"The Governor View" - the Advance HE/HEPI Student Academic Experience Survey 2023

The annual survey provides the most comprehensive data on the academic experience of full-time undergraduates in UK institutions and gives governors invaluable insight into their perceptions of higher education and the factors that have the most impact on that experience.

This year's survey shows that the cost of living crisis is front and centre in students’ minds and the challenges of surviving it may be overshadowing their views of university life. More than three-quarters of respondents said that soaring living costs had affected their studies. Unsurprisingly, those from lower social economic backgrounds were most likely to feel this way.

Financial pressure is also changing student behaviour. There has been a major increase in the number of students in paid employment, rising from 45 per cent last year to 55 per cent this year, up from 34 per cent in 2021. Students are working an average of 13 and-a-half hours a week but some will obviously be doing more.

Governors have reflected on the implications of this finding. One governor of a small specialist institution commented: “I know one student who is working managing a designer clothing shop and doing a full-time degree at the same time. I think there is research showing that once you get to about 17 hours of work, it really does have a significant impact on your ability to study.”

The main factor driving perceptions of poor value (31 per cent regarded their course as poor or very poor value for money, a 1 per cent drop on the 2022 figure) was the cost of living, which is, of course, beyond universities’ control.

“When money is scarce, you expect more out of every pound,” said one governor. “If they're paying £9,250 a year, but they're not able to access all their lectures or societies or the gym because you are in paid work, they're not going to feel like they're getting such good value for money.”



For the governor of Russell Group University in the north of England, the increase in student employment is a symptom of a bigger issue. In his view, the maintenance loan, which is meant to act as a leveller, is not fit for purpose.

“It is a particularly acute challenge,” he said. “There needs to be an urgent look again at the maintenance support on offer”.



One governor described a growing disparity between students who are able to be financially supported by their families and those who are not.

“Students from low-income households, estranged students, those with caring responsibilities or that have been in the care system, come to university already disadvantaged and because of the cost of living, they now facing a double whammy,” she said.



Universities have to be aware of this pressure and realise that “there is not an equitable experience happening at the moment”. Hours of employment can cut down study time but it can also impact students’ ability to engage in activities that are important to their future, including career development and opportunities such as unpaid internships and work experience.



The potential for a knock-on impact on progression, completion and graduate employment outcomes, which are now part of the regulatory framework, is a ‘clear and present danger’.



“I think this is going to be a big problem,” said one governor. “We are obviously very interested in continuation and outcome data. Universities that are doing an amazing job of taking on students from widening participation backgrounds are potentially going to be penalised because as the data shows, these students are not having the same experience as their more affluent peers who are not relying on maintenance and having to work. I think this is a bit of a ticking time bomb in terms of outcomes and regulation.”

The extent to which this kind of contextual data will be taken into account by the Office for Students when it carries out its investigations into below-threshold provision is yet to be seen.

From a governance perspective, data is all important. Universities can request their own data results from the Student Academic Experience Survey and many of them do, to see how they compare on various measures with overall findings.

Governors mentioned a series of institutional responses to the cost of living pressures, from increasing hardship funds and rent freezes to attempts to arrange the timetable so students have most/all of their teaching on two or three days, leaving the other days free for part-time work or other responsibilities.

“I think our hardship fund has doubled over the last few years,” said the governor of a post-1992 university in London. “Universities are doing their best but that's never going to be enough.”

Academic and mental health support and signposting are also likely to be more important at times when undergraduates feel under pressure.

“I think Covid prompted us to review processes to make sure that they were timely and sensitive and that there was a person at the end of the email. As a result, students are getting more bespoke responses,” said the governor. “But we must remember that some students are not very good at asking for help. Some feel that it's a sign of failure. So they carry on and suffer. Some might leave, without coming for help. So we're trying to work on managing student expectations from the beginning: making it clear that, you know, life is not a bed of roses at university. There are lots and lots of challenges and you may need help.”

At her university, signposting is not just an exercise for induction week but messages of help and support are reiterated throughout the student journey, not least because different groups of students have different perceptions, expectations and needs.

Commuter students are a case in point and a cohort that universities are increasingly acknowledging. In the survey, those living at home, rather than on campus, were more likely to report feeling lonely. Students in purpose-built accommodations not owned by the universities are also more likely to feel lonely than those in university halls.

