Professor Malcolm Press, the university’s vice chancellor, said that a “significant amount of money” would be released to compensate students affected by restrictions, on top of a care package that includes “basic food”.
Exeter University also urged students to stop mixing with anyone outside of their household for a fortnight, except for study, work, organised sport or in an emergency.
Boris Johnson is now being urged to make online teaching the default position across the sector, while Labour has urged the Government to consider postponing the academic year for universities that have not yet reopened.
Today the party will demand that Education Secretary Gavin Williamson guarantee that no student will be forced to stay at university over Christmas and that teaching standards will not be compromised.
Separately, the University College Union wrote to Mr Johnson warning that many universities were refusing to move online because the Government had refused to underwrite their losses and due to their dependence on rent from student accommodation.
However, with many universities promising to provide a mix of online and face-to-face teaching, there are now growing calls for students whose education has been disrupted to receive either partial tuition fee refunds or relief on their rent.
In May, Ms Dandridge told MPs that universities must not make false promises to prospective students that campus life would “back to usual”, only to then be forced to change plans to the pandemic.
While many institutions have opted for a mix of online and face-to-face teaching, Ms Dandridge said the regulator would not accept a situation where universities were simply “bunging lectures online.”
In a fresh warning on Monday she added: “Where students need to go into isolation, universities have to be clear about how courses will continue to operate in these circumstances and what welfare, resources and support are available.
“Universities should provide information about how testing can be accessed where it is expected by the health authorities and ensure that such students can access food and other essential provisions.
“We will be following up with individual universities and colleges where we have concerns about the arrangements they are making for teaching and academic support.”
