Students are becoming increasingly concerned about the financial impact of the COVID-19 lockdown, according to a study by Student Hut.
More than three-quarters of students said they are ‘very’ or ‘slightly’ concerned about how the coronavirus crisis would affect them financially.
Their top concerns are around tuition fees and rent payments, with three-quarters of students calling for universities to refund their tuition fees due to ongoing university closures.
74% of students are still being charged rent despite the majority no longer being able to live in their university halls or student accommodation. One in 10 students are refusing to pay and three in 10 have asked for a refund.
“I would like more support for students who are being forced to still pay rent (particularly those in halls), who have had to drop everything and leave. Many of us have lost our jobs and cannot afford to keep paying rent.”, said a Student Hut panelist.
The findings have come from a project to track student opinion and attitudes during the COVID-19 crisis.
The project will provide weekly updates showing the change in student attitudes from the UK’s most engaged and diverse student panel, taken from an audience of one million users and over 130,000 subscribers.
