A-level results: How the cost of living is affecting student futures

Students making decisions on their future after receiving their A-level results this week have been doing their sums over whether university makes financial sense. How much is the cost of living crisis affecting their decisions?

According to data from the National Union of Students and the Unipol housing charity, external, the combined cost of tuition fees and accommodation for an undergraduate student in England is estimated to be an average of £49,887, with tuition fees averaging £9,250.

For Georgyna Smythe-Hudson, 18, who attended the Wrenn School in Wellingborough, the decision on where to go to university was based on cost.

She is heading for the University of Warwick to do English Literature and Creative Writing in September.

"I really wanted to go to a good university and, when I was in the process of looking, I had to decide on somewhere close [to where I live] due to travel costs," she says.

"If I chose to go further away I wouldn't be able to come home as much as I'd want to - I can't really afford to go backwards and forwards."

She says that she comes from a "reasonably low-income family" who will would support her as much as they can but she will "have to rely a lot on loans".

"It is very anxiety inducing because I'm still wondering how I'm going to get through uni," she says.

"I'm going to have to get a part time job or something and try to save up some more money on top of trying to get a degree so it's going to be a lot of work.

"I'd prefer just to worry about my education but there's so many more factors you have to consider now which makes it a lot harder."

Two years ago, Kianna Graham, 22, from Milton Keynes, decided to explore distance learning instead of moving to university.

Realising the cost of studying away, she said the cost of living crisis had a "massive impact" on her decision.

She started a BA in Business and Management with the Open University (OU) in 2021, and is just about to start her final year.

"With the state of the economy after [the pandemic] and the cost of living crisis, I worked out it would be more cost effective if I stayed at home and did distance learning," she says.

Living at home, she is only paying course fees and is also able to work part-time for which she earns between £14-15,000 a year.

She says that being able to "earn while I learn" is the "biggest benefit".

"With bills on the rise, I have friends who don't know how they're going to cope with the cost of living away from home," she says.

"I was able to save almost £10,000 in the last year which allowed me to get my driving licence and have more money to spend on fun activities.

"It's not a traditional student experience but it's a better experience for me."

Bridie Spelman, 19, from Bedford, who has just finished her first year at the University of Sheffield, advises new students to "remember it's OK to ask for help" and that many universities have support packages.

'Money will be tight so look for grants and get what you can," she says.

The medical science student says she has found rent and groceries hard to afford but acknowledges that it was "always going to be difficult when you're managing your own finances for the first time".

"I hadn't been paying for rent and food before so I hadn't noticed an increase as such," she says.

"But it's been very difficult to manage my finances and I've noticed that rents for next year have gone up a lot."

As well as standard student loans, Bridie has been supported by a £3,000 scholarship over three years from the Zero Gravity Fund - a scheme to support talented students from low opportunity areas - and a young carers grant from her university as she is a carer for her grandmother and travels home most weekends to help.

She says the extra money has "made a huge difference".

"I've been able to take part in societies and do the fun things that I would have had to say no to," she says, "and those sorts of things are good for your mental health.

"I think I would make the same decisions again though - I love my course and thankfully Sheffield is a very affordable city."

The National Union of Students (NUS) says "students are suffering" and that while "one in four regularly go without food and other necessities", 43% regularly worry about student loan repayments.

"Students are the doctors, nurses and public sector workers of tomorrow and yet, as evidenced by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Student's report, external, the government has done little to alleviate their suffering," an NUS spokesman said.

"Radical and sustainable changes in higher education are needed immediately to ensure the future of our country.

"Going forward, we need to bring back grants, abolish tuition fees and fund higher education properly to ensure all students, regardless of their backgrounds, can maximise their potential."

The Department for Education says its student finance system "ensures that the highest levels of support are targeted at students from the lowest income families".

"This means support goes where it is needed most while ensuring the student finance system remains financially sustainable," a spokesman says.

It adds that "on top of increases to student loans and grants", it has made £276m available this academic year which which "institutions can use to top up their own hardship schemes".

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