September 20th 2024.
Many students are struggling to make ends meet as they navigate their way through higher education. For 18-year-old Tryphine Gumbo, her first year of university was especially challenging as money was extremely tight. She had to work in retail to earn money and often ended up skipping lectures just to make ends meet. On top of that, she could only afford one meal a day.
Despite these difficult circumstances, Tryphine managed to graduate from Sheffield Hallam last year with a degree in human biology. But she admits that her time at university was the most stressful, exhausting, and overwhelming period of her life. She had been looking forward to expanding her horizons and learning new skills, but instead, she was constantly worrying about money.
The cost of living crisis has caused inflation to soar in recent years, making it even more challenging for today's undergraduates to manage the already high tuition fees. According to student money website Save the Student, the average cost of a three-year university degree in the UK is around £66,560. This has led to many students having to focus on their finances rather than their studies.
Recently, 141 English universities called for even higher tuition fees and direct government funding to prevent the decline of the sector. However, for many students, it's not the fees that worry them, but rather their living costs. This leaves many potential undergraduates wondering if the eventual salary increase will be worth the financial hardship they will face for the next three years.
Tryphine's experience is a perfect example of the toll that financial struggles can take on students. She recalls feeling depressed and anxious as she tried to balance her finances and university work. She often found herself prioritizing bills and forgoing basic self-care products. This not only affected her appearance but also her self-esteem. She couldn't afford to eat balanced meals and had to settle for quick and cheap options, which only made her feel worse.
Eventually, the financial strain caused Tryphine to become depressed and question if going to university was really worth it. She felt alone in her struggles and had no social life due to her demanding schedule. She even had to seek help from her tutor and doctor, and was prescribed medication for her anxiety.
Unfortunately, Tryphine's story is not unique. Three in four full-time students say that the cost of living and inflation have negatively impacted their health and wellbeing. Many students, like Tryphine, have had to take on multiple jobs to support themselves, leaving them exhausted and unable to fully engage in their studies and social life.
Janey Morrisey, a university counsellor and member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, has seen firsthand the toll that the cost of living crisis takes on students' mental health. She notes that many students are forced to work full-time hours on top of their studies, leading to exhaustion and disengagement. Some students even resort to self-harm or controlling their food intake as a coping mechanism.
The financial pressures facing students are not only affecting their mental health, but they may also be preventing some from even attending university. The number of high school graduates applying to higher education has decreased, and there is less demand from overseas students. This has led to universities struggling to attract students.
Joe Seddon, the founder of Zero Gravity, a platform that provides scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, believes that the cost of living crisis is creating an uneven playing field for students from low-opportunity backgrounds. He warns that fewer people attending university will have a detrimental impact on society as a whole.
As the cost of living continues to rise, many students are struggling to make ends meet. One such student is Tryphine Gumbo, who faced financial challenges during her first year of higher education. At just 18 years old, she had to work in retail to make money, often skipping lectures to do so. She also had to survive on just one meal a day. It's no surprise that these circumstances took a toll on her studies, but she still managed to graduate with a degree in human biology from Sheffield Hallam last year.
"I was really looking forward to going to university," Tryphine, now 26, recalls. "I wanted to meet new people, broaden my horizons, and learn new skills. But it turned out to be the most stressful, exhausting, and overwhelming time of my life."
The rising cost of living has made it difficult for many undergraduates to focus on their studies. Instead, they are constantly worried about how they will manage to pay for their education. According to Save the Student, the average cost for a three-year degree in the UK is around £66,560. This is partly due to the fact that universities are not subsidized by the government and are expensive to run. In fact, just this week, 141 English universities have called for even higher tuition fees and direct government funding in order to keep the sector from declining.
But for many students, it's not just the tuition fees that are causing concern. It's the cost of living. This leaves many potential undergraduates wondering if the eventual increase in salary will be worth the financial hardships they will have to endure for the next three years.
After three years of struggling to balance her finances with her university work, Tryphine remembers feeling depressed and anxious. "It was extremely challenging," she says. "I would get paid at the end of the month and my first priority was to pay the bills. But by the second week, all the money would be gone." She had to constantly search for the best deals on food, often having to give up on self-care products that boosted her self-esteem.
"When you're meeting new people every day, first impressions are important," Tryphine explains. "But I couldn't afford the right skincare products or deodorant, which affected how I felt around people. I would constantly worry about my appearance and if I needed to go home and have an extra shower. But that would only add to my bills."
In an effort to cut costs, Tryphine often ended up only eating one meal a day – usually something quick and warm from Greggs or whatever she could find. This not only affected her studies due to a lack of balanced nutrition, but it also took a toll on her overall well-being.
"I became really depressed," Tryphine shares. "I started to question if going to university was really worth it. I felt completely alone in everything I was going through." Burnt out from working long hours and studying on the weekends, Tryphine had no social life. She received help from her tutor, but her anxiety only worsened. Towards the end of her degree, she sought help from her doctor and was prescribed medication.
According to a recent study by UNiDAYS, financial worries are the biggest concern for many students today – even more so than academic studies or health and well-being. Sociologist Lee Elliot Major warns that the rising cost of education has made it unaffordable for all but a privileged few. In fact, a survey by Blackbullion found that students estimate they need an extra £621 to £782 every month just to cover the costs of completing their degree. And this financial burden has not gone without consequences. Three in four full-time students say that the cost of living and inflation have negatively impacted their health and well-being, according to research by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.
Janey Morrisey, a university counsellor and member of BACP, has seen firsthand the struggles that students face due to financial pressures. "A lot of the students I've worked with take on jobs outside of their studies, sometimes working the equivalent of full-time hours," she says. "They are exhausted and lack of sleep can lead to disengagement with their peers and studies. This often leaves them mentally and physically unable to cope."
For some students, the financial strain can result in social phobias as they remove themselves from spaces where they are expected to spend money. Others may turn to self-harm or controlling their food intake as a coping mechanism. "The cost of living crisis has a major impact on students' mental health," Janey explains. "At a time when these young people are away from home and trying to make connections and gain confidence in their social abilities, having a lack of money can make them feel incredibly isolated. They may feel left out and others may experience extreme anxiety about paying for rent and food, as well as the guilt of not being able to contribute to bills in a shared house."
Some universities are even worried that the financial pressures faced by young people are preventing them from even considering going to university. As a result, the number of school leavers applying to higher education is decreasing and demand from overseas students is also declining. This has left universities scrambling to attract students.
Joe Seddon, founder of Zero Gravity, a tech platform that aims to improve social mobility through student scholarships, believes that fewer people attending university will have negative consequences for society. "The playing field for students from low-opportunity backgrounds is already uneven before they even start university," he says.
Despite the challenges she faced, Tryphine was eventually able to get help from the charity Adira, which she found through the charitable network In Kind Direct. They provided her with free therapy, which she found to be a massive help. "University gave me more negatives than positives," she remembers. "But the therapy with a Black therapist was really helpful because I could relate to them. And the self-care hub they had, with essentials like hygiene products and products for Black hair and sensitive skin, made a huge difference. I was finally able to feel confident in myself again."
The high cost of living has made it increasingly difficult for students to pursue higher education without facing financial hardships. It's time for society to address this issue and support the well-being of our students, both mentally and financially.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
