The President of the Students’ Union at Bournemouth University (SUBU) has spoken out after a new report found that Bournemouth has seen among the highest increases in rent prices for student accommodation (11.2% since 2021/22).
A study conducted by Unipol and HEPI looked at the price of student rent in 10 cities across the UK and found that rent virtually swallows up the average maintenance loan. The Bournemouth example shows the average student rent locally now reaching £7,400, which is 97% of the average maintenance loan taken by students this year, leaving a mere £190 for other living essentials, equating to £4 a week.
SUBU’s President, Chike Dike, attended the Joint Codes Conference at the University of Birmingham to discuss the findings and what they mean for the quality of student life, particularly for international students.
“Universities rely on international students and their fees to boost their income, but the support they get in return is limited and inconsistent across institutions,” Chike said,
“When it comes to students from overseas, the impact of this price increase is much bigger, as they pay higher fees, have to secure guarantors, contribute to healthcare costs, and do not have access to student finance, or public funds of any sort.”
“The immigration narrative in the news is also creating an unwelcoming environment for them, not acknowledging the huge contribution they bring to the economy and the diversity of our campuses, and hardly setting them up for success.”
“Working part-time is no longer an option to get extra pocket money but is rather a necessity for survival. Depending on their visas, international students can also only work for up to 20 hours a week, which limits how much money they can earn, and in turn poses a huge challenge for them. This forces many into the grey economy where there is a risk of poor working conditions and exploitation.”
Chike added: “A couple of years ago the main things to consider would be, for example, the courses the university is offering and if they are of interest to you, what kind of city or town is it, is it student friendly, the fees, things of that sort.
“Now on top of all that, there is the extra layer of ‘Can I afford to live in that town to study?’ And if the answer is no, you start thinking of other places that might not be as expensive, even if it isn’t necessarily the university you want to attend or if it doesn’t offer the course you’re interested in.
“We are already living in a two-tier system where students who can afford it can choose where they go study, with the rest going where they can afford to study.”
In cases where students are committed to attending a certain university but cannot afford to move there, they become student commuters - travelling long hours every single day from where they study to where they live, which in turn has its cost, both monetary and on their university experience. Living far from university makes it harder for students to make friends and engage in extracurricular activities.
SUBU’s Full-Time Officers lead on a University-wide working group that looks at the International Students Experience in Bournemouth and, along with others from students’ unions across the country, have contributed to the creation a petition to change the maintenance loan structure to meet students’ needs.
Chike said: “This report shows that maintenance loans need to be restructured. With the loans only covering rent (not even that in some cases), students will need to have a job and, ideally, support from their families to be able to afford going to university.
“What it doesn’t take into consideration is that many students come from low-income backgrounds and their parents can’t afford to support them, or that some of them are estranged from their families.”
You can find out more about the proposed changes and sign the petition here.