Graduate who sued Oxford over failure to get top degree loses court battle

An Oxford graduate who sued the university over his failure to get a top degree has had his claim dismissed by the High Court.

Faiz Siddiqui, 39, claimed that "inadequate teaching" contributed to his low mark in a final year history paper in 2000 and cost him a top degree and a lucrative legal career, BBC News reported.

He alleged that his 2:1 degree result cost him entry to a top US law college and sought £1m from the university in compensation.

A UK High Court judge, however, said he was not convinced that the teaching was "negligently inadequate" and that the graduate’s failure to get a first-class degree was more likely due to a severe bout of hay fever.

Although the judge accepted the claimant had suffered severe depression, he felt this could not be attributed to his degree result.

The judge also found there were other reasons beyond the graduate’s bouts of depression to explain his failures to hold down the various jobs he had.

Oxford University accepted there were fewer teaching staff available in the Autumn Term in 1999 due to staff being granted leave of absence.

But the university denied that the teaching was "inadequate".