Queen's University Belfast: 10 students have degree results withdrawn

A assemblage has apologised aft immoderate of its students were awarded last results for their degrees but past had them withdrawn.

Queen's University Belfast assemblage blamed "human mistake astatine an highly challenging and hard time".

But 1 of the 10 students affected by the mistake told BBC News NI the quality came arsenic "a footwear successful the teeth".

"My classification was flaunted earlier maine lone to beryllium aboriginal removed," said Lucy McCormill.

The concern is owed to concern enactment by immoderate unit which includes a boycott of marking and assessment.

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) astatine universities crossed the UK person been engaged successful long-running concern action implicit pay, moving conditions and pensions.

Ms McCormill is astir to postgraduate with a associated grade successful English and past from Queen's.

She was initially told that contempt the marking boycott she would beryllium awarded her grade with a classification.

When she logged into the university's online results website it confirmed that she had got her grade with archetypal people honours, the highest people for an undergraduate degree.

"I was truly blessed due to the fact that I had enactment successful truthful overmuch work, particularly successful last semester," she told BBC News NI.

"I truly propulsion my each into my world enactment and arsenic soon arsenic I recovered retired I was telling everybody."

But she subsequently asked for clarification astir 1 of her marks and was shocked to beryllium told that she had been awarded her grade effect successful error.

"I thought it was a joke, I truly did deliberation it couldn't beryllium real," she said.

While Ms McCormill present knows that she volition beryllium awarded a first-class honours grade astatine immoderate constituent successful the future, she does not cognize erstwhile that volition be.

"It's a unusual concern due to the fact that I cognize I've got it but I can't observe it," she said.

"It's benignant of invalid. I was conflicted astir whether to defer my graduation oregon not.

"The last people and the last result and the designation of my hard enactment is the important thing.

"Sleepless nights person gone into getting my grade but I consciousness similar my achievements are present a spot undervalued and unrecognised.

"So it conscionable feels similar a spot of a footwear successful the teeth."

Ms McCormill wants to spell connected to post-graduate survey and is hoping that the concern with her grade volition not hinder that.

In effect to questions from BBC News NI, Queen's confirmed that 10 students successful each had been awarded a grade effect lone to person it withdrawn.

"We are profoundly atrocious for the administrative mistake regarding classifications," said a assemblage spokesperson successful a statement.

"We apologise wholeheartedly for the upset it has caused the 10 students affected, particularly successful the discourse of the existent concern quality that is having a superior interaction connected students crossed the board.

"They person each received apologies successful idiosyncratic from their heads of schoolhouse and schoolhouse managers and we are supporting them successful dealing with this unfortunate concern and successful narration to their adjacent steps, whether than beryllium continuing successful acquisition oregon starting careers."

"The mistake was down to quality mistake astatine an highly challenging and hard clip but we instrumentality afloat work for the mistake and guarantee each students we person their champion interests astatine bosom and are committed to addressing their concerns and resolving the quality arsenic soon arsenic possible."

Graduation ceremonies astatine Queen's are owed to statesman connected Thursday 29 June.