Pandemic harming students achieving their degree

Almost a fifth (18%) of students felt the pandemic negatively affected their ability to achieve their degree – particularly for students studying at Durham where it rises to over one in four (27%) students. Only one in ten students valued the online resources provided by their university. 

The full 2021 NatWest Student Living Index is released in full on Friday 6 August, having surveyed more than 2300 students across the country. Students were asked a range of questions, on fraud and scams, on how much they spend on essentials such as food, rent and bills, and how much time they spend studying, working and socialising.

Cambridge students gave their university top marks for the overall support they were given during the crisis, with over one in four (27%) feeling highly supported compared to the UK average of under one in five (18%). In comparison, Durham received the lowest score of 8%, followed by Oxford at 11%.

The move to an online education didn’t just impact how students were taught, it also affected their social lives. Four in five (78%) students found it difficult to make new university friends while learning remotely, with London standing out as the easiest place to socialise (38%) and Durham the toughest (10%).

The mental health of students has also taken a hit during lockdown. Over nine in ten (92%) students used some kind of mechanism to cope with stress. The most popular method to alleviate stress was a hobby (59%) while nearly half (49%) sought support from friends. More students said they turned to alcohol (11%) than accessed their university’s mental health resources (9%).

Andy Nicholson, NatWest Head of Student Accounts said:

“The pandemic reshaped the way most of us work, and for many students this meant staying at home for lectures over Zoom, our 2021 NatWest Student Living Index reveals just how much this impacted students. As students begin to return to face-to-face learning, we have designed our Student Account offer to help students once again make the most of their time at university.”

The NatWest Student account offers a £50 cash incentive within the first 10 days of account opening and a four-year tastecard membership. NatWest also offers free Financial Health checks to help students to organise their finances.