing what to amend or how to progress.

5. Masters' students start date has been moved from September to January. Naturally this has screwed up the local housing prospects, as no landlord is going to let you six months in their property. Enjoy being homeless, or paying to bum around doing nothing for months!

6. As mentioned above, Business School Joint Honours students are second-class citizens. You don't get access to many careers events, mentoring opportunities, or jobs if your Parent School isn't LUBS. You will not have access to certain pre-requisite modules, which limits your module choice in successive years. For instance, with many modules now having been moved or cancelled, you may literally have no options available to you, since you lack the pre-requisites for what remains. You can't even take the compulsory modules, and they're prioritised for Single Honours studs anyway. You're screwed.

Oh, and obviously no consideration will be given for the newfound clashes, because you were an idiot for picking this degree in the first place... is the University's unofficial stance.

As a JH student, you are also not typically included in mailing lists for both subjects. None of the JH students who have had their degrees overhauled have even been notified by the uni. This is absurd.

7. Overcrowding. Now that anyone who planned to Study Abroad or do a Work Placement has had their year cancelled, they are left to share space with everyone who was simply moving into final year. On top of that, while exams do not necessitate going to a cramped library to look for sources, the new surge of coursework assessments does. I'm sure I don't have to illustrate how this will affect immuno-compromised or vulnerable students, who will flock to public facilities in greater numbers because they have no other choice.


Please understand: I wouldn't resort to this if one could communicate meaningfully with University administration. No concessions will be made for you if you encounter any of these problems; you will be bounced between departments, fobbed off with various waiting lists, or shut down by frequently curt professors. If they bother to respond at all.

These are just the most egregious issues I have compiled. There are many others.

On a final note, the University appears to be using Covid-19 as an excuse to push reforms that would otherwise have caused an outrage. It is my hope that after this is all over, prospective students take another thing into account while researching universities: how well they responded to the pandemic.

Stay safe out there.

Wait...Are the master courses really starting in January. They have not made that clear on the university website. Do you have a link with this information?

This post is aimed at prospective students and their guardians and features a (very) inconclusive list of complaints against the university administration. Since it is virtually impossible to hold UK HE institutions to account, I hope that this will make at least one person reconsider their choice to study there.

I am personally aware of the following affecting the English, Mathematics, and Business Schools (LUBS), so it is likely a uni-wide problem:

1. Students in every school are having their timetables changed, weeks after module enrolment. This means that many students are not getting the degrees they signed up for, with modules being moved from one semester to another, having their assessments changed from exams to coursework, or having them outright cancelled. The latter especially affects the School of Mathematics, who have had 50% of their modules cancelled. Paid £30k to study a subject you were promised three years ago? Too bad sucker; Leeds has your money now.

Note: The given explanation is that these cuts were due to 'inadequate funding'. This is the Maths department. Not Czech or Fly-fishing or Makrami. Heaven help the rest of us.

2. The change in timetables means there are clashes in compulsory modules. This especially affects Joint Honours students, as departments don't communicate between themselves, and lecturers are often unwilling to offer concessions, such as recording lectures. I know personally that the Programme Director for Economics is staunchly against recording his lectures, and since the Uni leaves this to individual discretion, this leaves JH students (or those with learning difficulties) in a bit of a rut. They have to choose which compulsory class to attend, and have their attendance penalised for whichever they don't.

3. The stated reason behind changing assessments from exam to coursework is due to Covid-19, and the need for proper social distancing. This would be a credible argument, were it not for the fact that many modules still have exams. This was NOT a university-wide decision. These departments (especially LUBS) are simply capitalising on the pandemic in order to put forward unpopular reforms, knowing students will be too panicked to question them.

4. The aforementioned Programme Director does not believe in 'spoon-feeding' the class. Does this mean he won't offer answers before a seminar? No. It means he doesn't even give you the answer AFTER the seminar, so you've no way of knowing what to amend or how to progress.

5. Masters' students start date has been moved from September to January. Naturally this has screwed up the local housing prospects, as no landlord is going to let you six months in their property. Enjoy being homeless, or paying to bum around doing nothing for months!

6. As mentioned above, Business School Joint Honours students are second-class citizens. You don't get access to many careers events, mentoring opportunities, or jobs if your Parent School isn't LUBS. You will not have access to certain pre-requisite modules, which limits your module choice in successive years. For instance, with many modules now having been moved or cancelled, you may literally have no options available to you, since you lack the pre-requisites for what remains. You can't even take the compulsory modules, and they're prioritised for Single Honours studs anyway. You're screwed.

Oh, and obviously no consideration will be given for the newfound clashes, because you were an idiot for picking this degree in the first place... is the University's unofficial stance.

As a JH student, you are also not typically included in mailing lists for both subjects. None of the JH students who have had their degrees overhauled have even been notified by the uni. This is absurd.

7. Overcrowding. Now that anyone who planned to Study Abroad or do a Work Placement has had their year cancelled, they are left to share space with everyone who was simply moving into final year. On top of that, while exams do not necessitate going to a cramped library to look for sources, the new surge of coursework assessments does. I'm sure I don't have to illustrate how this will affect immuno-compromised or vulnerable students, who will flock to public facilities in greater numbers because they have no other choice.


