Frances, 19, from Newcastle, was looking forward to starting a design degree at Northumbria University last autumn.
However, at the end of her first semester, she had serious doubts about whether she had made the right choice.
“There are aspects of my studies that I really enjoy, but overall it is not what I expected,” she said. “I am shocked by the nonchalant attitude of my colleagues towards the meeting. A lot of people on my course only show up for submissions or presentations.”
Frances is one of many current British students who have shared with The Guardian how they feel about attending university lectures and tutoring, amid reports that Student numbers have fallen off a cliff.
About half of the students who contacted us said they regularly skipped classes, and many said they barely attended.
Many students pointed to financial difficulties that forced them to prioritize paid work over studying, a lack of enthusiasm for the lecture format, low motivation to get up and go, and the perception that it was unlikely attending classes would improve their grades.
Frances is now considering whether to transfer to a university closer to her hometown as she finds it difficult to meet people on campus.
“The restless atmosphere makes me doubt whether the course is something for me. Some people have made friends, I think, but it’s hard because you don’t know who will show up and when you might see them again.
“There’s a bit of a feeling that it’s just about checking boxes (among students) and getting a diploma.”
Dozens of students who responded to an online appeal said it was financially impossible for them to attend all university classes.
“I aspire to take classes, but the cost of living forces me to work instead,” said a 20-year-old student from Sheffield, who asked to remain anonymous.
“I would prefer that all lectures be recorded, but many personal lectures are a one-time opportunity, which causes me delays. But I’d rather pay my rent and make sure I can live. The The maintenance loan has not increased in line with inflationit doesn’t even cover my rent, let alone food, clothing and transportation.”
Another 22-year-old student at a university in the north of England said: ‘The cost of living crisis has left student life a shadow of what it once was. The choice between being hungry and getting a good grade is a very real one.”
Ellen, a longtime lecturer in Middle Eastern politics at a prestigious university in southern England, was among university professors who reported that the number of classes in their classes had plummeted this academic year.
“This year it really started to get bad,” she said. “On a good day the turnout is 30%. It’s quite shocking, I’ve never seen anything like it. This year I have failed more students than in my entire career combined because the quality of their work continually suffers due to their constant absences.”
According to Ellen, conversations with students about their presence had given her the impression that the attitude of many young people towards university education had fundamentally changed. “The word ‘expect’ is used a lot. A student said to me: ‘I pay high costs, I bought this diploma.’ There is a sense of entitlement, it feels very disheartening.”
According to Ellen, claims that the cost of living means that students’ paid work obligations often conflict with their schedules are excuses that do not apply in the case of her students.
“I teach at a Russell Group university, and most of my students are wealthier than me, but if they needed to they could plan bar work around the maybe twelve hours of contact time a week they have.”
Recording sessions so students can watch them later isn’t feasible, Ellen says, because she wants students to feel safe participating in complex and sensitive political discussions.
She saw no other option than to fail a fifth of her freshmen this year and feels sorry for the students coming in.
“Those who do attend feel discouraged, as if they have been cheated, for example during a group presentation. They also fear that they will be seen as too studious and uncool.”
Ben, 20, a second-year geography student at the University of Leeds, said the reasons for his frequent absences from class are varied. “Overall, my attendance is pretty poor,” he said.
“Firstly, attendance is not registered. This means there is no panic if I miss a lecture and I can consult the online lecture whenever I want. I also believe that I will be entering a saturated job market after graduation, and I see little point in prioritizing my studies if it will leave me with a 9-5 job that can barely cover the bills in this cost of living crisis.
“I’d much rather enjoy the experience of living on my own and being in a new city. I also have no exams, just courses, so I don’t have to memorize information from lectures,” he added.
A number of students said personal or mental health reasons prevented them from regularly attending lectures or tutorials.
Ella, 21, a second-year student at Bristol University who works part-time in a cafe, said she aimed to attend all her lectures and seminars but usually missed about half.
“I found that I still get a good grade when I access the material online, although I do learn more when I participate in discussions,” she said. “Sometimes I don’t go because I feel too anxious or too tired, or because I haven’t done the prep work so I’m afraid I’ll be bullied, or because I’m just unmotivated or feeling down.”
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After doing her final year at university the year after lockdown, half in person and half online, all the A-level exams Ella took ended up being weighed as just a fraction of her final grade.
“I think this period really changed my perspective on the importance of classes,” she said. “I had forgotten what it felt like to get up early in the morning every day, and having to work on top of college to pay the bills definitely made it harder to have enough energy.”
Dozens of students reported that their motivation to attend and contribute suffered because they perceived the quality of the lectures to be quite low, partly because few other students participated, creating a vicious circle.
“I attend all the lectures and try to get to all the lectures, but my attitude can be quite bad,” says Mary*, 18, who is studying history at LSE.
“Teachers who would enforce attendance and deadlines more strictly would certainly help. I’m more motivated to go when other students show up. I did a group project this year with someone I’ve never met because he hadn’t shown up in almost two months, which was demoralizing.
“The first time I missed an assignment I was quite stressed, but then I was told it was optional to extend the deadline. Since then I have missed many assignments.”
Mary was one of many students who felt that exposure to the working world was more important than attending lectures, and that university felt quite transactional.
“People say, ‘I’m not here to develop skills.’ I think very few people think of classes as a learning opportunity. I know that people consider internships and other opportunities more important than courses. There’s a real sense of, ‘oh, we need to be here,’ that you can do better things with your time. My learning experience is definitely negatively affected by all of this, I am disappointed.”
While many respondents said they would like to improve their attendance, some accused universities of failing to understand that it was no longer feasible or desirable for many young people to attend on-site classes every week.
One person, who wished to remain anonymous, said their student experience at UCL had been marred by his department’s strict rule of a minimum attendance of 75% in response to poor attendance.
“(If you fall below), punitive and strict action will be taken,” they said, “with some students being asked to leave.”
Universities, the student added, must make attending classes remotely as acceptable as attending in person.
“A minimum attendance rate of 75% is unreasonable and harms students’ mental health. Today’s students no longer learn that way: they did all their A-levels during Covid, so they are more used to some learning in person and some learning online.”
David, 21, a fourth-year law student at the University of Leeds, also said he regularly finds himself in fairly empty classrooms.
“Before Covid, it all felt a lot more fun. Now there seems to be an atmosphere of apathy and general floundering through the content,” he said.
“I think my university has handled the challenges of the pandemic quite well, but leaders need to know that poor attendance and participation in classes is a problem and must recognize and address it.”
According to David, the excessive cohort size, as many students have chosen to defer for a year in response to the pandemic, is partly to blame.
“My course increased from 420 students in the first year to over 700 students in my final year. I believe this has led to more limited support and contact time with professors, and a deteriorating quality of education.
“I don’t think finger-pointing will work, though; everyone has a role: universities, students and teachers.
“Maybe this is all just a symptom of the madness of the past four years. If everyone could get out now, that would be great.”
*Name has been changed