Complaints to higher education ombudsman up by a fifth

There was a 20 per cent increase in the number of complaints made to the higher education ombudsman for England and Wales in 2018, according to new figures.

In its annual report, published on 29 April, the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education said it received 1,967 complaints last year, up from 1,635 in 2017.

The number of complaints successfully resolved by the adjudicator in 2018 was 1,722—more than in each of the previous two years. Three quarters of all cases were closed within six months of receipt during the year, the OIA said.