Teenagers and other students looking to study in Manchester have been left feeling "disrespected" after their universities tried to give them accommodation in Liverpool.
Elaine McIntyre, 18, from Liverpool, is one of hundreds of students who have been asked to live in another city despite being given a place to study at one of Manchester's two main universities: Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) and the University of Manchester (UoM). Both universities have reported a shortage of rooms for freshmen students
Elaine, due to study History at UoM this month, was sent an email suggesting she give up her room in one of the university's accommodation buildings in exchange for cash. The student found the offer "disrespectful," as it missed the fact she wanted to go to university to "do more than just study," reports the Manchester Evening News.
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Elaine said: "It's disrespecting the fact I'm going to university to do more than just study," she said. "I'm going to get great life experience and live with like-minded people. If I didn't have an offer for accommodation right now I'd be very, very anxious."
Within the last ten days she has been offered accommodation on UoM's Fallowfield campus - but she said she felt 'lucky' to have got it.
Earlier this month the UoM offered students £2,500, along with £100 per week travel expenses, in an attempt to free up 'just over' 350 rooms, suggesting students who lived within commuting distance of campus might be particularly interested in the offer.
Lynne Davies' daughter has a place to study Biology at UoM, but was told last week she would have to live in Liverpool. She has since been offered a place in UoM's postgraduate halls, despite being an undergraduate, but Lynne said the experience had 'left a sour taste' in their mouths.
She said: "Despite all the talk about welfare, the bottom line is, this is a problem of their own making. My daughter found the accommodation guarantee very reassuring, it's one of the reasons she chose Manchester. It feels like you should be able to make the assumption that that accommodation would be in Manchester."
Both universities cite high demand on university housing and increased offers due to high post-pandemic A level grading as reasons for the shortage.
Students at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) have been offered £100 a week to live in Huddersfield and Liverpool.
It's understood 250 students at MMU were affected by the shortage. MMU has said the out of city accommodation was a 'temporary' option, and that they are 'working hard' to ensure all students can be allocated accommodation within the city region.
How did this happen?
This summer saw the return of in-person exams, but 'grade inflation' due to Covid remains high, as exams were marked at a 'mid-point' between pre-pandemic and pandemic grading. Exam watchdog Ofqual has said this was the 'right thing to do in the exceptional circumstances of the pandemic'.
As a consequence, more students achieved the required grades for their first choice university, and universities were required to accept more students.
It is also understood that MMU has experienced greater demand in clearing than expected, which has added to pre-existing housing woes.
Why don't students want to commute?
Halls are an important part of life for any first-year student, according to the National Union of Students (NUS) Vice President for Higher Education, Chloe Field. She said student halls play a significant role in helping students make the most of their university's resources at the start of their time there.
She said: "Academically and socially, students who aren't able to commute into university easily will experience a number of issues. Transport isn't always running as it should, and with the cost of living crisis, everything is getting more expensive. It will mean that these students won't be able to be on campus as much."
Not getting a place in your first choice student accommodation, or even in university-owned accommodation, isn't uncommon - but being placed in an entirely different town or city is.
Students who are based in alternative cities to Manchester will likely encounter issues accessing libraries, resources, and benefitting from societies at their Students' Union, according to Chloe.
"It won't be as easy for these students to socialise, and they are going to struggle more to be on campus," she said. "If a student in Manchester lives in Liverpool, then they are going to struggle to go for nights out in Manchester or say to a friend, hey, let's grab a coffee. It's not ideal."
It's understood students at MMU who are allocated accommodation in Liverpool or Huddersfield will have access to the Students' Union and libraries at the universities in those cities.
UoM said it is 'working closely' with 'our Students’ Union, Manchester Metropolitan University, The University of Liverpool and Liverpool Guild of Students to make sure there is a good provision for our students, including activities'.
Asked about the impact the influx would have on class sizes and placements, UoM said 'small group sessions' would not increase in size as more would be added, with more staff added in some areas. They said the 'vast majority' of classes would not be as big as they were in the two years prior, adding that they 'do not anticipate' issues with placements such as years abroad and years in industry.
MMU has also been asked about the impact of increased admission rates on class sizes and other schemes typically offered on many courses, such as placement and study abroad years, but declined to give any further information.
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