06-08-2025
Engineering students launch class action lawsuit against University of Newcastle
IT was billed as the first of its kind in NSW, a new degree created by the University of Newcastle that would provide students with the skills and expertise to address the healthcare problems of the future.
But students who studied the Bachelor of Medical Engineering (Honours) degree in 2018 and 2019 have launched a class action lawsuit against the university after they say they were "deceived and misled" into studying an unaccredited degree.
The students say the revelation meant they had to undertake additional costly study in order to graduate with a recognised accredited degree, which delayed their entry into the workforce.
As part of a statement of claim filed with the NSW Supreme Court, the students allege the university engaged in "misleading and deceptive conduct" in promotional materials and on the course website by representing that the degree was accredited with Engineers Australia and qualified a graduate for employment in Australia and overseas without any further qualification.
They say it wasn't until July, 2019, after some students had been studying for more than a year, that they discovered the degree lacked professional accreditation, prompting students to either switch courses or begin a combined degree.
In its defence, the University of Newcastle does not deny the degree was not accredited between 2017 and 2019 (the degree only obtained provisional accreditation in 2023, which was backdated to 2020).
But they dispute that any student suffered loss or damages as a result and say professional accreditation is not required for graduates to be eligible to practise as an engineer.
The university denies keeping the accreditation status from students and claims that from about April, 2018, it had published that the degree was "seeking provisional accreditation through Engineers Australia".
The class action members, led by Andreas Sklavos, are seeking compensation, damages and a declaration that the university engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct and breached Australian Consumer Law.
The revelation that the degree was not accredited came as a shock, they say, and the news was followed by a great deal of stress.
"There was a feeling of uncertainty and confusion of how to proceed, how it would my affect my future career prospects and further a sense of frustration of potentially wasting years of time studying a degree with minimal value and the associated costs," Mr Sklavos told the Newcastle Herald.
They say they lost income by not being able to immediately secure employment after completing the initial four-year degree and claim the accreditation issue, questions about their future employment and a failure from the university to offer any "financial or emotional support" caused them to suffer "disappointment, distress, inconvenience and anxiety".
The class action was mentioned in the NSW Supreme Court on Friday when Justice Peter Garling ordered the proceedings be referred for mediation.
Mr Sklavos was part of the first intake that studied the Bachelor of Medical Engineering (Honours) in 2018, but says he was blindsided in 2019 when the university revealed the degree did not have professional accreditation.
"The degree was first advertised in 2017 for a semester 1 start in 2018 and at that point all evidence showed that the degree was accredited and recognised by both Engineers Australia and the Washington Accord, which are the two key bodies for both national and international course recognition to gain employment," Mr Sklavos said.
"Someone mentioned having looked up the credentials of the degree and there was no evidence that the university had obtained accreditation.
"They approached the university and the university disclosed it to everyone else. "That was when we had the conversations that the degree was not accredited and they were actually in the process of getting accreditation."
He said he then began studying a combined degree with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering so that he could be ensured accreditation, but that turned a four-year degree into five years and meant he incurred an additional $8000 in HECS.
Mr Sklavos said had he known the degree did not have accreditation he would never have enrolled and would have instead studied an accredited engineering degree either at UON or elsewhere and obtained employment sooner.
In response to the university's claim that professional accreditation was not a requirement to practice as an engineer, Mr Sklavos said graduates entering the workforce with an unaccredited degree would likely struggle to find employment in the field of medical engineering competing against those with accredited degrees.
Class actions involving disputes over university course accreditation remain extremely rare in Australia.
But Mr Sklavos, who has since started working as a mechanical engineer, says he was encouraged to pursue a civil case against the university after hearing about a group of students from James Cook University who launched a class action lawsuit after discovering their Bachelor of Commerce (Financial Advising) degree was not accredited.
In that case, the course has since been accredited and the university also offered affected students the opportunity to obtain further qualifications at its expense.
It's believed there are more than 100 students who studied the Bachelor of Medical Engineering (Honours) degree during those first two years when it still remains unaccredited, but at the time the statement of claim was filed in February, only seven students had joined the class action.
In a statement, the University of Newcastle acknowledged the proceedings and declined to comment.
"As the matter is now before the court, it would be inappropriate for the university to comment in detail," the statement said. "However, the university has filed a defence and intends to respond to the claims through the proper legal channels."
