Students and debt | Debt Awareness Week
27th Mar 2023
Whilst students in Wales suffer from asbestos-ridden rooms, those in Durham expect the arrival of brand-new flats situated on an idyllic golf course. Enjoy the read and have a great bank holiday weekend from the StuRents Team
3,000 ?students in Wales slept last year in ?university bedrooms containing asbestos
Asbestos, a widely used fireproofing and insulation building material during the latter half of the twentieth century, has been found in the bedrooms of 3,000 students studying at Cardiff, Aberystwyth and the University of Wales Trinity St David. However, the universities claimed that because the material was considered low risk, they do not tell students. The British Lung Foundation has condemned the policy as "reckless"
Durham University has bought 95 acres of a golf course paving the way for the development of 1,000 student beds. The £200m deal for part of Mount Oswald golf course, off South Road, Durham City, with developers The Banks Group has the potential to increase bed spaces at the university by a staggering 16%, although university sources would not confirm whether or not this would constitute a new college at the institution
?Students lose the upper hand signing ASTs online
New consumer laws introduced in June have removed many protections previously offered to individuals signing residency contracts remotely. The protections previously offered under Distance Selling Regulations are no longer extended to prospective tenants in moves aimed at discouraging tenants from abusing 'cooling off periods' that were originally designed to guard against mis-selling on the internet
Students who say 'no' to £50,000 of debt
In an attempt to avoid the growing costs of higher education, a growing band of young adults are spurning a conventional British university and pursuing other options, ranging from high-level apprenticeships through to scholarships and degrees from low-fee universities abroad
59% of ?students now work to fund studies.
Endsleigh's 2014 Student Survey of 2,128 students has found that students are assuming an ever greater responsibility for their finances whilst at University. 45% said that they have a part-time job, including a third of students now working part-time during term. Significantly, 13% of students now hold down full-time jobs (either during term, holidays or both).
Universities offered cash incentives to prospective undergraduates
Universities across the country offered cash, scholarships, unconditional offers and even sports memberships to undergraduate candidates as incentives to accept their university offers over others. Owing to the increasing supply of places at universities, the number of spaces available to students now considerably outweighs the number of students applying, therefore creating a "buyer's market" that is breeding competition between institutions
Scottish independence to spark courtroom battles
The September 18th Scottish independence referendum is causing uncertainty around a broad range of education issues, from child care to higher education. The face of education north and south of the border has historically been different, with those differences widening further following the decentralisation of government that occurred in 1999. However, full independence would not only remove the last few ties between English and Scottish education policy, but it would also likely spark intense legal wrangling for many years owing to nuances in EU law
Students face prohibitively high living costs at university
Students are facing prohibitively high living costs whilst at university. The Money Charity has revealed that many students have to juggle part-time jobs alongside their studies in order to supplement budgets that can be as low as £40 a week. In most cases it is accommodation and bills, not so-called "pocket money", that account for the majority of the high costs of living
Maths and science grow in popularity at expense of languages
There has been a significant increase in the number of pupils choosing maths and science over english and other languages. Interestingly, Exam board chiefs believe this trend is partially to blame for this year's declining pass rates (which dipped for the first time in 30 years, with the increased uptake of science and maths coming at the expense of broader subjects that some claim are easier
Bolton town centre wasteland to be converted into student flats
A patch of Bolton's town centre wasteland could be transformed into a 140-bed student accommodation block in moves to regenerate the area. Developers have earmarked 4-14 Great Moor Street "” a derelict site near The Balmoral pub "” as a prime location for six floors of student flats
