Great news folks. As well as putting extra money into bursaries and hardship funds, lots of universities have been trying to get the cost of being a student down.
It’s long been important to try to do so – the way in which the cost of things sets “norms” on campus that the occasional handout can’t really fix matters for inclusion. So I’m hoping that we can find a way to sustain some of the progress made in recent weeks on considering just how expensive it’s become to be a student.
I won’t underestimate just how difficult this has been in some cases. Plenty of universities are closer to the edge on financial sustainability than some in the sector (quoting aggregate positions) suggest – and with the crisis set to last for a long time, plenty of Finance Directors are chewing nails about commitments that might need to last for a few years yet.
