Covid: £9,000 for 'anxiety and stress' university degree

"I am paying £9,000 for a university degree that is causing me nothing but anxiety and stress."

For Morgan Le-Riche, the university experience since the coronavirus pandemic hit has not been worth the fee.

Some students are calling for reduced tuition fees and more support.

The Welsh Government said it provided the most generous student support package in the UK and has appointed a dedicated minister for mental health.

In announcing a lockdown earlier this week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said students in England would not return to the classroom until mid February, with calls for clarity over what will happen in Wales.

Morgan, who is studying criminology and criminal justice at the University of South Wales, said "something needs to be done to help us students".

Her Facebook post calling for more help was shared 3,000 times in three days - something that surprised her but also highlighted the depth of feeling.

The second year student said: "I don't think the government is understanding students, instead they are only recognising primary and secondary schools - there's no recognition for university students."

Morgan was given assignments to complete over Christmas, but said her lecturers had turned off their emails so she could not seek guidance when she was finding work difficult.

"I feel like the amount of stress I've had has meant I'm not doing a high enough standard of work, that I would normally do, due to the lack of assistance," she said.

She said more time with tutors and spaces for students to come together to discuss mental health would be beneficial.

The University of South Wales said their course teams are committed to providing "comprehensive support" and are "readily available to offer help and guidance for students".

A petition calling for the UK government to reduce university student tuition fees from £9,250 to £3,000 has gained more than 400,000 signatures online.

Morgan thinks she has been "massively let down" and there needs to be a "heavy reduction" on the amount students are paying for their courses.

A Welsh Government spokesman said: "We are the only country in the whole of Europe that provides equivalent up front living costs grants and loans for full and part-time undergraduates, and for post-graduates.

"This already covers campus-based and distance learners and will continue throughout the academic year."

Journalism student Danielle Herbert, who also studies at the University of South Wales, said online learning has helped her mental health because otherwise a lot of her face-to-face interactions would be limited.

Despite "lecturers trying their best", students' experiences since March last year have not been "adequate for a £9,000 fee".

The third-year student from Swindon said the prime minister's announcement of an England-wide lockdown was stressful "because there was no mention of universities".

She said: "I was left very unclear and confused as to where I stood on travelling back to Wales. As someone who suffers from anxiety, I rely on concrete facts and that wasn't provided. We have been ignored by the prime minister.

"I had just paid my rent for this term - which was £2,300 - and I looked at my mum and dad and said: 'Am I even going to be able to go back to my student flat'?"

She does not believe students have had the same level of support as secondary school pupils, adding: "We're still expected to produce the same standard of work without protection whilst there's a pandemic going on - it's really unrealistic."

Danielle said having a "no detriment" policy in place would help to relieve students' stress.

"I think there's a real issue amongst students and students' mental health and it's only grown because of coronavirus. I think we will see the consequences of that if nothing is done."

The Welsh Government said: "To support mental health services, we have made an additional £9.9m available, as part of efforts to ensure people can access the right support when they need it.

"In October we announced an additional £10m to support mental health services for higher education students in Wales to increase capacity in students' unions and universities to provide support services.

"This is in addition to the £27m Higher Education Investment and Recovery Fund announced in the summer."

The University of South Wales said the safety and wellbeing of students is its priority and students have access to a "wide range of comprehensive support for their health, mental health and wellbeing".

"Recognising that a number of staff would be on leave over the Christmas and New Year holidays, the course team let students know they were available for help and support right up until the end of term and students were encouraged to ask for support if they needed it," said a spokesperson.

"We are providing a full and interactive blended learning offer this term, in line with Welsh Government guidance, so that students can receive good experiences and a high-quality education, enabling them to progress and complete their studies on time."