Please understand: I wouldn't resort to this if one could communicate meaningfully with University administration. No concessions will be made for you if you encounter any of these problems; you will be bounced between departments, fobbed off with various waiting lists, or shut down by frequently curt professors. If they bother to respond at all.

These are just the most egregious issues I have compiled. There are many others.

On a final note, the University appears to be using Covid-19 as an excuse to push reforms that would otherwise have caused an outrage. It is my hope that after this is all over, prospective students take another thing into account while researching universities: how well they responded to the pandemic.

Stay safe out there.

could someone tell if the libraries like Edward Boyle are open. I'm from a local sixth form and have the card thing already sorted. I really want to go to check out books related to the course I will be doing next year

This post is aimed at prospective students and their guardians and features a (very) inconclusive list of complaints against the university administration. Since it is virtually impossible to hold UK HE institutions to account, I hope that this will make at least one person reconsider their choice to study there.

I am personally aware of the following affecting the English, Mathematics, and Business Schools (LUBS), so it is likely a uni-wide problem:

1. Students in every school are having their timetables changed, weeks after module enrolment. This means that many students are not getting the degrees they signed up for, with modules being moved from one semester to another, having their assessments changed from exams to coursework, or having them outright cancelled. The latter especially affects the School of Mathematics, who have had 50% of their modules cancelled. Paid £30k to study a subject you were promised three years ago? Too bad sucker; Leeds has your money now.

Note: The given explanation is that these cuts were due to 'inadequate funding'. This is the Maths department. Not Czech or Fly-fishing or Makrami. Heaven help the rest of us.

2. The change in timetables means there are clashes in compulsory modules. This especially affects Joint Honours students, as departments don't communicate between themselves, and lecturers are often unwilling to offer concessions, such as recording lectures. I know personally that the Programme Director for Economics is staunchly against recording his lectures, and since the Uni leaves this to individual discretion, this leaves JH students (or those with learning difficulties) in a bit of a rut. They have to choose which compulsory class to attend, and have their attendance penalised for whichever they don't.

3. The stated reason behind changing assessments from exam to coursework is due to Covid-19, and the need for proper social distancing. This would be a credible argument, were it not for the fact that many modules still have exams. This was NOT a university-wide decision. These departments (especially LUBS) are simply capitalising on the pandemic in order to put forward unpopular reforms, knowing students will be too panicked to question them.

4. The aforementioned Programme Director does not believe in 'spoon-feeding' the class. Does this mean he won't offer answers before a seminar? No. It means he doesn't even give you the answer AFTER the seminar, so you've no way of knowing what to amend or how to progress.

5. Masters' students start date has been moved from September to January. Naturally this has screwed up the local housing prospects, as no landlord is going to let you six months in their property. Enjoy being homeless, or paying to bum around doing nothing for months!

6. As mentioned above, Business School Joint Honours students are second-class citizens. You don't get access to many careers events, mentoring opportunities, or jobs if your Parent School isn't LUBS. You will not have access to certain pre-requisite modules, which limits your module choice in successive years. For instance, with many modules now having been moved or cancelled, you may literally have no options available to you, since you lack the pre-requisites for what remains. You can't even take the compulsory modules, and they're prioritised for Single Honours studs anyway. You're screwed.

Oh, and obviously no consideration will be given for the newfound clashes, because you were an idiot for picking this degree in the first place... is the University's unofficial stance.

As a JH student, you are also not typically included in mailing lists for both subjects. None of the JH students who have had their degrees overhauled have even been notified by the uni. This is absurd.

7. Overcrowding. Now that anyone who planned to Study Abroad or do a Work Placement has had their year cancelled, they are left to share space with everyone who was simply moving into final year. On top of that, while exams do not necessitate going to a cramped library to look for sources, the new surge of coursework assessments does. I'm sure I don't have to illustrate how this will affect immuno-compromised or vulnerable students, who will flock to public facilities in greater numbers because they have no other choice.


Please understand: I wouldn't resort to this if one could communicate meaningfully with University administration. No concessions will be made for you if you encounter any of these problems; you will be bounced between departments, fobbed off with various waiting lists, or shut down by frequently curt professors. If they bother to respond at all.

These are just the most egregious issues I have compiled. There are many others.

On a final note, the University appears to be using Covid-19 as an excuse to push reforms that would otherwise have caused an outrage. It is my hope that after this is all over, prospective students take another thing into account while researching universities: how well they responded to the pandemic.

Stay safe out there.

It is completely untrue that everyone has had their year abroad or work placement 'cancelled'. Many of my friends are currently starting their work placements and I have multiple friends preparing to head on their year abroad.

I am a LUBS student, and although we have had a couple of modules cancelled, it is completely understandable as they are trying to work around the current Covid-19 situation. I am unable to speak for Maths students.

It sounds like you are having many issues specifically in relation to you being JH. Saying that all students should reconsider studying at the university because of issues that are very specific to certain programmes is not really justified tbh.