You’ve applied for a course. You’ve been accepted. You’ve paid your fees. All that’s left is to get on with your course and make sure you hit your target grade, right?

 

 

Not quite.

 

 

Around the country when students arrive on campus, the reality of financial burdens hit home. From textbooks to performance outfits, financial barriers to education are a stark reality for students across the country. 

 

Of course, some costs are inevitable. But many students find themselves buying additional textbooks, equipment, or uniforms necessary to the course that weren't explicitly specified when they applied to university.

 

According to Edge Hill University, "there are no hidden costs at Edge Hill."

 

 

In line with guidance from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), Edge Hill Students’ Union believes Edge Hill University needs to be more transparent with how it communicates course costs outside of tuition fees. It needs to communicate specific costs at a course level so students can make an informed choice before enrolling. The Students’ Union also believes more specific, course-driven support should be accessible for students, and that every EHU course needs to annually update the estimated costs accrued by students so this support can be effectively mapped and delivered.

 

 

 

 

 

Our end goal is to have up-to-date estimated course costs (calculated at course level and not as a university- or faculty-wide average) prominently available on each course page under the “Finance” tab (not, as present, buried within the website).

 

 

To achieve this, we will:

 

 

• Conduct an outreach campaign with all course leaders and department heads asking them to provide an estimate of costs for students outside of tuition fees;

 

• Plan, and if necessary (i.e. lack of collaboration from the University) deliver a summer consultation with students asking them what they spent this year, leveraging responses with a cash prizes to maximise engagement;

 

 

• If necessary (i.e. refusal to update course pages with specific real costs) create a searchable tool for real course costs on our website, using responses from staff and student submissions;

 

 

• Enquire with academic registry and the transition team to gain access to reasons for student withdrawal;

 

 

• Explore the conceptual tie between higher additional spend and higher grades, looking at any existing work in this area or if any (EHU) academic would like to collaborate.