You’ve just arrived at university, eager to try out all the societies on offer, but suddenly £200 has left your bank account, and now you don’t have money left for your food shop. With society membership fees, mandatory gym memberships, and potential further fees for competitions or trips, the price of participation begins to add up. That’s not to mention the cost of tickets for annual society balls, which are frequently upwards of £70. With all these costs, it’s easy to see why participating in societies may not be a financially accessible activity for many.
At the University of Edinburgh, there seems to be a general consensus that sports societies are far more financially inaccessible than any other kind of society. The price of a membership and the mandatory gym membership, which many societies require, can be close to £200. One student commented that “a lot of sports feel inaccessible more generally to students coming from less equipped state schools or backgrounds with a lack of sports facilities.” Indeed, trying a sport at university for the first time can be daunting, especially when you are among people who already know how to play, and the high price of membership only adds to an air of exclusivity which can be created around these societies.
Another student commented on how the price of sports societies makes it difficult to try something out without making a large financial commitment. While most societies run taster sessions in welcome week, this is a relatively short window, and if you wanted to pick up a sport halfway through the semester, you’d have to financially commit.
Almost 60 per cent of students surveyed said that they spend over £100 a year on memberships and the associated costs of participating in a society. Costs add up very quickly when you take into account the optional extras offered by many societies, such as trips away or balls. Indeed, balls were often highlighted by students as a particularly financially inaccessible aspect of society participation. This is unsurprising, as I was certainly taken aback in my first year when I saw the price of ball tickets.
But even if you choose not to spend money on any optional extras, the price of a membership itself can still be a significant barrier. Over 70 per cent of students surveyed said that the price of a membership is something that would stop them from joining a society, and one student commented that they had intended to join a sports society upon starting university, but did not due to the cost. It’s saddening to see that students are missing out on opportunities due to financial inaccessibility, and it begs the question: What is the university doing to counter this?
The university runs a student participation grant to assist with the costs of participating in a society, and students can be given up to £300. However, around 70 per cent of students surveyed did not know that this grant existed. Perhaps this is something that should be more widely advertised by societies themselves, to ensure that finances do not become an unbreakable barrier for students.
This is not to say that every society is utterly financially inaccessible. Certainly, many students recognised that academic and creative societies had much cheaper membership prices. Compared to the £40+ that sports societies charge, other societies are often only £10-£20. And yet, 96 per cent of students felt that they only sometimes, or never, got their money’s worth from their society membership. “I find that the ones which charge for every event on top of a high membership fee are just impossible to feel like you’ve got your money’s worth with,” said one student.
Having such significant financial barriers preventing participation in societies can foster an elitist culture among those who are able to participate, particularly when considering the more expensive events like trips or balls. That is why it is important that societies and the university keep promoting measures like the student participation grant, which widen access to societies.
It is also crucial not to forget that there are societies with low membership fees, or that run free events. My survey has certainly found the general opinion to be that membership price does not necessarily correlate to the quality of activity provided, therefore it’s not always necessary to be forking out hundreds to enjoy yourself at a society. Much of the value of a society comes from the community that it creates, and you certainly can’t buy that.
Photo by Emil Kalibradov on Unsplash