University students struggling to make ends meet during the pandemic, warns NUS

Students are “close to the brink” financially due to the Covid-19 pandemic – with about a fifth struggling to pay their rent and bills, a survey suggests.

Nearly three in four (73 per cent) students are concerned about being able to manage financially and now half plan to have a full or part-time job alongside their studies, according to the National Union of Students (NUS).

Its survey of more than 4,100 students in July found 21 per cent were unable to pay bills in full over the past four months, while 19 per cent were unable to pay their rent in full during the same period.

The union is calling on the government to provide more hardship funding to universities to help support students who find

themselves in financial difficulty as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

It comes as students across the country prepare to return to university campuses for the autumn term.

The majority are concerned about the risk of contracting coronavirus when they return to campus – and more than three in five (62 per cent) do not trust the UK government to do the right thing for students in the event of a second wave of Covid-19, the survey suggests.

Many universities are planning to use a blended learning approach, with a mix of online and face-toface classes when campuses reopen and institutions are looking to hold virtual freshers’ events.

Of the students who experienced remote learning last term, nearly a fifth (19 per cent) said the provision was not of a good standard and 15 per cent said they were not able to access the provision sufficiently to complete their studies.

Students should be given the option to redo the term or have their fees written off or reimbursed if they were unable to access their online learning in the summer term, the union says.

Larissa Kennedy, NUS president, said “Students are close to the brink financially with little room for manoeuvre or options to help themselves.

“Many have lost jobs during the lockdown, not been able to find employment over the summer and/or seen the incomes of those they rely on financially seriously affected by coronavirus.”

She added: “Governments across the UK need to act urgently to ensure that students do not go hungry or end up in rent arrears next term.

“They must work with universities and colleges to ensure that hardship funds are sufficiently resourced and available for all students who need them.”

On the findings about problems related to online learning, Ms Kennedy added: “It is unacceptable that these numbers of students have been unable to engage with their learning during this pandemic.

“Students who have not been able to receive the teaching that they were entitled to last term must be given the option to redo the term or have their fees written off or reimbursed.”