10 biggest worries for university students revealed
More than half of university students find the cost of books and course essentials to be the most worrying thing about life on campus, a survey has revealed.
The poll, commissioned by Marbella International University Centre (MIUC), revealed a number of common bugbears regarding academic life — from poor-quality accommodation to lack of on-campus security.
It revealed the most common complaints for current students included the cost of books and other course essentials (51%), lack of access to teaching staff (25%) and outdated facilities on campus (18%).
Other annoying aspects of university life include noisy neighbours (17%) and a typical student bugbear — dirty communal areas in student accommodation (17%).
It looks like students in Scotland are the happiest with their lot — respondents from Scottish universities had the fewest complaints, with over a third (35%) saying they did not find any aspect of student life annoying.
Respondents from Yorkshire and the Humber were the most concerned about lack of access to teaching staff, with 29% naming it as a concern — almost twice the national average — while those from Wales were the most worried about on-campus security (18%).
There are also differences in satisfaction between mature students and those who have headed to university straight after their A-levels. The oldest age group surveyed (55+) were the most likely to say they didn’t find any aspect of student life annoying (40%), compared with 17% of 18 to 24-year-olds.
Complaints about the cost of books and other course essentials were significantly higher for current students compared to past students (51% compared to 35%), suggesting that money is more of a concern for students than it has been in the past.
The ten biggest bugbears of current university students are:
1. Cost of books and course essentials (51%)
2. Lack of access to teaching staff (25%)
3. Outdated facilities on campus (18%)
4. Lack of cleanliness in student accommodation (17%)
5. Noisy neighbours (17%)
6. Poor quality student accommodation (15%)
7. Lack of extracurricular activities available (12%)
8. Distance from accommodation to university (11%)
9. Distance from accommodation to town or city centre (10%)
10. Lack of security on-campus (5%)
The study was carried out by commissioned by Marbella International University Centre (MIUC).
