Impact of the UCU marking and assessment boycott on graduation at Cambridge

You may be aware that the University & College Union (UCU) is currently engaged in a marking and assessment boycott as part of a dispute with university employers over pay and working conditions. This is a national dispute. Employers are represented by the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) and staff taking part in the action are represented by UCU.

The marking and assessment boycott began on 20 April 2023 and is scheduled to continue until 30 September 2023. During this period, staff who take part in the boycott will not mark or assess students’ work. Regrettably, this will mean that affected final-year students and Masters students will not be awarded their degree this summer, and continuing students cannot be informed that they have obtained the required marks to progress onto further study. Some postgraduate students will also be impacted if their examinations cannot take place, their corrections cannot be confirmed, or their award cannot be approved by their Degree Committee.

All degrees and final classifications will be awarded once the marking and assessment boycott has finished or been brought to an end.

While many universities have powers to mitigate the impact of the boycott on students due to graduate this summer, Cambridge University’s governing body, the Regent House, has voted against introducing any measures. Since there is no requirement for staff to declare in advance that they are taking part in the boycott, it is hard for the University to know how many students will be affected.

The Careers Service has put in place specific measures to support students affected by the boycott.  

We would be grateful if you could let us know if this is likely to impact on any job offers made to students by your organisation by completing this short survey.

The University deeply regrets the impact of the marking and assessment boycott. It is hoped that universities and UCU will resume talks to bring the boycott to an end.