The majority of full-time university students are juggling paid work and studies amid the cost-of-living crisis, a survey suggests.

Students’ attendance in class and study time could be affected by a rise in the average number of hours spent in employment, according to the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) think tank and Advance HE report.

More than three in four (76 per cent) university students feel that the cost-of-living crisis has affected their studies, research has found.

The proportion of university students who say they are in paid employment while studying has increased from 45 per cent to 55 per cent over the past year – and it has reached the highest level recorded by the think tank.

The study, based on a survey of 10,163 full-time undergraduates studying in the UK, found the average time spent working is 13.5 hours per week among the students who reported being in paid employment.

“This suggests more students may be undertaking so much paid work it could adversely affect their studies,” according to the report.

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