FFive days a week, the sky is pitch black when George, a first-year student at Liverpool John Moores University, wakes up for work. There are no buses available at that time, so he leaves the house at 2:45 a.m. to walk the 6 km to work for his 4 a.m. shift.
He sits down for a moment before starting a four-hour shift collecting items from the supermarket for delivery. Depending on whether he can afford the £2 fare that day, he will take a bus or return to campus. Then it's time to go to lectures.
It is not surprising that he feels exhausted and sometimes struggles to stay awake during his morning lectures. “It makes me tired and I can't concentrate. It's hard to study outside of work, but the main reason I'm here is to get my degree,” he says, explaining that he struggled to find other work with enough hours closer to campus. “I drink as much coffee as I can.”
The 29-year-old from Cardiff will receive £11,720 between his maintenance loan and a grant from the Welsh Government. But after paying £188 rent every week for a studio in university accommodation – the mature student was reluctant to share with partying students ten years younger for a slightly lower rent – he still has to work 20 hours a week to make ends meet to come. Meet.
“The numbers speak for themselves. There is no doubt about it: you will have to get a job,” he says. “People always say that students' favorite foods are rice and pasta, but I didn't know they would be rations.”
The costs have had difficult consequences for the engineering student, who takes medication for anxiety and depression. After an unexpected dental bill, he was unable to pay for his prescription. “I went without medication for a few weeks because I couldn't afford it,” he says, adding that the university's welfare team is helping him seek further financial support.
He hopes to soon be able to buy a bicycle for commuting. “In the run-up to payday, I walked home after work because it was a matter of either catching the bus or eating, as dramatic as that sounds.”
Full-time students are far from the only ones experiencing financial difficulties. In a recent British student survey half (49%) said financial problems affected their eating habits, while 55% said they affected their mental health. Save the Student's National Student Money Survey 2023 found that the falling value of maintenance loans left loans inadequate to cover living costs by an average of £582 per month, compared to £439 last year.
Despite economic pressure, servicing loans in England have increased by just 2.8% over 2023-2024. outside London offering a maximum loan of £9,978. Scotland increased its financial support offer by £900, to a maximum of £9,000, while Northern Ireland increased its offer by 40%, for a top rate of £8,136. Wales has increased the amount of loans and grants to £11,720, an increase of 9.4%. In addition to loans and subsidies, universities also have that emergency funds available to people facing unexpected financial difficulties, but this is usually a lump sum emergency payment rather than lasting support.
Jasmine, 20, a psychology student, works overtime as a pub chef in Leeds to keep up with costs. “My friends who receive financial support have much more time to do university work in the library. There is a bit of a divide: we have completely different times here,” says the second-year student at Leeds Beckett University. She doesn't see how getting an internship will be feasible since many are unpaid. “It becomes a lot harder to see college as accessible to people whose parents can't help them.”
Jasmine has a 22-hour contract, but lately she has been working almost 30 hours a week. She receives almost the maximum loan available to people studying outside London, but that is largely eaten up by the £628 she pays in rent and bills every month.
She's not sure how she'll deal with the impact of longer working hours once deadlines start. “At the end of last year… It was a huge source of stress. I was afraid that I would turn the work in too late or that I wouldn't be able to do it at all. It's one of the biggest things that affects my mental health,” she says. Jasmine adds that her student mentor has advised her on college resources and funding, but she hasn't felt the need to apply yet.
“I didn't expect to be so stressed about money so quickly. I had the first-year experience everyone describes: I went a little crazy for a week or two. But when we go north, everyone says how cheap it is… That's not true anymore,” she says. “Everyone describes college as a break from real life. That's not how me or my friends would describe it.”
Orla, a second-year student at Queen Mary University of London, fears that with piles of reading material for her law degree, she may not get the grades she's aiming for. She works about 20 to 25 hours a week as a receptionist, which involves an hour of travel, up from 12 hours when she started the role last year. “It has a huge impact on my (learning) – I can't go to lectures,” she says, explaining that she misses at least a third of lectures every week. “I miss so much content, I constantly feel like I have to catch up.”
Because she studies in London, she receives a higher rate for student loans. But her £6,485 loan doesn't even cover half her rent – more than £900 a month, excluding bills. “You get a London grant, but it's so insufficient,” she says, explaining that her parents provide financial help. “The cost of living in London is exorbitantly high.
“I pay £9,250 a year and I can't fully concentrate on (my studies). I feel like I won't be able to succeed in the way I want to. I worry about the future. I definitely feel myself slipping away.”
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We are supporting universities to help students who are struggling financially by making £276 million available this academic year, which institutions can use to top up their own hardship schemes. This is in addition to increases in student loans and grants.
“Many universities have done good work in supporting students who are struggling financially through a variety of programmes, and we urge students who are concerned about their circumstances to speak to their university.”
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We understand the additional pressure on students due to the cost of living crisis. Our bursaries and loans for students have increased every year, with Wales having the most generous student support in Britain. The percentage of maintenance support available to full-time and part-time higher education students from Wales has increased by 9.4%.
“All universities in Wales have hardship funds in place to help all students in financial difficulty, and have introduced additional cost-of-living support including: crisis grants, free or cheap food, free menstrual products and free access to sports and activities. Anyone who is experiencing financial difficulties should contact their student association or student support.”
The spokesperson added that the Welsh Government had recently provided additional funding of £2.3 million “to help tackle the impact of rising costs on students”.