Midland universities are braced for a wave of court cases from students whose studies are disrupted by industrial action.
Hundreds of undergraduates across the region have not been able to sit exams because of a lecturers' pay dispute. Worst hit has been Birmingham University where 17 exams affecting more than 1,000 students - 64 of them in their final year - have been cancelled. A further ten exams, affecting 150 students, are not going ahead at Aston University.
As the disruption continued, student union leaders claimed undergraduates were increasingly demanding their right to get the education they had paid their fees for.
Gareth Booth, president of Aston University student guild, said: "Students are talking about legal action. That is something most universities are worried about. Some people feel they are getting a raw deal."
Birmingham and Aston universities said they had not as yet been threatened with legal action, which would most likely be brought for breach of contract.
But David Myers (pictured), in his second year of studying combined politics with public policy at Aston University, said he was already considering such a move backed by his family.
"My parents pay for my fees," he said. "They said if I am not getting what the university promised and doing the exams and getting a degree, why should they pay for my fees? They are saying what is their payment going into? They have asked me to look if it's an option to take legal action. I still have my exams coming up and I don't know whether they are happening or not. I am waiting to see when I finish my exam what will happen."
The 21-year-old from London, who has already had one exam cancelled, added: "The hardest thing is it has completely disrupted my education. Mentally you get yourself prepared and then you are told the exam is not going ahead.
"I went to an exam at 9am and it was cancelled on the day. It is the uncertainty - I don't know if the papers are going to be marked."
Lecturers are boycotting setting, invigilating and marking exams after rejecting a 12.6 per cent pay offer over three years, claiming it only amounts to less than 11 per cent more in real terms.
They are demanding a 23 per cent rise over the period to make up for what they call a 40 per cent shortfall relative to comparable professions over two decades.
Lecturers' union the Association of University Teachers also claimed vice-chancellors were failing to honour pledges to pass on a third of extra income from tuition fees to salaries.
Aston University secretary registrar David Packham admitted there was a threat of legal action if the dispute rumbled on.
"It is a question of whether you are in breach of contract," he said. "We haven't taken legal advice yet. We will have to see if any cases are made against us.
"It is premature to talk about legal action. We want to keep our students fully informed, but there is a degree of anxiety from students who have taken exams over whether they will be marked."
A spokeswoman from Birmingham University said: "We are not aware of any student taking action against us and we will consider it as and when it arises."
The University of Central England is not part of the pay dispute and Warwick University, where exams are sat later, said it did not expect to be badly hit.
The AUT, which represents red-brick university lecturers, is being supported by NATFHE, which represents newer institutions.
Student unions nationwide are split on whether they are supporting the dispute by lecturers, who earn on average #35,773 a year.
