As students struggle with the cost of living, UK universities are making huge profits with a record number of students enrolling.
Will Hugall explores the deep divide between these situations and whether universities are doing enough to help.
The cost of living crisis has affected students in countless ways this winter, with difficult decisions having to be made on all kinds of spending, including whether to come to university at all.
Universities, who are regularly accused of making record profits from the unprecedented number of young people who now enrol in higher education courses, have had added scrutiny during such trying times for students.
In Nottingham, this situation is particularly potent.
The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) findings for university profits in 2019/20 showed how the University of Nottingham made the 12th highest profits of any UK university, at over £93 million.
This pales in comparison to the reported £390 million profits made by the University of Oxford, which was top of the HESA table, but demonstrates exactly how lucrative the university sector is.
At Nottingham Trent University, meanwhile, the student population of over 33,000 is one of the largest in the country and contains people from a huge range of backgrounds.
The concern is that with such a large student base, it will never be possible to reach all of those who are under financial pressure.
“We have increased our hardship funds, have frozen prices at all our catering outlets and provide free fruit on campus”
However, the university was confident that the steps they have taken this winter are helping.
A Nottingham Trent University spokesperson told Platform: “We recognise the impact that the increases in the cost of living can have on our students and we work in partnership with our students’ union to understand the kind of support needed.”
“We provide a range of advice and guidance around managing money whilst studying and information about deals, perks and discounts.”
In terms of concrete policies to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, NTU has continued several existing schemes and opened up new options for struggling students.
“We have increased our hardship funds, have frozen prices at all our catering outlets and provide free fruit on campus.
“We have also targeted support for those most in need, such as bursaries or food parcels, [and] are also funding the costs of graduation gowns for all of our final-year students.
“We’ll continue to listen to our students to ensure that we are doing all that we can to support them in the most appropriate way.”
The relationship that NTU has with their students can only work if they hear issues being raised by the Nottingham Trent Students’ Union (NTSU), and fortunately, this relationship has been working well.
NTSU President, Benedict Wills, said: “Nottingham Trent University has done a lot to support students, in my opinion, from increasing the hardship fund to creating a special bursary for low-income students.
“However, students will not know what the University is doing unless they see the change for themselves.
“For example, NTU has frozen the accommodation price for all NTU-owned accommodations, however, students are unaware of this as UPP [Ltd, the University Partnerships Programme which manages several of these accommodations] has once again raised their costs.
“Overall, I believe NTU is a lot more receptive to students’ needs than other Universities and are doing a good job supporting students during this crisis.”
In terms of accessing help, however, students have to be aware of where to go.
Wills reported that this wasn’t too big of a concern for NTU, as he was happy with the level of signposting available.
“What we have found is that students do not go looking for the support if they do not need it.
This means that, stereotypically, students who need financial aid know where to go.
“A lot of students actually reach out to personal tutors or NTU support services. I think the signposting is good enough and a lot of students are approaching NTU, which is a positive step.”
One policy that many NTU students will be aware of to help with the cost of living is the provision of free graduation gowns.
“The free graduation gowns policy was a no-brainer”
This policy was started under the leadership of Wills’ predecessor as NTSU President, Conor Naughton, and maintaining it was a key point during discussions with the university.
“The free graduation gowns policy was a no-brainer. Other University students spend up to £100 hiring a gown for a few hours [and] this is ridiculous,” said Wills.
“The university without hesitation agreed that all students should be allowed to attend graduation no matter their financial circumstances.
“There was no hesitation from the board to cover the £1 million fee to [gown providers] Eves and Ravenscroft.”
In terms of policies which would come into play if the issue got worse, Wills commented that there were plans on the table.
“There have been a few policies that the University have come up with that would not have benefited the students who need money the most.
“The cost of living steering group have decided to hold these ideas until they are needed – nothing is off the table and the University have been really welcoming to any ideas.”
Ultimately, NTU and NTSU were both clear about their determination to help students in whatever situation they were in.
Wills said: “My best piece of advice would be to talk to us. If you are having issues with living conditions, the university has asked you to talk directly to the university and the leadership teams.
“This way they can bring accurate information to the board to see what we can do to support students.”
He added: “If you are having issues with finances, NTU has a dedicated support team to make sure you make the most out of your money.
“They also have a dedicated hardship fund that can support students who need it.”