Hidden Course Costs!

Last friday I was lucky enough to finally finish my MSc course. Sadly though, after paying almost £6,000 in tuition, buying countless books and spending almost £10 on printing my dissertation alone, I then had to fork out £34 just to get it bound!

Whilst these seemingly trivial amounts of money may be nothing to the minority, to the majority of people they are becoming part of a greater problem which is seeing students graduate with crippling amounts of debt. Student loan debt, combined with top up fees and these other hidden costs are not only forcing many graduates to move back home after they finish, but is meaning that less and less people are attracted to higher education, and ultimately university is becoming a privilege, not a right.

This is why the Officer Team this year are putting Value for Money at the heart of the campaigns we do. We don't think its right that students who are paying large amounts of money for tuition and accommodation are getting seemingly little out of it, whilst having to pay for all these hidden extras. So for the next academic year, look out for our many campaigns, be they to do with printing credits or halls fees, and get involved!