National Assembly committee concerned over students’ cost of living

15 May 2014

A National Assembly committee is concerned about how much stress students are under in managing their finances and study.

The Finance Committee is asking the Welsh Government to closely monitor how many students are choosing to live at home because of financial pressures, and whether students are more concerned about living expenses than tuition fees.

The Welsh Government funds Welsh students studying in Wales or England but the Committee was told that information about the funding was inconsistent. In web chats with students studying on both sides of the border the Committee learned that some were given conflicting information about funding available to them while others were working full-time as well as studying to make ends meet.

The Committee also conducted a survey of more than 1,300 students to find out what they thought of the Welsh Government tuition fee grant scheme and whether it had a bearing on their choice of Higher Education.

More than three quarters of those who completed the survey said the grants scheme encouraged them to apply to university. Almost two thirds either would not have applied or would have been less likely to apply had funding support not been available.

“The Committee is very concerned about the pressures students find themselves under just trying to study to build their own future,” said Jocelyn Davies AM, Chair of the Finance Committee.

“During the web chats we learned first-hand just how difficult and stressful it can be for students to get by with many holding down full-time jobs, as well as attending lectures, just to make ends meet.

“The tuition fee grants offered by the Welsh Government are clearly of enormous benefit, as our own research shows, but it is also clear that people are being given inconsistent information about the funding available to them.

“The Committee recognises that the Welsh Government recently set up an independent review, led by Sir Ian Diamond, to examine these sorts of issues, including widening access to higher education courses.

“I hope our findings contribute positively to that review.”

The Committee makes 26 recommendations in its report including:

• The Welsh Government commission more detailed modelling on overall student debt and the student loan book to estimate the long term implications of student debt.

• The Welsh Government should increase awareness of the tuition fee grant at an earlier stage (at the latest year 9) in students’ education. As well as ensuring consistency in how awareness is raised; and

• The Welsh Government commission research into whether living costs are more of a concern than tuition fee costs to students.

Report: Higher Education Funding

More information about the inquiry into Higher Education funding can be found here.