Seachain an duine a bhíonn ina thost

Something which does affect students as students ...


Students work and borrow to cover university costs
Hilary Osborne
Thursday March 30 2006
The Guardian


The cost of being a student rose by 44% over the six years to 2004/05, as tuition fees, rising living expenses and housing costs took their toll, according to an official study published today.

The Department for Education and Skills (DFES) survey of student expenditure showed students are working longer hours and borrowing more to cover the costs.

And, according to the figures, the total average expenditure among full-time students in England and Wales had risen from £6,161 in the 1998/99 academic year when fees were introduced, to reach £10,273 in 2004/05.

Part-time students - the majority of who were holding down jobs at the same time as studying - spent 40% more, with their expenditure averaging £14,413.

Average students' incomes were lower, at £8,333 for full-time students and £11,196 for part-timers.

Over the six-year period examined in the research, housing costs faced by university and college students rose by 54%, to £2,276 a year, while living expenses - which account for over half of student spending - were up 25%.

The average amount spent on living costs was £5,870 a year for full-time students and £8,972 for part-timers.

As well as the basics like food, clothes and toiletries, living costs cover personal items, such as mobile phones, and holidays, both of which have seen an increase in spending by students.

The costs associated with doing a full-time course added up to an average of £1,980 in 2004/05, of which £1,150 was tuition fees, although one in two students get help with these.

The rest was made up of the cost of course books, computers and other equipment.

But while expenditure on necessities has increased, students seem to have cut back on drinking and socialising. The study showed that over the six years to 2004/05, spending on alcohol and entertainment decreased by 15%, to an average of £1,283.

The research, which was based on the experiences of over 3,000 students, shows that although student incomes rose in line with expenditure they were still, at £8,333, below the average expenditure.

Income is made up from loans, help from family - which for full-time students now accounts for 25% of their earnings, grants and work.

Over half of those in full-time education are now doing part-time work during term time to fund their studies and the average number of hours worked each week has increased from 11 hours in 1998/99 to 13.5 in 2004/05.

With 30% of student income now made up of student loans, and almost four in five students now taking out a loan, it is perhaps surprising that the average debt faced by a graduate last year was down on that faced by someone finishing their studies in 2003.

According to the research, final year students in 2005 owed 14% less than their counterparts two years earlier, with outstanding debts of £7,918.

However, there was a big gap between the debts accumulated by students from wealthy families and those whose parents were on low-incomes. Students from low-income backgrounds finished university with an average debt of £9,842, compared with an average £6,905 among those with better-off parents.

The higher education minister, Bill Rammell, said the survey showed while many students were managing their money carefully at university, poorer students were obviously facing difficulties.

"Those from poorer backgrounds have been left with greater debts than students from wealthier families," he said.

"That's why the new student support arrangements which we are implementing this year will be fairer for all students, and particularly for those from low incomes, as they will have nothing to pay until they have finished their studies and are earning over £15,000. And crucially we're reintroducing non-repayable grants."

However, the NUS's vice president welfare, Veronica King, said the situation was likely to get worse following the introduction of top-up fees this September.

"It is completely unacceptable that 60% of full-time students feel that financial concerns are affecting their academic performance," she said.

"It is also deeply worrying that part-time students - who are even more likely to be working on a regular basis - admit that they miss lectures or have difficulties accessing institution facilities as a result."

Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited