NUS RESPONDS TO LATEST UCAS APPLICATION FIGURES

The National Union of Students (NUS) has today welcomed indications from UCAS that university applications are starting to recover after the significant drop following the trebling of the tuition fee cap. However the union warned the government not to be complacent about the impacts of its changes on students and universities.

Liam Burns, NUS President, said:

“Despite positive signs that overall applications have begun to recover after a huge dip last year, there must be no complacency about the impact of the coalition’s decision to shift the balance of higher education funding onto students.

“No student should be put off going to university because of misinformation about how they’ll be asked to contribute, but the government cannot assume that recovering application levels tell the whole story, particularly when universities and students have found themselves so destabilised. The long-term impact on individual decision making of subjecting an entire generation to tens of thousands pounds of pseudo-debt needs to be properly and fully explored in relation to both work and further study.”

“The level of fees and loans does not affect students’ ability to pay the bills while they study, and upfront financial support is not keeping pace with increases in the costs of living for students. Half of those students who’ve considered dropping out of their course say money worries are the main reason, and even small amounts of commercial debt such as credit cards and overdrafts have a significant impact on student well-being.

“Our message to prospective students is that if you have the desire and ability, you should be able to go. There’s still time to apply.”

Notes:

NUS Pound in Your Pocket research found that 49% of full-time undergraduate students who had seriously considered dropping out of university did so because of financial difficulties. Students who take on even less than £1000 worth of debt (excluding government loans and mortgages) report significant increases in financial worries and a decrease in their ability to concentrate on studies. The full research is available at www.nus.org.uk/poundinyourpocket