The union claims it could affect more than half a million graduations this summer.

But universities are taking independent decisions about how to minimise the impact, so the effect on students will vary.

A university spokesperson said this represented 2% of final year graduating students and that all other subject areas were unaffected.

The University of Cambridge has confirmed students will not be able to graduate until all their work has been marked. Most of the 4,500 expecting to graduate would probably be affected, the acting vice-chancellor said.

Up to 2,000 students at the University of Edinburgh will graduate without knowing their final mark.

And Durham University said about 20% of its students would face delays receiving their marks and final degree results.

Some universities will allow students to move on to the next stage of study, using predicted grades or marks from other assessments.

Not all university staff are UCU members, so some universities will be less affected than others.

The Universities and Colleges Employers’ Association (UCEA) represents 143 universities in the dispute. At a meeting of 103 university HR directors in late July, 73 responded to a question asking what percentage of graduating students were unable to graduate this summer.

Of those, 17 universities said some students had been unable to graduate this summer because of the marking boycott, but 49 said no graduations were called off. A further five said they were unsure, and two said they were unaffected by the boycott.

The UCEA has estimated that 13,000 students – 2.6% of final-year graduates – will be affected, including by delays to the awarding of degree classifications or in confirming marks.

The UCU has previously accused UCEA of “trying to downplay” the significance of the boycott.

The boycott is part of a dispute over pay and conditions.

It is classed as “action short of a strike” and follows previous walkouts by staff.

UCU members at 83 universities have been on strike over pay and working conditions. Members at another five have walked out over pensions, and a further 62 institutions have had strikes over both issues.

You can read the full list here.

For the 2022-23 pay round, the unions have asked for:

The UCEA said an improved pay deal for 2023-24, worth between 5% and 8%, was the highest offer of its kind in nearly 20 years.

Unions claimed it was a real-terms pay cut, and 56% of participating UCU members voted to reject the offer.

The UCEA has advised universities to implement the 2023-24 pay uplift, backdated to February.

It said it was engaging in “exploratory talks” with the UCU, aimed at bringing an end to the boycott.

It is anticipated further strike dates will be announced, after UCU members voted in favour of more action in April.

UCU members at some universities are taking part in additional strike days because they say members are being docked full or partial pay during the marking boycott – despite those members saying they are fulfilling their other normal duties.

More than 20 institutions are affected by these additional strikes during the marking boycott, including:

The UCU says it is confident a separate dispute – about pensions – will be resolved, with those pension benefits that had been reduced due to be restored next year.

Every year, a committee decides on changes to university workers’ pay.

Most universities opt in to the negotiations, but they do not have to – they can make their own decisions on pay.

The 2022-23 pay scale was implemented in August 2022.

The median salary for a professor is about £80,000, according to analysis of Higher Education Statistics Agency figures carried out by the UCEA employers’ body. Some 25% of professor salaries are at, or below, about £70,000, the UCEA says.

However, the UCU says a third of academic staff are on temporary contracts and are paid by the hour. It says that casual staff receive holiday entitlement based only on the hours they work and have inadequate paid time to prepare for their classes.

Staff titles vary across institutions, and universities employ staff on different types of temporary contracts. Some academics say their salaries are substantially less than the figures quoted.

Correction 25 January 2023: This article was amended with revised figures for professors’ salaries after clarification from the UCEA.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/education-59415694