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Stop misleading adverts, 6 UK universities told
The universities have been told to stop making specific claims by Britain’s advertising standards watchdog, amid intense competition for students among varsities facing deep funding cuts.
Britain’s advertising standards watchdog has rapped six universities for making claims of their stature based on criteria and rankings that may not be accurate.
The universities – Leicester, Falmouth, West London, Strathclyde, East Anglia and Teesside – have been told to stop making specific claims by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) amid intense competition for students among varsities facing deep funding cuts. These institutes include those who advertise and recruit students in India.
The University of Leicester was told it could not use the claim in its marketing campaign that it is in the “top 1%” among universities in the world. The ASA ruled separately for the six universities that their marketing campaigns broke the advertising code.
Falmouth University claimed it is the UK’s “number one arts and creative university”, Teesside University that it is the “top university in England for long-term graduate prospects”, the University of Strathclyde that its physics department has been ranked as “number one in the UK”, the University of East Anglia that it is in the “top five for student satisfaction”, and the University of West London that it had been named as “London’s top modern university – and one of the top 10 in the UK”.
ASA chief executive Guy Parker said: “Our rulings send a clear message to UK universities. If you’re making claims about your national or global ranking, student satisfaction or graduate prospects, make sure you practice what you teach: play by the advertising rules, in particular by backing up your claims with good evidence.
“Going to university involves a big financial commitment and misleading would-be students is not only unfair, it can also lead them to make choices that aren’t right for them.”
