Students have been left out of the Cost Of Living conversation

The cost of living crisis is something I’m sure we’re unfortunately all too familiar with by now, with some of us even wishing we could hear about something else. However despite this, university students feel that ultimately their need for support has been neglected by both the government and their universities. 

While this issue is affecting all students up and down the UK, London students seem to be facing the brunt of the crisis with already inflated prices in the capital city soaring to downright unaffordable. 

As Trust for London summarises, “despite lower regional rate of inflation in London, high levels of inequality and a higher cost of living means many low-income Londoners are highly vulnerable to increasing prices. With huge increases in the cost of living threatening to wipe out household finances and leave many unable to afford the essentials.”

“The government needs to start seeing students as an investment for the future, but they really don’t see us like that.”

Rella is a final year undergraduate student at the London College of Communications, UAL. She guides me through the student accommodation she’s been staying at throughout her past three years of university. I laugh when I notice the kettle and collection of mugs and cutlery she keeps in her room, “if I kept this stuff [in the shared kitchen] I guarantee you it will be ‘missing’ by the end of the day”, she explains with a laugh as she makes us both a coffee.

Having started her course in 2020, Rella spent her first year of university in and out of national lockdowns and the COVID-19 pandemic continued to cause devastation worldwide. Since then, then the country has gone through three Prime Ministers, a new King, and now an ongoing cost of living crisis. 

“[the cost of living crisis] has made me incredibly anti-social in that I cannot really go out when and as I want to, because I can’t afford to enjoy the experience. It’s not really in the budget anymore.”

“I’m always conscious about peak times, when they start and when they end, so I can’t get the cheapest travel possible.” She explains. “I only really spend money on groceries. I’ve changed my diet, the meals I cook are as cheap as possible. I never really eat-out. I’m very conscious about my food waste, I try not to waste my money on things that aren’t going to last.”

“I attempted to work in second year, but I couldn’t really focus my attention on either one of my tasks. I couldn’t’ give 100% and I felt really burnt out.”

When asked how the government could better support students during the cost of living crisis, she it quick to suggest a restructuring into how student finance is calculated. “The government assumes that your parents/guardian will subsidise the lack of funding they give, but that’s not always the case. My student finance barely covers around half of my rent for the year, everything in London is so expensive and I don’t think the financial support I receive accurately reflects my financial situation.” 

At the beginning of this year, the government announced a 2.8% increase to student maintenance loans for the upcoming academic year. Leaving many feeling that the government has once again missed the mark completely. The Guardian reported, “with a 2.8% increase, a full-time student living away from home outside London will receive £9,978 in 2023-34 – £1,523 less than the £11,501 they would get if loans increased in line with inflation.”

“They need to widen their criteria for monetary support. I think it should be based on individual circumstances rather than a blanket approach when it comes to finances, because it’s really not as black and white as your parents income.” 

In response to the cost of living crisis UAL did introduce new measures to further support its students over the ’22/23 academic year. As detailed on their website, some of these measures included: adding an extra £1m to their funding support schemes, reducing printing charges by 50%, and supplying low-cost menu opens available in all UAL canteens. 

Despite this, a  22/23 cost of living report orchestrated by the UAL student union and filled out by over 1400 UAL students, reveals that Rella’s concerns regarding the cost of living crises are not isolated.

Some students mentioning the of lack of resources supplied to students in relation to the prices of tuition fees, “Considering how much students pay for tuition, they should not be expected to additionally pay for materials”. 

Others highlighting the lack of monetary support, “The hardship fund threshold is too low and does’t help people in the middle whose parents earn a bit more, but still can’t afford to fund their child”. Another stating, “UAL affiliated accommodation needs to be made more affordable.”

Another student adding, “[there’s a] big divide in students who need to work part time to fund themselves whilst studying, and those who are fully financially supported by their parents. I cannot spend as much time dedicated to studying and producing coursework, and compared to those who can, my grades are lower.”

And while its clear that many undergraduate students feel they have been left unsupported while facing a cost of living crisis, it seems the issue runs even deeper with postgraduate students. 

“Bottom line is at least if you’re in undergrad, you’re getting your full tuition fees covered, and there are bursaries and other financial support. If you’re a masters student. Good luck, you’re not getting any type of support.”

Tatiana is a postgraduate student in her final year studying for a Masters degree in Clinical Neuropsychiatry, at another major London university. We sit down over zoom as she shares with me her financial situation has been impacted over the cost of living crisis. “Every single month all of my money is just scraped, I have zero pounds left every month. It’s ridiculous, everything is just so unaffordable”. 

Unlike undergraduate students who are eligible to receive a loan to cover tuition fees and a separate maintenance loan for help with living costs, Masters students receive a postgraduate masters loan, which is intended to cover both. The amount of payment you receive depends on when you started your course. 

“I only get around £11k of [postgraduate masters loan]. My course is around £15k, so the remaining £4k comes out of my own pocket. On top of that I need to pay rent, bills, and food.”

“Even though I want to see friends, I know I shouldn’t go out tonight because I won’t be able to pay rent, or afford groceries if I do that. I don’t think there’s been a single instance that I’ve been able to pay my tuition fee’s on time, because I’m always low on money.”

“There’s a complete lack of regard when it comes to peoples financial situations.”

Tatiana recalls reaching out to her university for support throughout the cost of living crisis, asking if she could pay her tuition fees in is smaller segments over the course of the academic year. “They were like ‘no, this is not appropriate. You should of considered this before you started the course’, and I was thinking, I didn’t know there was going to be a whole cost of living crisis.”

Alongside her part-time studies, Tatiana has worked a nine-to-five job four days a week in order to keep herself afloat. “It’s been so hard trying to strike a balance between uni and work.” 

“This whole year I’ve been exhausted. Literally I will go to the library after work. I’ve just felt for such a long time I just didn’t have a freaking life because often I would finish my shift and have to go straight to the library.” She explains. “There’s been plenty of times where I’ve had to do an ‘all nighter’ and then go into work the next day, because I have to finish an essay.” 

While Tatiana recognises that a quick fix to the way in which students are supported isn’t ‘super feasible’, she expresses that flexible payment plans for postgraduate tuition fees could be a good step in the right direction, “when you’re like ‘I can’t pay this right now’, ‘ok, let’s set up a payment plan where you can pay in monthly instalments.”

Featured image by Nicole Rathmayr via Pexels.