"The Governor View" - Supporting new students in 2023

More than half a million new students started at UK universities and colleges this term and for many, their experiences in the first few weeks of arriving on campus can set the scene for the year to come.

As one governor from a commercial background puts it: ”You only get one chance to make an impression”.

“In business, staff induction is so important and it is the same with students, although harder because they are not on the payroll or a captive audience,” he says.

From a governance perspective, the first few months of the student journey, including pre-induction, induction and early support, are increasingly under the spotlight because of their link to retention and progression, against which institutions in England are now judged under the B3 conditions.

The board’s interest in healthy student numbers extends to holding on to those students, said a governor whose board experience includes Russell Group, as well as alternative providers.

“Induction is critical because in the first two weeks students have time to change their mind and go home,” she says. “It is also critical once you get beyond that risk. If you don’t retain them, apart from not delivering on your mission, it now counts against you regulation wise. Previously, it was all about good practice, now it’s all about proper regulation and that is a very different landscape.”

In recent years, universities have upped their focus on the support they might need to offer different groups of new students, rather than treating new recruits as an homogenous group.

With the growth in international student numbers has come a recognition that they bring with them specific needs and challenges.

“These students need visa support and help with things like opening a bank account and registering with a doctor,” said one governor. “Some of this is outside of universities control but it is the kind of things that anybody would need when they’re abroad: that’s a good guide.”

A governor at a university in Wales points to the importance of pre-induction, particularly understanding accommodation requirements.

“In the last three or four years we have had a higher percentage of international students and that comes with additional challenges in terms of getting them settled into accommodation and getting them a good solid induction,” he said. “It’s about putting a big wrapper around them when they land.”

Institutions are cognisant of the fact that, although under one “international student” banner, overseas arrivals may have different requirements depending on their circumstances.

“We have a large contingent coming from Asia, and they tend to live with friends and family in West Midlands and commute daily to Wales,” said the governor. “They come to campus, have lecturers, then get on the train and go home which makes engagement outside the lecture theatre slightly more problematic. We are still working through how best to engage with those students. A lot of the standard model doesn’t fit. We can’t meet them in the bar or the students’ union facility because they are on the train and back to their accommodation.”

This example illustrates the challenge of how to boost the engagement of commuter students more generally. The question is how to ensure that the growing numbers who do not live on campus have a rich student experience and do more than “just walk away with a qualification”.

According to a board member at an alternative provider, institutions are looking at the commuter group more seriously, not least because of the progression measure and access and participation targets.

“Commuter students are likely to be amongst your most vulnerable students,” she says. “They may have characteristics of disadvantage and be challenged financially, and in a number of other ways, so they need that support.”

Commuter students also figure in board discussions at a new university in a semi-rural location. Here, attendance has yet to reach pre-pandemic levels. One governor questioned whether a lack of engagement was the new normal across the student body more generally.

“It is worrying because if those students are not coming out of their homes or their rooms on campus, you don’t know what they are getting out of their student experience and what they are going through,” she says. “At most of our board meeting we are discussing what more can we be doing to encourage engagement. I think that is mirrored elsewhere at other universities.”

Fewer people on campus affects the infrastructure and the concept of the student bar is no longer what it was.

“Our bar is loss making now,” said the governor. “The students’ union building was the beating heart of the campus and the bar used to raise money for good causes but it is really hard for them to do that now.”

Student cost of living concerns may play a part, as may the rising intake of students who don't drink alcohol due to their cultural background, but the change may be more profound and across the board.

“Even the coffee shops that opened before the pandemic are really struggling,” the governor said. “They are not in the coffee shops, or the common rooms, or the gym, where they used to be. It seems to be people just not wanting to go out because there are other options – smart phones and streaming services. Our Sports and Welfare Officer is very frustrated and is always saying ‘I’m trying, I’m trying’ but what can she do?”

According to this governor, there is an argument for boards to be more interventionist in this area. “It’s definitely an area of concern for us,” she said.

Students’ unions are regarded by governors as essential partners, not only in the quality of the offering to new students but in the dissemination of information and signposting to services and support. Good communications become even more important at a time when mental health issues are increasing and cost of living concerns remain acute.

Students’ unions can provide governing boards with data and intelligence on these issues, and on levels of engagement more generally, informing discussion about where extra attention and/or resources may be needed.

“The challenge is making the students aware, whether they are on site or not, what support is available to them, from financial aid, academic support, through to wellbeing,” said the governor at a new university. “We provide a food bank and clothing banks, for instance. There are lots of things that we do but the challenge is making people understand how they access these services.”

Student representation on boards helps governors understand the student experience. At a Welsh university, the student body has a standing item on the board agenda.

“Part of their presentation to us is always on touch points,” said a governor. “For instance, how many undergraduates have availed themselves of student support services and is it because they are struggling academically or financially? That is really good intel for us as governors in terms of where to focus our attention. At a board meeting a couple of weeks ago, we got some really good statistics on what percentage of students are engaging with societies and who their representative is going to be and the percentage that voted. It gives us a good idea of levels of engagement.”

For the vice chair at a new university in the West Midlands says her institution holds a “refreshers week” towards the end of the first term, in partnership with the students’ union.

“It is run for those who might not have been on campus first time around and it gives freshers two chances to engage, sign up and mingle,” she said. “It is these kinds of initiatives that reassure the board that freshers are well catered for.”

Another reassurance is the presence of a governor observer at academic board meetings.

“It means that I know full well that academic staff are asking the right questions and I’m able to report back to the lay governors that issues are being addressed,” she said.  “I was privy to the TEF submission creation, for example, listening to what the heads of schools and deans were saying and what they were putting forward. They were talking about the right things and that showed in our rating. I don’t know how many boards do this but it is another level of assurance about quality assurance and the offering to students.”

One area of challenge, that also has reputational implications, is accommodation, as highlighted in the Office for Students equality of opportunity risk register under “capacity issues”.

“With the Russell Group university I’m involved in, it is critical,” said one governor. “Some universities have built-in limitations with the estate. Some are building their own or have partnerships with Unite and other accommodation providers but it is often a finite thing. If you can’t accommodate students, it is headline stuff.”

The governor of a new university said that for the first time ever this year, accommodation had become a challenge. 

“We are full, so we are talking to private landlords to make sure that we are not losing students because they have nowhere to stay and that is a new one for us,” he said. “We do have a plan we could dust off in terms of building additional student accommodation if it comes to it.”

But, as the governor points out, new buildings require capital investment at a time when borrowing is more costly than it has been in decades.

Measures such as improving accommodation options and deepening and spreading a sense of belonging are both important in helping students integrate well, according to the Higher Education Policy Institute guide to non-continuation rates at UK universities. As the new academic year gets into full swing, these are issues that governors across the sector will need to grapple with to ensure their institution delivers the best student experience.