Students’ opinions on the hidden costs
Over the summer SCAN carried out a survey through its Facebook Page, asking students what they thought were the true hidden costs of university. 152 students responded in the month the survey was ongoing, both undergraduates and postgraduates coming from many different disciplines.
Read the following reports by Jenni Day and Jonnie Critchley
Roughly how much do you spend on books per year?
How much does the most expensive book for your course cost?
In your opinion, are printing costs…
How much did it cost to sign up to your society/club?
How much would you spend on a standard night out?
About the survey
The hidden cost survey was carried out online over one-month period in July/August 2010. It received 152 responses. The respondents were undergraduate students of Lancaster University in 2009/11.
Amongst other findings from the survey are:
- Over half of the students surveyed own printers (59%).
- Almost one-fifth of the respondents are not involved in any club or society (18%).
- More than a quarter of the students have a bus pass (29%).
- About one-tenth of the respondents drive a car to campus (11%).
- Most students go out twice a week (45%).
- The top three places to get food on campus are Spar, Greggs and LUSU Central.
- The most prevalent hidden costs include books, printing, travel (bus/taxi/train), laundry and membership fees (club/society/college).
