Two thirds of UK university students are struggling to afford their housing
The University of Essex says they're doing their best to help out students
Two thirds of university students are struggling to afford their housing costs or are behind on their rent, as the cost of living crisis continues.
That's according to Nationwide Building Society, whose research also found that 15% of students are worried that they could become homeless within the next six-months due to spiralling costs.
Professor Lorna Fox O’Mahony, Deputy Vice Chancellor at the University of Essex says they're doing everything they can to help students with the crisis.
She says they're offering a range of support: "We are obviously really aware of the cost of living crisis and and the way in which it can affect our students.
"It is a very difficult time and there are real concerns and worries... we provide advice and support to all of our students to help them with budgeting.
"We also give support to students who are anxious around financial issues because it's really a well-being issue as well, with many students feeling anxious and worried about their financial positions."
With 62% of students saying their financial worries negatively impacted their university experience, the Law Professor also notes that the university offers more practical solutions too: "One of the practical ways that we can help our students is by offering on campus accommodation which includes, within the rent, all of your household bills - heating, electricity, Wi-Fi.
"That makes planning your budget much easier, because you know the costs up front and aren't going to have to face fluctuations in bills in the next year."
Normally, on-campus accommodation is primarily offered to first-year students, but, in a bid to aid students struggling, Lorna says the university has opened up options to other students: "Often second and third year students choose to live out in the private rental sector. This year we've opened up a lot more of our accommodation to those students as well...
"We've seen a lot of interest in that, I think, because it provides security and predictability in a situation where otherwise, they'd be at risk of energy bills rising in a way they couldn't plan for or afford."
Finally, the university also offers a hardship fund, through which students can apply for support if facing unexpected financial difficulties.
The Deputy Vice Chancellor says they don't want any students to suffer in silence: "We would always encourage our students to make contact with us if they're facing issues at the earliest point, so that we can help them, whether that's through advice, the hardship fund or housing options.
"We wouldn't want our students to be anxious and not share those concerns."