More students in the UK are starting to think that they are not getting good value for money from their time at university, an annual survey suggests
The survey found that 31% of university students in the UK thought that their courses were of poor, or very poor value for money, up from 29% of students in the previous year.
The annual survey, that was based on a sample size of 10,000 students across the UK, the data of which was gathered in a year disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as lecturers going on strike.
“Because of strikes and coronavirus there has been a massive gap in my learning,” one student was quoted in the survey.
This comes after Plans for all primary school year-groups in England to return to the classroom before the end of the term are to be scrapped by the government.
The Student Academic Experience Survey, a survey that has been tracking the views of students since 2006, shows a reduction in satisfaction with value for money from university courses, down from 41% to 39%, with another 30% of those students saying that they think that their experience was of neither good nor bad value.
The Higher Education Policy Institute published the survey, and the company’s director Nick Hillman has said that the survey showed that with the current disruption to the learning of the students, and anxieties about their future careers and the jobs market. He went on to say:
“many students are worried about their own lives”.
This new study reflects the opinions of students from universities across the United Kingdom and found that tuition fees that were charged to students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, were the biggest cause for concern.
Only about 25% of the students in the survey felt that they had been given enough information on how their tuition fees were spent by their institutions.
This comes after the OECD has said that the UK’s economic recovery remains uncertain as most countries are vulnerable to a second wave of coronavirus infections.
There were also many concerns from students about the lack of contact hours between the and their lecturers, which has been linked to the strikes and the closure of campuses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Students did, however, highlight the importance of the quality of teaching, when questioned about what made a positive difference on their university experience.
Universities are to be preparing the reopening of their campuses for the next academic year in autumn, and first year applicants will be wondering how their courses will be taught, and whether they will be online or in-person or a mixture of both of these options
The higher education, the Office for Students, has given universities across England the information that they must supply to those wanting to apply to these institutions, with the deadline for making a firm choice being the 18th of June.
Chief executive of the Office for Students, Nicola Dandridge, has said:
“These are exceptionally challenging times for both students and universities, but students must be told clearly how their courses will be taught next year,”.