IT was billed as the first of its kind in NSW, a new degree created by the University of Newcastle that would provide students with the skills and expertise to address the healthcare problems of the future.
But students who studied the Bachelor of Medical Engineering (Honours) degree in 2018 and 2019 have launched a class action lawsuit against the university after they say they were "deceived and misled" into studying an unaccredited degree.
The students say the revelation meant they had to undertake additional costly study in order to graduate with a recognised accredited degree, which delayed their entry into the workforce.
As part of a statement of claim filed with the NSW Supreme Court, the students allege the university engaged in "misleading and deceptive conduct" in promotional materials and on the course website by representing that the degree was accredited with Engineers Australia and qualified a graduate for employment in Australia and overseas without any further qualification.
They say it wasn't until July, 2019, after some students had been studying for more than a year, that they discovered the degree lacked professional accreditation, prompting students to either switch courses or begin a combined degree.
In its defence, the University of Newcastle does not deny the degree was not accredited between 2017 and 2019 (the degree only obtained provisional accreditation in 2023, which was backdated to 2020).
But they dispute that any student suffered loss or damages as a result and say professional accreditation is not required for graduates to be eligible to practise as an engineer.
The university denies keeping the accreditation status from students and claims that from about April, 2018, it had published that the degree was "seeking provisional accreditation through Engineers Australia".
The class action members, led by Andreas Sklavos, are seeking compensation, damages and a declaration that the university engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct and breached Australian Consumer Law.
The revelation that the degree was not accredited came as a shock, they say, and the news was followed by a great deal of stress.
"There was a feeling of uncertainty and confusion of how to proceed, how it would my affect my future career prospects and further a sense of frustration of potentially wasting years of time studying a degree with minimal value and the associated costs," Mr Sklavos told the Newcastle Herald.
They say they lost income by not being able to immediately secure employment after completing the initial four-year degree and claim the accreditation issue, questions about their future employment and a failure from the university to offer any "financial or emotional support" caused them to suffer "disappointment, distress, inconvenience and anxiety".
The class action was mentioned in the NSW Supreme Court on Friday when Justice Peter Garling ordered the proceedings be referred for mediation.
Mr Sklavos was part of the first intake that studied the Bachelor of Medical Engineering (Honours) in 2018, but says he was blindsided in 2019 when the university revealed the degree did not have professional accreditation.
"The degree was first advertised in 2017 for a semester 1 start in 2018 and at that point all evidence showed that the degree was accredited and recognised by both Engineers Australia and the Washington Accord, which are the two key bodies for both national and international course recognition to gain employment," Mr Sklavos said.
"Someone mentioned having looked up the credentials of the degree and there was no evidence that the university had obtained accreditation.
"They approached the university and the university disclosed it to everyone else. "That was when we had the conversations that the degree was not accredited and they were actually in the process of getting accreditation."
He said he then began studying a combined degree with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering so that he could be ensured accreditation, but that turned a four-year degree into five years and meant he incurred an additional $8000 in HECS.
Mr Sklavos said had he known the degree did not have accreditation he would never have enrolled and would have instead studied an accredited engineering degree either at UON or elsewhere and obtained employment sooner.
In response to the university's claim that professional accreditation was not a requirement to practice as an engineer, Mr Sklavos said graduates entering the workforce with an unaccredited degree would likely struggle to find employment in the field of medical engineering competing against those with accredited degrees.
Class actions involving disputes over university course accreditation remain extremely rare in Australia.
But Mr Sklavos, who has since started working as a mechanical engineer, says he was encouraged to pursue a civil case against the university after hearing about a group of students from James Cook University who launched a class action lawsuit after discovering their Bachelor of Commerce (Financial Advising) degree was not accredited.
In that case, the course has since been accredited and the university also offered affected students the opportunity to obtain further qualifications at its expense.
It's believed there are more than 100 students who studied the Bachelor of Medical Engineering (Honours) degree during those first two years when it still remains unaccredited, but at the time the statement of claim was filed in February, only seven students had joined the class action.
In a statement, the University of Newcastle acknowledged the proceedings and declined to comment.
"As the matter is now before the court, it would be inappropriate for the university to comment in detail," the statement said. "However, the university has filed a defence and intends to respond to the claims through the proper legal channels."
IT was billed as the first of its kind in NSW, a new degree created by the University of Newcastle that would provide students with the skills and expertise to address the healthcare problems of the future.
But students who studied the Bachelor of Medical Engineering (Honours) degree in 2018 and 2019 have launched a class action lawsuit against the university after they say they were "deceived and misled" into studying an unaccredited degree.
The students say the revelation meant they had to undertake additional costly study in order to graduate with a recognised accredited degree, which delayed their entry into the workforce.
As part of a statement of claim filed with the NSW Supreme Court, the students allege the university engaged in "misleading and deceptive conduct" in promotional materials and on the course website by representing that the degree was accredited with Engineers Australia and qualified a graduate for employment in Australia and overseas without any further qualification.
They say it wasn't until July, 2019, after some students had been studying for more than a year, that they discovered the degree lacked professional accreditation, prompting students to either switch courses or begin a combined degree.
In its defence, the University of Newcastle does not deny the degree was not accredited between 2017 and 2019 (the degree only obtained provisional accreditation in 2023, which was backdated to 2020).
But they dispute that any student suffered loss or damages as a result and say professional accreditation is not required for graduates to be eligible to practise as an engineer.
The university denies keeping the accreditation status from students and claims that from about April, 2018, it had published that the degree was "seeking provisional accreditation through Engineers Australia".
The class action members, led by Andreas Sklavos, are seeking compensation, damages and a declaration that the university engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct and breached Australian Consumer Law.
The revelation that the degree was not accredited came as a shock, they say, and the news was followed by a great deal of stress.
"There was a feeling of uncertainty and confusion of how to proceed, how it would my affect my future career prospects and further a sense of frustration of potentially wasting years of time studying a degree with minimal value and the associated costs," Mr Sklavos told the Newcastle Herald.
They say they lost income by not being able to immediately secure employment after completing the initial four-year degree and claim the accreditation issue, questions about their future employment and a failure from the university to offer any "financial or emotional support" caused them to suffer "disappointment, distress, inconvenience and anxiety".
The class action was mentioned in the NSW Supreme Court on Friday when Justice Peter Garling ordered the proceedings be referred for mediation.
Mr Sklavos was part of the first intake that studied the Bachelor of Medical Engineering (Honours) in 2018, but says he was blindsided in 2019 when the university revealed the degree did not have professional accreditation.
"The degree was first advertised in 2017 for a semester 1 start in 2018 and at that point all evidence showed that the degree was accredited and recognised by both Engineers Australia and the Washington Accord, which are the two key bodies for both national and international course recognition to gain employment," Mr Sklavos said.
"Someone mentioned having looked up the credentials of the degree and there was no evidence that the university had obtained accreditation.
"They approached the university and the university disclosed it to everyone else. "That was when we had the conversations that the degree was not accredited and they were actually in the process of getting accreditation."
He said he then began studying a combined degree with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering so that he could be ensured accreditation, but that turned a four-year degree into five years and meant he incurred an additional $8000 in HECS.
Mr Sklavos said had he known the degree did not have accreditation he would never have enrolled and would have instead studied an accredited engineering degree either at UON or elsewhere and obtained employment sooner.
In response to the university's claim that professional accreditation was not a requirement to practice as an engineer, Mr Sklavos said graduates entering the workforce with an unaccredited degree would likely struggle to find employment in the field of medical engineering competing against those with accredited degrees.
Class actions involving disputes over university course accreditation remain extremely rare in Australia.
But Mr Sklavos, who has since started working as a mechanical engineer, says he was encouraged to pursue a civil case against the university after hearing about a group of students from James Cook University who launched a class action lawsuit after discovering their Bachelor of Commerce (Financial Advising) degree was not accredited.
In that case, the course has since been accredited and the university also offered affected students the opportunity to obtain further qualifications at its expense.
It's believed there are more than 100 students who studied the Bachelor of Medical Engineering (Honours) degree during those first two years when it still remains unaccredited, but at the time the statement of claim was filed in February, only seven students had joined the class action.
In a statement, the University of Newcastle acknowledged the proceedings and declined to comment.
"As the matter is now before the court, it would be inappropriate for the university to comment in detail," the statement said. "However, the university has filed a defence and intends to respond to the claims through the proper legal channels."
