English universities usually charge around £9000 tuition fees to UK students, and for an international student this can rise to £38,000 at the top institutions. And then there is accommodation to think about, and living costs, which can add up to more than £1000 a month.
Those costs have not changed. But what has is the fact that students now have to navigate their way through complex COVID-related “dual-delivery” systems which in most cases mean 80% of classes online and 20% face-to-face. And that’s if you are lucky enough not to be at places such as Manchester or Glasgow which have gone completely online. With university COVID infection on the rise, soon all universities might go the same way.
But does an online university provide the same experience as the real thing? I decided to ask some fellow students and got different opinions.
Some told me that online teaching has been satisfactory so far, and others were happy about the flexibility it gave them.
Paula Tamea, who is studying graphic design, told me: “I am able to work a few more shifts than before, which is great because I can study and attend my online lectures on my days off.” She said the new arrangements had also helped her sister, who now only had to go in for two days, meaning she had more time to earn wages.
But as protests and petitions for reduced fees have shown, there are also significant numbers of students who think they are getting a raw deal.
Maria Fetsani, who is studying fashion journalism, said that in return for their fees students didn’t just expect tuition, they expected a “university life” that now lbarely existed.
She also pointed out that COVID restrictions meant that she couldn’t complete some of her journalism assignments in the way she usually would. Covering events and carrying out vox pops for example was now difficult or impossible. “The costs should be way lower,” she said.
Other students I spoke to complained about the lack of face-to-face interaction and the fact that students often feel forgotten during online teaching. Overall they felt they were not getting what was advertised in the prospectus.
Media and Communications student Alizeh Chugtai told me, “I don’t think I’m getting a full university experience because some of my lectures so far have finished earlier, and sometimes our communication is bad. We want to ask questions, but we have to email our module leaders and wait for a response whenever they get the chance.”
So at the moment some students are willing to support dual delivery and some are not. But if more universities go online, will the balance tip towards Alizeh’s opinion, which is that, “online teaching is not worth £9,500.”