“If you feel lonely then you potentially feel less engaged and that’s a problem for a whole variety of reasons,” said the governor of a northern university. “I think there's quite a lot of work that universities have started to do on that group to try and help make them feel part of the community and to not feel like they are missing out.”

One governor cited a buddy scheme where students commuting from the same neighbourhoods are put in touch so they can travel together. Another emphasised the importance of spaces on campus for socialising during the day.

Free membership of all student union activity and clubs has been introduced at one London institution.

“Making it free and open has resulted in more engagement and participation and student union membership has shot through the roof,” said a governor there. “We hope that will have a knock-on effect in terms of retention because we have an issue with that and we believe that a sense of belonging to the community is what helps students feel better about what they're doing and more likely to stay.”

Students studying courses other than the traditional degree route, for instance, apprentices and HND students, were also more likely to report feeling lonely, the survey found. According to the governor of a small specialist institution, as universities increasingly consider offering this kind of provision, they needed to be aware of the diverse needs of this group and try to ensure there is a “scaffold to help them build social networks”.

Governors highlighted the progress that had been made in closing ethnicity gaps in a range of survey response areas.

Black, Asian and minority ethnic students report a clear improvement over the past three years in their perceptions of 'value-for-money' (22 per cent in 2021 to 30 per cent in 2023); 'experience better than expectations' (10 per cent in 2021 to 16 per cent in 2023); and 'would choose the same course again' (48 per cent in 2021 to 51 per cent in 2023). The experience of white students, while more positive overall, has plateaued over the same period. This year, Black students report the highest figure for 'experience better than expected' (22 per cent), although they are least likely to perceive they have had good value or choose the same course and university again.

One governor mentions that closing ethnicity attainment gaps is a key performance indicator at her university and that the governing board is “really on it”, demanding more quantitative outcome data from a recent equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) update.

“There are lots of really good EDI initiatives to improve student satisfaction and we are keen to discern their impact,” she said. “I think the next stage of our work has got to be about joining some of this up and changing culture and academic attitudes, as there is some variation across disciplines.”

When students were asked in the survey for the 'one thing your institution could do to improve your academic experience' the most frequently raised topics, in rank order were: examination and assessment support; quality of teaching and learning; mental health support; the impact of University and College Union (UCU) strike action; communication concerns; career development and cost of living challenges.



One governor suggested that courses needed to be designed with a view to mental health, to avoid overburdening undergraduates with too many assessments that are all due at the same time. S

“Clearly more work is needed on this given the survey findings,” she said. “I think students want to know what good looks like. So we should make available exemplar pieces and drop-in sessions on assessment technique and how to structure an essay, for instance. The change in assessment demand from the first year to the second can be a bit of a shock.”

Also in this list is mention of strike action which is interrupting the graduation process for some students. Industrial action was also the sixth most prominent negative factor in the value for money question.

One governor pointed out that the timing of the survey, between January and March, predates the full force of the marking boycott and suggested that industrial action might have featured even more prominently if the survey had been conducted more recently.

Some universities have succeeded in keeping the disruption to a minimum, however.

“We've been really worried about it as governors,” said one. “The senior management team worked really hard to mitigate any negative effects on student outcomes. All final-year students have had their work marked, although maybe not all of them by the person who taught their course. But we have found ways around it so that we have met our quality standards. We’re going ahead with nearly all our graduations.”

All governors made the point that the student experience was now higher up the boards’ list of priorities than it had ever been.

“We are very, very exercised by student experience,” said one. “The audit committee and risk register cover all these areas around the student experience and student satisfaction. The audit committee looks in detail at everything from personal tutoring to student retention to employability outcomes, the delivery of the academic portfolio and how well it's doing and how well we're performing. I think it’s worth saying - governing bodies are not just sitting there twiddling their thumbs.”



Greater attempts are also being made to hear the student voice and diverse voices.

“What we've implemented, is that when the student union president does their regular updates to the board, we are not just getting a list of things that have been done. It actually includes student testimony, students' stories, to bring some of this to life,” she said. “I think it really helps governors if they have these stories to help them understand what the issues are.”