Students worry about covering cost of living

Half of undergraduates aged 17 to 20, and two thirds of those aged 21 to 24 say they have concerns about paying their bills, according to a new report by the National Union of Students.

Overall, 48 per cent of all full-time undergraduates said they regularly worried about covering basic costs, it found.

The study, by the NUS’s financial support commission, looks at the costs facing today’s students, and the support available to them.

It comes as the NUS prepares to meet in Sheffield this week for its annual conference.

The findings show fears among students about finding work after graduation and the debt they will leave with.

Less than half of all full-time undergraduates (44 per cent) said they feel confident that they will find a good job, if they want one, after leaving university.

And nearly three quarters (73 per cent) said they were concerned about future levels of debt.

The survey also asked students about the type of financial support they would like to receive, and who it should come from.

Two thirds (66 per cent) of those questioned said that if they were given £1,000 in support from their university, they would like it to come in the form of a cash bursary.

Asked who should contribute the most towards their living expenses, just over half of all undergraduates said that the Government should shoulder most of this responsibility.