Most university students working paid jobs, survey shows

More and more university students are working a paid job alongside their studies, according to an annual survey.

Research suggests 55% of students are now doing paid work, compared with a total of 45% of them 12 months ago.

In the survey of over 10,000 students, 76% also said the cost of living has had a negative impact on their studies.

The findings by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) are part of a wider snapshot of experiences of being at university in the UK.

The survey of full-time undergraduates, co-authored by Advance HE, is the largest dataset on student experience in the UK, and is weighted to be representative of the university population.

The survey suggests:

Second-year student Clarissa Struthers, 26, works three jobs to support herself financially while doing her degree in social work at the University of Hertfordshire.

She combines lectures with paid work as a nanny, teaching assistant and children's home support worker - often working up to four days per week.

"It affects your grades because you're so tired from working around lectures," she said.

She also lives at home with family in east London to cut costs as much as possible.

"There are so many things I've cut back on, even thinking about what I can eat when I'm buying food," she said.

"It's really sad but that's the reality."

To help with living costs while at university, students receive a means-tested maintenance loan. This means the amounts differ depending on the household income of a student's family.

They are separate from tuition fees - which pay for the cost of the course - and are intended to cover accommodation, food, books and any other equipment students need.

The Hepi report encouraged the government to review the maintenance loans system to ensure they increase "in a timely fashion" and in line with inflation, which has soared in the past year.

A survey conducted last September by Save the Student found students' living costs had increased by 14% in 12 months.

But maintenance loans are not increasing at similar rates.

They will go up by 2.8% in 2023-24 for those with loans in England, 9.4% in Wales and 40% in Northern Ireland. The overall support for living costs in Northern Ireland remains lower than elsewhere in the UK.

Those eligible for maintenance loans in Scotland will be able to borrow an extra £900., external

A spokesperson from Universities UK, which represents 140 universities across the UK, said: "Universities are doing their bit by increasing hardship funding, offering subsidised or free food on campus and increasing other forms of pastoral support.

"But there is a limit to what they can do without action from government."

The Department for Education previously told the BBC it has made an extra £15m in funding available for disadvantaged students, increasing the total to £276m this academic year.

A government spokesperson said: "We recognise students continue to face financial challenges, which is why we are increasing loans and grants for living and other costs for a further year.

"To help students who need further support, we have asked the [Office for Students] to maintain the level of funding to HE providers to support students in hardship. We urge students who are worried about their circumstances to speak to their university."

The Cost of Learning

Trying to stay warm, juggling part-time jobs and the impact on their mental health. BBC News follows the lives of three university students in Leeds to find out how they are tackling the cost of living crisis.

Available now on BBC iPlayer (UK only).

Strike action was one reason 23% of students in the Hepi survey gave for saying their courses were of poor value, behind other reasons such as the cost of living (41%) and tuition fees (40%).

University staff went on strike for 18 days in February and March in their long-running dispute with employers.

The authors of the Hepi report speculated that the timing of those strike days - coinciding with the survey being conducted between January and March - might have contributed to its high ranking.

Students were also asked about their mental health and wellbeing, including a question about loneliness.

The 2022 Hepi survey was the first time the question was asked, with almost one in four students reporting feeling lonely most or all of the time.

That figure has since increased from 23% to 26% in 2023.

One of Hepi's 13 recommendations was for universities to tailor their support for students with different living arrangements, with those living alone or at home with family more likely to experience loneliness.

The survey also suggests that an increasing number of students would choose an apprenticeship over their degree if they could make their choice again.

It said this could be down to cost-of-living pressures, or an increasing awareness of available apprenticeship programmes.

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