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Cost of living crisis NEW FIGURES REVEAL STUDENTS FACE A FUNDING GAP OF £7,000 AS LOANS AND GRANTS FAIL TO MATCH SPIRALLING LIVING COSTS
Daniel Green Students face a cost of living crisis as loans and maintenance grants fail to keep up with the rising costs of essentials, rents and bills, according to an NUS report. The report, by ‘Pound in your pocket’ – a branch of the National Union of Students, revealed that students outside of London face a shortfall in funds of almost £7,700 – making them worse off than students paying premium costs in the capital. The NUS compared statistics over the cost of living for a student for 39 weeks with that of typical payments for government maintenance loans and grants; concluding that students outside London face a shortfall of £7,654 on average. The vast gap between government support and expenses is blamed on the increase in rent, bills and other outgoings rising above inflation year-on-year, whilst loans and maintenance grants have been frozen at 1% growth – as announced by Universities Minister the Conservative Rt. Hon. David Willetts MP in March earlier this year. A statement by Toni Pearce, President of the NUS, said: “Many students starting university this month are facing a cost of living crisis, with available financial support in loans and grants failing to keep pace with spiralling bills for basic essentials. Those who do not have the rare luxury of resorting to the ‘bank of mum and dad’ are increasingly being driven to work full-time alongside study where jobs can be found, or worse still into the arms of predatory pay day lenders just to make ends meet. We need a financial support system that ensures students get what the support they need, when they need it.”
The report by the NUS also exposed that financial difficulties are now pushing many students into ‘dropping out’ of higher education institutions, with the rising prices of accommodation and transport being directly associated with reduced wellbeing and happiness. In addition, the NUS reported that students from less well-off backgrounds face additional pressures as the level to receive maximum government support has remained at incomes up to £25,000 for five years running. In response to the NUS’ revelations, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills stated: “This year, students at the lowest level of income can access over £7,100 of living-cost support, of which over £3,350 does not have to be repaid. The government also provides additional non-repayable support to students in specific circumstances, such as students with children and disabled students. “Scholarships and bursaries are also available from most universities, and students in hardship can apply for additional support through the Access to Learning Fund”. Sophie van der Ham, Welfare Officer at the Students’ Union, said to this newspaper: “The findings confirm what we have known for a long time: poverty negatively affects wellbeing and stifles student development and general enjoyment of life. Not having to think about money is a luxury that very few students actually experience.” However, Sophie also said that there remained help for students in financial difficulty: “The University have a firstgeneration scholarship scheme aimed at students whose parents haven’t been to university. They receive a £3,000 bursary because they are often at a disadvantage.” In an interview, a University spokes-
Data compiled by the National Union of Students suggests that the cost of living crisis gripping graduates has forced some to quit their courses, citing financial instability person revealed that 11 undergraduate students “permanently withdrew” from Sussex citing financial reasons. However, the University was keen to point out that they made up a small percentage “out of a population of around 10,000”, and that “the proportion of Sussex students dropping out of university has fallen dramatically over the last decade.” The University also outlined its vast “action plan” to help students with fi-
nancial difficulties; a plan endorsed by the Office for Fair Access and which is worth around £8.1 million. Kelly McBride, President of the Student’s Union, stated the Students’ Union would conduct a survey at the end of the autumn term, looking into the financial situation of students. She said this had come “partially in response to this report and will look at both income and expenditure together
with things such as the perceived effect that having to take up additional paid work has on students’ studies.” The news comes only weeks after the release of statistics by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) which showed a drop in the number of available jobs for young people. Unemployment amongst 16-24 year olds remains high, making up over a third of national unemployment figures, at 973,000.