Socially, student poverty has been normalised for much of the student populous. Being in your overdraft is often seen as cool or funny, and going out drinking even though you can’t afford to is regarded as a noble sacrifice for the greater good: socialising. This culture rewards impulsive financial decision making with popularity and respect, and can lead to those who prioritise their finances feeling ashamed or ostracised. Paradoxically, the community that is most expected to struggle financially has its social foundations laid in frequent, and therefore costly, drinking – especially in a city as expensive as Edinburgh.
The University of Edinburgh estimates living costs per academic year to be £11,013 to £18,780 in self-catered accommodation. When considering that the maximum student loan from the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) is £11,400, and £10,830 from Student Finance England (SFE), it isn’t hard to see why students may be struggling financially. Additionally, A survey by Save the Student found that almost 60 per cent of students said their maintenance loan was not enough to live on. The high proportion of students experiencing financial struggle may have led to this culture of student poverty developing, thus normalising the issue.
I spoke to students to see whether they thought this culture of poverty really exists in Edinburgh.
Katie, a first-year student who receives a student loan as well as a grant from Student Finance Wales, believes that in her experience, it does. Many students expect financial difficulties, but she wasn’t aware of the extent to which she would struggle: “Struggling is scary,” said Katie. “I didn’t know it would be as bad as it is.”
She described having to plan how much she could afford to spend each day, and having to miss out on social events if they were beyond her budget. She expressed feeling ashamed about this, not wanting others to pity her. She also emphasised there is a drinking culture that goes hand in hand with this culture of student poverty, and how normalised it has become to drink heavily and make poor spending decisions.
Having an overdraft is essential to Katie’s budget; she maintains two bank accounts with separate overdrafts to be able to buy food each week. She said her budget, of £68 per week, is not plausible to stay within, and that she feels anxious about going over it each week.
Explaining her reasons for not seeking financial help, Katie was critical of the financial support offered by the university. She claimed that the requirements can be difficult to meet, as they don’t consider non-economic living situations. Katie failed to qualify for support on the basis that her household income wasn’t low enough to meet the threshold for extra funding, and she claimed that this takes for granted that parents will provide financial support. She made the point that this doesn’t consider “economically absent” parents or alternative living situations.
The “convoluted” application system also prevented Katie from seeking support from the university. Despite her difficult financial situation, relying on her overdraft to get by, she concluded that she wouldn’t be seeking external financial assistance. It seems that students may be reluctant to seek financial support, and that the support on offer is not adequate, or even available to many students that may need it.
Another student I spoke to expressed the view that there is not a strong culture of student poverty, particularly on the Pollock Halls campus. They commented that many Pollock residents they know do not take out student loans and are instead supported by their families. Most Pollock accommodation is catered, meaning many residents do not have to worry about being able to afford breakfast or dinner. This student also said that they had personally never heard someone in Pollock express worry about being able to pay rent.
Regarding financial support, this student was not aware of the support offered by the university, having never had a reason to look into it. They also did not make use of an overdraft in their budget; when asked about this, they at first didn’t know what it meant.
When asked about whether they thought some students may ‘pretend’ to struggle financially to meet financial stereotypes, this student replied: “One hundred per cent. People exaggerate financial worries.”
Clearly, there is a disparity in Edinburgh. Financial struggle is an unfortunate reality for some students, many of whom are reluctant to seek support from the university for it. Fear of having to live in poverty may act as a barrier to higher education for some. However, other groups of students seem to find the concept of financial struggle quite alien, and may be unaware of the portion of the student population that does struggle with poverty.
Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash