Oxford University has announced that it has ended its relationship with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) following technical glitches in online admission tests in 2023. TCS was hired by the university less than a year ago to design and deploy the admission tests for thousands of students annually. However, the university said that it received negative feedback from candidates, test centers, and parents about the technical problems they faced while taking the tests. The university also said that it is working on alternative options for this year’s admission tests and that the future of its collaboration with TCS is uncertain.
The decision to terminate the partnership with TCS is a setback for the Indian IT giant, which had won the contract from Oxford University after a competitive bidding process. TCS had promised to modernize the test delivery and provide a seamless experience for the students and the university. TCS had also said that it would leverage its expertise in digital learning and assessment solutions to support Oxford University’s vision of academic excellence and innovation.
However, the technical issues that marred the online admission tests in 2023 raised questions about the quality and reliability of TCS’s services. The university said that it conducted a detailed review of the issues and took on board the expert and valuable feedback shared by various stakeholders. The university also apologized to all those who were affected by the technical problems and assured them that it would take steps to prevent such incidents from happening again.
The termination of the partnership with TCS also casts doubt on the future of their collaboration, which was expected to extend beyond admission testing. TCS had said that it would explore opportunities to work with Oxford University on research, innovation, and student engagement initiatives. However, the university did not mention anything about these aspects in its announcement and said that it would communicate its decision to end its relationship with TCS to all relevant parties.