Students demand compensation against university after discovering course was useless
The students claim they were not aware the course was not accredited when they applied.
When you go through all the hassle and expense of applying for university, you certainly want it to be worth it come the end of the degree.
Of course, some end up going for the nightlife and the opportunity to move away from home, but others certainly go so they can achieve their dream job.
Nightlife or dream job ambitions, these 18 students have been left furious after discovering their course at an Australian university was not actually accredited.
This essentially means that the course will not be recognized by employers, making it extremely difficult to get a job in that desired sector after graduation.
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Sam Boon is one of those who has been through that heartache, after starting a degree in business and commerce at Australian establishment James Cook University in 2019.
Boon, who always dreamed of becoming a financial planner, told A Current Affair: "It was something I was passionate about. I did like finance and I like numbers and I like helping people."
The degree was a new majors offered by the university, something that sparked Boon's interest due to his financial passion.
In a promotional video, the university said: "The financial advising major will be an accredited major and has largely been developed because of changes in the regulatory requirements in the financial services sector."
The piece of marketing evidently worked on him as he jumped on the opportunity and started the course.
"JCU promoted various materials to us, advising of this new major that it was fully accredited, which you need to be to be a financial adviser," Boon told A Current Affair.
Despite that, the course failed to get the course accredited, something many students didn't realize until well after they started.
In fact, Boon only found out the news a few weeks before he was due to finish; "I spent two and a bit years basically not being able to start my professional year, which was needed to be a financial adviser," he said.
Boon said that the situation was made worse due to a lack of response from the university, with the student saying he emailed 'ten-15 times' without a response.
Now, he alongside other JCU students are taking legal action - but it isn't just about the money.
"(It's) for distress, disappointment, the loss of income, the opportunity to increase my salary," Boon said.
A spokesperson for James Cook University told UNILAD: "The course has been accredited since 1st July 2022. At that time, students who were enrolled in the course were provided with a seamless transition to the newly accredited program, while graduated students received an accredited degree.
"The University offered all affected graduates the opportunity to obtain additional and higher qualifications at JCU's expense. Students have been offered further financial and emotional support, which some have accepted.
"JCU was in regular contact with affected students and graduates throughout the accreditation process, providing them with updates on the matter."
UNILAD has reached out to James Cook University for further comment.
Callum Jones