With a general election looming in six weeks’ time, there is a danger that the impact of a university and student funding crisis will become lost in the smoke. Both main parties are so far sidelining the issue. But they do so at their peril. The true cost of neglecting higher education could dwarf other problems in time and regret is not a good remedy.
The date of the election might well be deliberate to avoid a negative student vote. TEFS observed back in March that an election in May would,
“Blindside students in the middle of their examinations. An election in October would also avoid many disgruntled students but the rot will have set in by then with a new cohort. November could see an election in the middle of student protests”.
A cynic might conclude that a July 4th election is also designed to blindside students along with many others (e.g. school holidays in Scotland and Euro Championship etc). Students might have to re-register to vote while doing examinations and, later in July, may also be on holiday or graduating. They will have hard decisions about where to best vote strategically.
Don’t forget the students who struggle to compete against the true costs.
Setting aside students and universities is a failure to acknowledge there is a problem.
A report from the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) and Technology One last week is to be highly commended for setting out the full financial story for our hapless students.
They set about determining what it really costs for a student to study at university with A-Minimum-Income-Standard-for-Students.pdf (hepi.ac.uk). It comes as no major surprise that attending university costs more that the maximum funding likely to be available. The report brings into the full light of day a problem that has been brewing for many years. With increasing numbers of students finding they have fallen into the widening financial gap, it is crystal clear that a whole generation is being let down. All those in power must attend to this as a matter of urgency.
Whether the current governments across the UK are creating this problem deliberately, or simply complacent and perhaps incompetent or both, the fact is the shortfall exists and is impeding increasing numbers of students.
From the horse’s mouth.
The study is groundbreaking because it is predicated on what it costs a student to fully engage and succeed at university. The costs are high and well exceed any support likely to be available (£18,600 per year for those outside of London and £21,774 per year outside in London).
The Authors from the Centre for Research in Social Policy (CRSP) at Loughborough University and Josh Freeman of HEPI have done an excellent job in revealing the true costs. They opted for a series of focus groups of second- and third-year students across the UK. The result was,
“An estimate of what students need to participate fully in the world around them”.
It covers all cost to enable a reasonable time to study, including rent and a sensible basket of goods and services.
However, the report does not argue the whole amount should be covered by government maintenance support. Instead, students might reasonably be expected to cover some costs themselves, such as through paid work. This is estimated to be no more than ten hours per week before there is an impact on attainment. Oddly, most universities suggest up to 15 or 16 hours per week while foreign students on visas are allowed up to 20 hours per week. Unfortunately, the reality for too many is more than 20 hours per week (see TEFS 29th June 2023 ‘More students in jobs as fewer travel first class on the university experience train’), The result is a two tier system where the upper echelon with resources gain significant advantages.
The hope is that the duelling rivals in the election stop to consider the need for a radical solution or pay the price of overseeing a crumbling system occupied by angry students and graduates.
The author, Mike Larkin, retired from Queen’s University Belfast after 37 years teaching Microbiology, Biochemistry and Genetics.