Universities should not be charging full fees to students if they fail to resume in-person teaching, the Education Secretary has warned.
Gavin Williamson said he expected face-to-face lectures to return in the autumn and warned university bosses that they had to deliver value for money to students.
Some top universities are planning to continue with some online lectures in September, prompting a backlash from students paying £9,250 tuition fees.
University College London, the London School of Economics and Leeds are among institutions that have said that lectures would continue to be held online.
Other universities are looking at continuing with blended learning, using a mix of in-person classes and online tutorials.
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It comes as hundreds of thousands of teenagers get their A-level results today after another year of disruption to their education from the pandemic.
Mr Williamson said the Office for Students would have the Government's full backing to pursue universities that were not delivering for young people.
He told Sky News: "I think universities have got to stand up their offer to their own students. I think they have the flexibility and the ability to deliver face to face lectures.
"I'd expect them to be delivering face-to-face lectures.
"They are autonomous institutions, I don't have control over them but we would expect universities to be delivering a high quality teaching experience and part of that is actually doing face-to-face lectures."
Asked if students should have their fees refunded, he said: "Well I think if universities are not delivering what students expect then actually they shouldn't be charging the full fees for what they are doing."
A-level students received a bumper crop of top grades this year, with nearly 45% of all results at A or A*.
Some 19 per cent of the qualifications are likely to be graded A* this year and a further 30 per cent are expected to be given A grades, according to The Times.
Mr Williamson insisted employers could have "real confidence" in the results awarded to pupils amid concerns about grade inflation.
He said: "We do have a rigorous system of grading and awarding. People have been awarded this grade on the basis of evidence.
"We took a difficult decision, and that decision was children were to be assessed on what they had been taught. We have seen various amounts of disruption around the country and children's experiences have been different.
"But still, you have a very clear grading system, you still see children who are achieving A*s, As, Bs, Cs, have really achieved so very, very much, and I think employers can have real confidence in the grades that they get. Let's not forget this is an unprecedented year."
