Students find UK courses giving value for money despite challenges

Study in UK remains a top choice for Indian students who seek to study abroad. Many UK undergraduates who are pursuing courses there are seeing the courses as value for money in 2024 with international students driving much of the increase.

As per a major survey of UK undergraduates, despite challenges, the students are being increasingly satisfied with the courses offered in UK universities. The survey this year includes views of 10,319 full-time undergraduate students studying in the UK.

As per the 2024 Student Academic Experience Survey, perceptions of value for money increased among undergraduate students. The Experience Survey of undergraduate students showed satisfaction with the contact hours and ratings of teaching and assessments, despite a backdrop of industrial action and talk of “rip-off degrees” by politicians and job cuts.

Jonathan Neves, head of business intelligence and surveys at Advance HE, and one of the authors of the report said that “so many great things are happening” in the sector, as reported by THE.

"Some questions have been asked year after year, whether about value-for-money perceptions, contact hours or student workload. Such questions came into their own during the pandemic, and in the years since, by allowing us to track some extreme swings. This year, the number of students saying they have had ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ value for money is the lowest it has been since the full rollout of £9,000 fees in England, while the proportion saying they are receiving ‘good’ or ‘very good’ value is back to preCovid norms," reads the survey report.

International students drove such rises

Perceptions of value for money have improved, particularly among international students and those from ethnic minority backgrounds. The international student community seems unaffected by the high migration debate and higher tuition fees.

This was the 18th edition of the survey. There were some new questions this year in the survey which showed that one in three students are using artificial intelligence (AI) to help with their studies at least once a week. The AI is being used more by international students, older demographics and males.

"The Survey’s results have a long history of helping the higher education sector in its process of continuous improvement by showing changing student expectations. But it is not possible to do ‘more for less’ forever. So, the challenge for policymakers now is deciding how much

further we wish to go to protect the current high standing of the UK’s world-beating and open higher education system. One option is to accept managed decline, especially when compared to other countries. But another, more constructive and positive option, is to start

now easing the pressures on students and institutions in line with the policy recommendations provided at the end of this report,” added the study.

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