Undergraduate recruitment in the UK has turned into a competitive market. It’s changed from state-allocated and number-controlled, to fully competitive business with £20 billion plus a year of revenue flowing through it. This makes selective universities’ revenue flows competitive with some of the UK’s largest listed companies. Given this turnaround in financing, why are we seeing a rise in student dropouts? The figure reached 40,000 this year according to the Student Loans Company.
Institutions with brand pulling power (we all know the ones we’re talking about) are tasked with less heavy lifting to get sign ups, and stayers. This means they attract talent —both teaching faculty and students— without having to offer much in return. Students stick it out to get the rubber stamp of approval which they leverage to gain greater opportunities. This doesn’t mean they’re satisfied.
Those universities which aren’t so well placed to offer the same benefits have varying tactics to encourage student enrolment and completion, but the numbers indicate not enough is being done. Studies show 45% of students drop out due to fear, stress, and difficulties encountered in course content; on the other hand, 51% have been due to physical and mental exhaustion.
UK universities might have great libraries, and some state of the art labs, but for most undergraduates these services are rarely utilized. Getting first years’ to read anything that’s not linked online to ERIC, JSTOR, PubMed or the like is a thankless challenge, so scholastic activity amongst dusty tomes seems to be a bygone phenomena. If indicators suggest it’s not a lack of access to academic facilities which is leading to student disengagement —but the lack of a nurturing relationship-– why isn’t greater emphasis placed on the personalisation of education, and creating a more caring learning environment?
The blunt answer is academic staff are already overburdened. Lecturers are expected to work under the strain of low pay and zero hour contracts: juggling a punishing pressure to publish, with departmental administration, creating syllabi, teaching and marking. They do not have the time to also help in the resolution of personal problems students may face. In a 2022 survey of 7,000 university staff at over 100 UK higher education institutions 81% of academic faculty said they were likely to look for work elsewhere because of deteriorating pay and working conditions (this survey was conducted after the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) pushed through cuts to pensions).
At a time in which thousands of university staff across the UK have been going on strike or taking other forms of industrial action, asking an already overworked and disgruntled cohort for more isn’t the solution. Student needs have to be met through greater access to student support outside of teaching. The systematic monitoring of the characteristics and performance of students indicates student success coaching; which includes the provision of information and knowledge of professional opportunities made available to students and mental health support with corresponding software solutions can assist universities and students alike.
The critical areas of student support broadly fit with Maslow’s pyramid of needs: physiological needs, which include food, maintaining health, and rest. Next, the need for security, feeling safe and protected. Then, there are social needs, where affective assimilation into university life through making friendships and a commitment to the institution is achieved. On the other hand, there are needs for self-esteem, growth in confidence, and academic success; and finally, the need for self-realization, referring to the development of the potential of students and self-recognition.
When we change our lens to consider students as paying customers for their degrees (and are taking on an ever increasing amount of debt to graduate), the minimum commitment of any university ought to be to provide satisfactory customer experience and a high level of customer care. If universities want to continue to operate like businesses, they need to pay more attention to their customers: the feedback is clear, students feel a lack of belonging and personal support, so why isn’t more of this competitive revenue flow financing core needs?