Too many pundits have characterised university students as ‘snowflakes’. Now, data from the latest Advance HE Student Academic Experience Survey, out last week, surely debunks this false image. There is an unprecedented rise in the number holding down part-time jobs while studying. We should see students as cast-iron snowflakes, resilient and hard-working. But as universities adapt to the erosion of study time, the regulator must ensure there is no further erosion of the depth and breadth of the curriculum. The alarming increase in employment hours at the expense of study time means something has got to give, and it must not be the rigour of degrees.
TEFS has highlighted the role of jobs since 2018 (see also the list of posts in the appendix below). Back then, most students did not have jobs in term time. However, there is clear evidence that a significant number of students have been hampered by this added burden as far back as 1998 (see latest overview in TEFS 10 January 2025 ‘Student employment and finances: running out of time’). The downside is that a two-tier system prevails, and students already have fewer contact hours and spend less time on independent study. There must be a serious impact on the breadth and depth of the curriculum as comparisons to the Bologna process norms emerge. It is heartening that the issue is now at the forefront of observers and analysts. But the government and regulators must take heed of the consequences and take action.
It’s time to regulate the hours of work and study time while bringing back maintenance grants. Maintenance loans must be adequate to mitigate against losing too much time to outside jobs, and harming the reputation of our university degrees.
An epiphany moment for regulators and the government.
Last week saw the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) annual conference in London that revealed the 2025 ‘Students’ Academic Experience Survey’ (SAES) of 10,232 full-time undergraduate students studying in the UK (carried out by Advance HE and Savanta).
This annual survey provides the best insight into students’ lives over the years. Using Tableau’s software dashboards, David Kernohan of Wonkhe was very quick off the mark with analysis and has presented the 2025 data to allow readers to explore the various relationships between student responses. It paints a complex picture, but two things stand out. The time spent studying and the time spent in part-time jobs. They are interrelated, and they have set alarm bells ringing. Both go to the heart of the higher education system in the UK, and it is time for the government and regulators to take heed.
Unfortunately, a recent letter from the Education Secretary, Bridget Phillison to Helen Hayes, Chair of the Education Select Committee, does not inspire confidence, with no mention of standards and what universities have to offer. A white paper on post-16 education (including Higher Education) is due to emerge soon and Vivienne Stern of Universities UK strikes a chord in Times Higher with,
“What I want is a post-16 White Paper which reflects the extremely important role that universities play in the formation of human capital, talent, skills, right the way up to level 8 and beyond.”
She is right, and the dangers of not protecting a rigorous university education are clear and present.
Record rise in study time lost to part-time jobs.
This is the main observation receiving the most attention. The responses for students this year revealed a sharp increase in the number working part-time during the term. Figure 1 shows that there has been a steady increase over recent years and the proportion of students doing this has jumped to 68%; one of the highest in Europe where the average is 59% of students (see also TEFS 10 January 2025 ‘Student employment and finances: running out of time’).
The distribution of hours worked by students has largely remained similar to past years, as indicated in Figure 2 and TEFS 10 January 2025 ‘Student employment and finances: running out of time’. However, there is a slow trend toward working longer hours by some students. These are taking a considerable risk with the class of degree they might achieve.
Not a new phenomenon.
A considerable number of students have been diverting study time to part-time jobs for many years. So, it is odd that this phenomenon has not been addressed or properly acknowledged until now. TEFS has argued since 2018 that it is a major issue in what is a two-tier system. Those who work and those with more time to study (see post links in the Appendix).
The main currency of success is the availability of study time. Yet, it appears universities have been slowly reducing contact time and study time to accommodate their students. My first year in 1973/74 consisted of 32 hours of contact time in practicals, lectures and tutorials. I then worked for around 20 hours per week independently to finish assignments. A part-time job would have been impossible. The same was the case by the time I taught students in 1980/81. The contact time was 27 hours per week for my students. This remained the case for most of the 1980s.
We have come a long way from that regime, which many in government positions might recognise from their experiences at university.
A bit of a regulation Bolognese.
The SAES 2025 survey concluded,
“As more time is devoted to paid work, something inevitably gives way – in this case, the hours dedicated to independent study have notably declined. Students are making pragmatic decisions as they balance financial necessities with academic commitments”.
This has reached the point where students on average spend less time on independent study than on timetabled study as seen in Figure 3.
The decline in independent study time is alarming and brings into question the extent to which UK university courses can comply with the expectations of the ‘Bologna process’.
The UK is still part of the so-called ‘Bologna process’, which aims to make national education systems more comparable internationally. This means adherence to reasonable standards and workload. Central to this is the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), the main tool of the European Higher Education Area. (see ‘The framework of qualifications for the European Higher Education Area 2018’ )
It is expected that,
“In a standard academic year, 60 ECTS credits are the equivalent of a full year of study or work”.
One ECTS credit is equivalent to 25 to 30 hours of total student workload. This includes lectures, seminars, self-study, assignments, and exams. Assuming an academic year of 40 weeks of study time, it amounts to a total of between 1500 and 1800 hours per year. In turn, this breaks down to an expected weekly study workload of between 37.5 to 45 hours/week. The current workload of UK students is a far cry from this expectation.
Yet the UK differs already from this. It has used a credit accumulation and transfer system (CATS) since 2008 whereby one credit equals 10 hours, with two being equivalent to one ECTS credit, assumed to be 20 hours. This is an outlier already, and the UK total study time per year is as low as 1200 hours.
Furthermore, the CATS process has been around for some years and regulated by the UK’s Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) (see ‘Higher education credit framework for England: guidance on academic credit arrangements in higher education in England’ August 2008). The Office for Students (OfS) parted company with the QAA in 2022 and was then suspended from the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR).
This sends out the wrong message and opens a Pandora’s box.
The UK is sailing very close to the wind with students who must show they work for over 50 hours per week on their jobs and studies combined. It is worth noting this statement from the Bologna Process,
“Differences between national higher education systems can lead to problems concerning the recognition of qualifications and mobility periods abroad”.
This could become a dangerous reality for our students if not addressed urgently.
Jasper Carrot once asked,
“You know why they called it spaghetti junction? Because they made a right bolognese of it”.
The same might be said of the UK’s approach to the ‘Bologna process’.
The author, Mike Larkin, retired from Queen’s University Belfast after 37 years teaching Microbiology, Biochemistry and Genetics.
Appendix
- ‘More students in jobs as fewer travel first class on the university experience train’ June 29 2023
- ‘Student hardship: it’s going to be a cold winter’ July 2022’.
- Students working in term-time: Overall pattern across the UK July 19, 2019
- The vast majority – one million – of students have no employment when in full-time studies. July 27, 2018
- Students working in term-time: Challenging the ‘disadvantage’ shibboleth August 09, 2019
- Students working in term-time: Commuter students and their working patterns August 23, 2019
- The cost of equalising the HE experience November 29, 2019