IT was billed as the first of its kind in NSW, a new degree created by the University of Newcastle that would provide students with the skills and expertise to address the healthcare problems of the future.
But students who studied the Bachelor of Medical Engineering (Honours) degree in 2018 and 2019 have launched a class action lawsuit against the university after they say they were "deceived and misled" into studying an unaccredited degree.
The students say the revelation meant they had to undertake additional costly study in order to graduate with a recognised accredited degree, which delayed their entry into the workforce.
As part of a statement of claim filed with the NSW Supreme Court, the students allege the university engaged in "misleading and deceptive conduct" in promotional materials and on the course website by representing that the degree was accredited with Engineers Australia and qualified a graduate for employment in Australia and overseas without any further qualification.
They say it wasn't until July, 2019, after some students had been studying for more than a year, that they discovered the degree lacked professional accreditation, prompting students to either switch courses or begin a combined degree.
In its defence, the University of Newcastle does not deny the degree was not accredited between 2017 and 2019 (the degree only obtained provisional accreditation in 2023, which was backdated to 2020).
But they dispute that any student suffered loss or damages as a result and say professional accreditation is not required for graduates to be eligible to practise as an engineer.
The university denies keeping the accreditation status from students and claims that from about April, 2018, it had published that the degree was "seeking provisional accreditation through Engineers Australia".
The class action members, led by Andreas Sklavos, are seeking compensation, damages and a declaration that the university engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct and breached Australian Consumer Law.
The revelation that the degree was not accredited came as a shock, they say, and the news was followed by a great deal of stress.
"There was a feeling of uncertainty and confusion of how to proceed, how it would my affect my future career prospects and further a sense of frustration of potentially wasting years of time studying a degree with minimal value and the associated costs," Mr Sklavos told the Newcastle Herald.
They say they lost income by not being able to immediately secure employment after completing the initial four-year degree and claim the accreditation issue, questions about their future employment and a failure from the university to offer any "financial or emotional support" caused them to suffer "disappointment, distress, inconvenience and anxiety".
The class action was mentioned in the NSW Supreme Court on Friday when Justice Peter Garling ordered the proceedings be referred for mediation.
Mr Sklavos was part of the first intake that studied the Bachelor of Medical Engineering (Honours) in 2018, but says he was blindsided in 2019 when the university revealed the degree did not have professional accreditation.
"The degree was first advertised in 2017 for a semester 1 start in 2018 and at that point all evidence showed that the degree was accredited and recognised by both Engineers Australia and the Washington Accord, which are the two key bodies for both national and international course recognition to gain employment," Mr Sklavos said.
"Someone mentioned having looked up the credentials of the degree and there was no evidence that the university had obtained accreditation.
"They approached the university and the university disclosed it to everyone else. "That was when we had the conversations that the degree was not accredited and they were actually in the process of getting accreditation."
He said he then began studying a combined degree with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering so that he could be ensured accreditation, but that turned a four-year degree into five years and meant he incurred an additional $8000 in HECS.
Mr Sklavos said had he known the degree did not have accreditation he would never have enrolled and would have instead studied an accredited engineering degree either at UON or elsewhere and obtained employment sooner.
In response to the university's claim that professional accreditation was not a requirement to practice as an engineer, Mr Sklavos said graduates entering the workforce with an unaccredited degree would likely struggle to find employment in the field of medical engineering competing against those with accredited degrees.
Class actions involving disputes over university course accreditation remain extremely rare in Australia.
But Mr Sklavos, who has since started working as a mechanical engineer, says he was encouraged to pursue a civil case against the university after hearing about a group of students from James Cook University who launched a class action lawsuit after discovering their Bachelor of Commerce (Financial Advising) degree was not accredited.
In that case, the course has since been accredited and the university also offered affected students the opportunity to obtain further qualifications at its expense.
It's believed there are more than 100 students who studied the Bachelor of Medical Engineering (Honours) degree during those first two years when it still remains unaccredited, but at the time the statement of claim was filed in February, only seven students had joined the class action.
In a statement, the University of Newcastle acknowledged the proceedings and declined to comment.
"As the matter is now before the court, it would be inappropriate for the university to comment in detail," the statement said. "However, the university has filed a defence and intends to respond to the claims through the proper legal channels."
