Cost of living crisis forcing many students to take on more part-time work which is negatively affecting their studies

More than half of the 10,000 students surveyed by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) said they did paid work during term time, with a majority indicating that these wages were necessary in order for them to be able to continue their studies.

The cost of living crisis is forcing more university students to take on more hours in their part-time jobs, with most saying that supporting themselves is affecting their studies, according to the study.

The authors said that the “results highlight that financial concerns are felt across the board, and particularly by disadvantaged students, indicating a need for the sector to treat this as a matter of priority.”

In 2021, the survey found that 34% of UK students had jobs while studying, rising to 55% this year.

On average students did paid work for 13.5 hours each week.

Older students, aged over 26, and those with children or caring responsibilities were also more likely to need to work for extra income.

The study also found that 28% of students working 10 or more hours of paid work said they needed the money to cover most of their essential daily living costs.

Nick Hillman, director of Hepi who commissioned the survey, said students who did long hours of paid work on top of their studies were in a “danger zone” of academic underachievement.

He said: “Everybody [who participated] in the survey are full-time students, so they should all be doing something similar to a full-time job. If you’re doing 17 hours paid work or 20 hours paid work on top of that, that’s when it really affects your studies and it makes you more likely to drop out [and] less likely to do well in your degree.”

A spokesperson for the advocacy organisation University UK added: “This data definitively shows that students’ university experience is being negatively impacted by the cost of living crisis, with further support needed from governments.”