Students Financial Circumstances: Barriers to learning?

The findings from a longitudinal study of the financial circumstances of University of Brighton undergraduate students has shown how the financial reality of being in higher education may affect different groups of students, and have consequences for academic achievement and learning. Moreover, the landscape of student fund- ing has changed dramatically over the last 30 years, with the introduction of student loans for living expenses in 1990, tuition fee loans in 1997, and the recent increase in tuition fees up to £ 9,000.00. Therefore, it is important as university educators to have some understanding of the financial challenges faced by our students if we are to help them to maximise their learning experience. This paper will use a series of case studies drawn from the research of the financial situation of University of Bright - on students, to illuminate how students manage the competing demands of full-time study and their financial circumstances. More specifically, the case studies reveal the reality of balancing paid employment and study; the varying financial support re - ceived by students; the impact of living expenses; and what students perceive to be a value for money university experience; and how these factors may reflect certain socio-demographic characteristics of the student cohort.