Students of today f ind university all work and no play
IN the good old days of full grants and generous loans, university was as much about the social life as studying.
But the days of skipping lectures and staying out all night appear to be over, with almost 90 per cent of Scottish students forced to work twice as hard, taking jobs during term to pay their way.
Thousands of Scots students are grappling with money worries while working t hrough t he s ummer holidays, a study commissioned by Buckinghamshire New University has found.
Those who maintain students know nothing about hard work will also find the latest generation to be more serious-minded than those who went before.
Preparing f or Scotland’s competitive j obs market, three-quarters of students say they are in university for a career or to improve their knowledge – with only 1 per cent there to have fun.
Another 5 per cent applied to go on to higher education because it is something they ‘think they should be doing’.
The cost of going to university is lower for Scots, who get their education free if they stay here, avoiding tuition fees of up to £9,000 for those south of the Border.
It is possible to get up to £4,750 as a student loan, and then up to £ 6,750 i f your household income is less than £17,000 a year.
But, even with additional grants for poorer households, high rents for accommodation can leave students with little left over for food, books and transport.
The situation is made worse north of the Border, where honours degree courses last four years compared to three years in England.
The survey of more than 1,000 people across the UK who applied to university this year found 86 per cent of Scots students will have to work during term-time to meet their living costs.
Around two in five will have to consider working all year round, including during the summer holidays.
Iain Gray, acting Scottish Labour leader and education spokesman, said: ‘This is the l atest example of student support in Scotland simply not being up to scratch.
‘Under the SNP Government the budget for bursaries and grants has been slashed by £40million and student debt has soared.
‘That’s £40million less for students who have the talent and the drive but need extra support to get on in life. It’s thousands of kids who have the grades to access the best courses but face a financial barrier to get there.’
The study also sheds light on the worries of modern- day students, who fear they will not fit in. Teenagers in Scot- land are anxious they will miss friends, family, pets and home comforts, with some even planning to take a cuddly toy.
Others are concerned about what they will eat, with just 41 per cent able to cook more than five meals ‘from scratch’.
A spokesman for Education Secretary Angela Constance said: ‘The SNP Government has kept its promises on tuition fees – 120,000 students a year benefit from free tuition.
‘Students at Scottish institutions have a lower average debt level than students in the rest of the UK.
‘We have also exceeded our manifesto commitment to support the poorest students by ensuring a minimum income of £ 7,625 f rom 2015- 16 in maintenance.’
‘Support not up to scratch’