In the UK, 75 per cent of students live below the poverty line. This is a stark statistic, particularly in this city when set against the persistent narrative that Edinburgh is full of elitist snobs. On the contrary, while there is undoubtedly a privileged cohort that attends the university, there are many students who are greatly affected by the cost-of-living crisis and the pressures of living independently.
A recent survey conducted by the National Union of Students Scotland found that more than half of students reported having skipped a meal because they couldn’t afford one, and that 1 in 3 students has considered dropping out due to the financial pressures their education puts them under. A grave concern for the students of Edinburgh is housing; an article written by last year’s VP community, Ruth Elliot, discussed how the city has a shortfall of 13,000 student beds. Every year, students return to the city with nowhere to live and an uncertainty of whether they’ll be able to pay, even if they do find a place to stay.
The cost-of-living crisis and the universal stress this has placed people under is an important consideration. Over the last five years, food prices have nearly doubled and the supply issue of energy caused by the Ukraine war has meant that heating and electricity is now 41 per cent higher than in winter 2021. Many of the hardship supports offered for students were developed at a more economically stable time, when people from middle-income families could easily afford the basics. With this shift, students at the extremes either receive scholarships and grants, or can afford to pay their fees upfront. But those in the squeezed middle are left with few options. They feel the impact of rising costs most sharply, unable to access immediate financial support and in today’s climate, the thresholds for assistance may simply be set far too low.
Contextualizing poverty is key. Many people see it as a distant thing that affects
people in underdeveloped nations. Poverty is often imagined as extreme deprivation, such as lacking access to running water and electricity, but it also includes everyday struggles like not knowing if you’ll eat dinner or switching off the heating because you can’t afford to keep it on. According to the UK government, anyone who earns less than 60 per cent of the median wage is considered to live below the poverty line. This figure is rising and currently applies to an estimated one in five people in the UK. Understanding how it manifests and what can clearly be done to alleviate it is vital for improving students’ lives.
There are many supports currently available. The University offers Access scholarships that cover a portion of fees and aims to give them out to every student who meets the criteria. The maximum amount a student can receive is £5,000, with the university giving £9 million last year to approximately 2,500 students. Application is automatic upon enrolment and is primarily based on household income before commencing studies. The university also has emergency and discretionary funding for students who face unexpected financial hardship. These measures cover students facing extreme and exceptional hardship, but for a multi-billion-pound university, is this enough? There are currently no subsidised hot meals on campus, and a lack of canteen provisions has been noted in successive EUSA elections.
On the other side of the city Queen Mary University has recently started a new initiative to support students affected by poverty. In partnership with Napier University and aided by a grant for the Robertson Trust. QMU has developed a framework for identifying and supporting students with lived experiences of poverty to make their experience more equitable and inclusive. The hope is that supporting students in this new way will make it easier for them to reach their full potential. There are also many food banks and community projects throughout the city to help support students, such as EUSA’s free weekly breakfast on Wednesday mornings, highlighting that the issue has been recognised, but that much more needs to be done to comprehensively tackle the issue and allow students to be able to focus on their studies.
A student’s university years should centre on academic growth, with a healthy measure of good-natured fun woven in along the way. Unfortunately, due to the tumultuous economic climate we live in today, many young people are forced to live with a cloud of stress around their financial stability. Many productive measures could be taken to alleviate some of this strain, including expanding the free and affordable food options across campuses. In Edinburgh, a focus should be directed towards the provision of student housing and the stabilisation of rent in university properties. University was once seen as the gateway to social mobility, but it has increasingly become a source of financial burden. Leaving students and graduates alike to face uncertainty and, in many cases, overwhelming debt.
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash