More than half of full-time students in the UK are working long hours to support themselves at university, dedicating nearly two days a week to paid employment during term time due to the cost of living crisis.
A survey by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) of 10,000 full-time undergraduates revealed that a record 56% had paid employment, averaging 14.5 hours of work each week.
Experts warn that inadequate maintenance support is creating a two-tier higher education system. This division leaves students needing to work long hours to afford university, while their wealthier peers can focus on their studies and achieve higher grades.
Combined with lectures, classes, and other study commitments, students with part-time jobs are working an average of 48 hours a week during term time. Some are clocking in 56-hour weeks, far exceeding the 36.6 hours typical for adults in full-time employment, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Rose Stephenson, Hepi’s director of policy, highlighted that the traditional full-time study model is becoming unattainable without better student maintenance support.
“As students battle the cost of living, the trend towards part-time work is increasingly concerning. Most students are working more hours, and if this trend continues, full-time study may become unfeasible for many,” Stephenson said.
The UK traditionally values full-time residential study with high completion rates. However, without intervention, the higher education model might shift into a two-tier system based on financial capability.
The cost of living crisis has dramatically increased the number of students balancing paid employment and full-time study. Before 2021, about two-thirds of students had no term-time employment. This year, 56% are working longer hours.
Three-quarters of working students do so to cover living costs, and 23% also support friends or family financially.
“For many students, paid employment isn’t a choice; it’s a necessity,” Stephenson added.
Students in intensive courses, such as veterinary studies and dentistry, average 56 hours a week on studies and paid work, and 80% of students who had been in care are working part-time jobs.
Nick Hillman, Hepi’s director, noted that many working students are now in the “danger zone,” facing higher drop-out rates and lower chances of achieving first-class degrees.
Hillman warned of a developing “bifurcated” system where undergraduates who can afford traditional university experiences, including extracurricular activities, are divided from those for whom paid work is a priority.
Students working part-time are more likely to use artificial intelligence (AI) programs and view their lectures online. Among those without paid work, a third couldn’t find a suitable job, while only 23% didn’t need to work.
The National Union of Students (NUS) reported that food bank usage among students has doubled as the cost of living crisis worsened. In the 2023-24 academic year, 14% of students used a food bank, compared to 7% in 2021-22.
Chloe Field, the NUS’s vice president for higher education, said: “Students are cutting back on food and working almost full-time alongside full-time studies, leaving them exhausted and unable to fully commit to their studies.
“Chronic underfunding of students is complex, but the solutions are simple: reintroduce maintenance grants that cover the true cost of living, increase maintenance loans, and make students eligible for universal credit.”
Hillman noted that undergraduates are now spending more time on their studies each week compared to 2016, dispelling the myth that students are “snowflakes.”
Despite their additional workload, 39% of students felt their course offered good value for money, with satisfaction levels recovering from the lows during the Covid pandemic. Only 26% rated their course as poor value, the lowest proportion in a decade, driven by higher satisfaction among international students.
Hillman criticized the Conservative party’s manifesto promise to close “low-value” university courses in England and redirect students to apprenticeships as “nuts, for so many reasons.”