Updates from the Policy Team 

• Arts SU’s Private Rental research has been finalised, and is now being designed up by the amazing Marina (Arts SU Graphic Designer) and her team. Over the summer we asked those of you in London in the private rental sector about your experiences, and we found some shocking results. 

  The research found over a third (34%) of international students can’t get access to a rent guarantor, and as a result are forced to pay up to a year’s rent in advance to secure a property. The research also found that over a fifth (23%) of respondents are paying their rent by taking out debt each month, whether that’s through a credit card, a bank overdraft or borrowing from friends and family. 30% of students are spending between £900 to £1400+ a month on rent. The full report will be available soon - watch this space!

• Over the past few weeks, our Senior Policy and Research Officer has been meeting with the Sabbatical Officer team and key stakeholders at UAL to finalise the Policy Team Project Plan for the year. Each year the team write the Project Plan at the start of the academic year to schedule the number of surveys, focus groups, and policy reports we will be producing, minimising overlap between projects in order to maximise our impact.  

• In writing the project plan, we'll be working on two key areas of survey research for the year: the first will be a research project on the Cost of Travel. This project will explore the commuting costs our students face, both within and from outside London. It will also consider the cost of transportation of artworks that students undertake, particularly around degree shows.

• The second survey research project I’ll be working on is around Access to Workshop and Studio Spaces. Due to lack of availability at UAL, many of our students hire private studios or workshops to produce their work in. However, due to the rising cost of living, students are less able to afford these rents, in addition to their accommodation. Conversely, due to the rising cost of running studios and workshops, many studios and workshops are closing across London, driving up the rent further due to increased demand and diminished supply. We want to understand what impact this is having on our students and call on UAL to intervene.

• These are just two of the research projects we’ll be working on this year, and more information will come in the following weeks and months. We can't wait for you to get involved so we can improve your experience.

HE news 

• BUCS (governing body for higher education sport in the United Kingdom) have produced research into how higher education sport and physical activity have been affected by the ongoing UK cost-of-living situation and how students’ engagement in sport and physical activity will be affected in the coming years. The report found that sense of belonging and sport culture have taken a hit, students are making a value assessment about sport, and transport has been particularly hard-hit, with groups needing to share these costs. There are some interesting insights for our own work, and you can read more here.

• The number of students not completing a university course in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is up to its highest recorded level, figures suggest. The Student Loans Company (SLC) said there had been a 28% rise in students who had signed up for a loan before dropping out part-way through the year. Financial distress is a core reason, with 8% of students dropping out of university selecting this as their main reason in 2023, an increase from 3.5% in 2022. You can read more here. 

• The number of 18-year-olds in the UK accepted into university has fallen for the first time in five years. Applications also fell, after demand rose in the pandemic, and about 85% of applicants were accepted in both years. Fewer students got into their first choice of university this year - but more qualified for their second choice, or accepted places through clearing. You can read more here.