A third of first-year and second-year students in England, who pay up to £9,000 in tuition fees consider their course to be poor or very poor value for money, according to the latest findings from a student experience survey.
The findings from the Higher Education Policy Institute Student Academic Experience Survey show that poor value for money was felt most by students in England, who have experienced a dramatic rise in fees to £9,000 per year.
33.1% of first-year and second-year English students felt that their course was poor value for money in 2014, compared to a figure of just 18.3% in 2012 prior to the fee hike. Meanwhile in Scotland, where most students pay no fees, 70% of undergraduates considered their course good value for money.
Students were asked what their top three priorities were for institutional expenditure - unsurprisingly, 48% of students said 'reducing fee levels' to be a top priority followed by increasing teaching hours and decreasing class sizes.
Despite concerns over value for money, satisfaction amongst students was still high as 86% were fairly or very satisfied with the overall quality of their course. Similar levels of satisfaction were experienced across the UK.
The survey also asked students about their study hours. Undergraduate students in their first and second years completed an average of 28.5 hours of study a week (14.2 contact hours per week during term time and another 14.3 hours of private study on top). However, the report states that despite this coming in at less than the recommended 40 hours, other study hours, including time spent on placement, increased the total for all full-time undergraduates to 33.9 hours.
However, as with previous surveys, there was huge variation between different university subjects, with students studying medicine affiliated degrees completing 50.9 hours of work compared to just 26.7 hours by those studying mass communication and documentation.
Overall two thirds of undergraduates were happy with their contact hours at university - typically students who had higher contact hours (25-29 hours). Students highlighted the value of teaching in smaller classes, with half of students in classes of less that five students finding them very beneficial, compared to only 10% in lectures of over 100.
This was also the first year that the HEPI survey included questions related to students well being, linked with Office for National Statistics data. The survey found students were to be less content when compared with the general population. 62% of undergraduates reported feeling 7/10 or above on a scale of happiness, in comparison to 72% within the general population.
Methodology
The survey was carried out on behalf of the HEPI by YouthSight, an independent research panel, which drew respondents from its student panel. All students who apply to university via UCAS are invited to be part of this panel, comprised of 65,000 students in total.
15,046 students responded to the survey which was carried out in February and March 2014. The survey questioned students about course satisfaction, class size, study hours, value for money, spending priorities and well being. The results were weighted so that all nations within the UK were accurately represented.
In contrast to the official National Student Survey, it includes first-year and second-year students. The results do not cover part-time students nor those studying at alternative
providers.
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