How to surface and reduce the hidden costs of study

The higher education sector’s response to the cost-of-living crisis for students has, understandably, been largely reactive.

Food banks, emergency grants, and hardship funds are now common practice in SU’s up and down the country.

Whilst these are, of course, essential initiatives, they are a means to an end to medicating wider issues.

When we are stuck in firefighting mode, it’s easy to miss the bigger picture and the root causes of why students are struggling in the first place.

At Hallam Students’ Union, we started digging deeper into one of those issues and found its roots in a rapidly rising topic within the context of the cost of living - additional course costs.

(Don’t) forget about the price tag

For us, the story started with an increase in complaints from course reps on creative courses. Students weren’t only stressed about affording basic needs – they were worried about failing their degrees because they couldn’t afford the required materials.

Initially, we offered what we could, signposting them to advice, funding guidance and our basic needs Cost of Living shop. But this wasn’t cutting it.

We dug deeper, utilising our academic reps system to gather testimony from students across various creative disciplines.

What we heard back was heartbreaking:

• I either pay for the materials I need and succeed, or I don’t pay as much and get poor grades and negative feedback.
• The feedback I was getting followed the lines of “this could be great, but I can tell you’ve used cheap materials, and it doesn’t look professional”, so I felt forced to buy professional quality materials.
• I had not only picked up a job during this time but also had to stop the medication that is vital for both my health, living off of one meal a day and sometimes not even that.
• I am having to work night shifts and skip meals just to be able to afford basics such as fabric for my degree.
• I have been made to feel like I’m not doing as good as other students because I can’t afford to travel around the country for research.

Stories like these kept coming in. Across the institute, students were working multiple jobs, skipping meals, and skip-diving to access the materials they needed to be successful in their course outcomes.

That’s when we realised that this wasn’t just about the cost of living but also about the cost of learning.

When the sale comes first and the truth comes second

From the data, two key systematic themes jumped out at us:

• Unclear marking criteria were leading students to believe that spending more equates to better grades.
• The disparity in additional course cost information versus actual costs was leading students to spend more than they had accounted for.

For us, this raised serious questions around compliance with OfS B2 Conditions and CMA guidance, which require institutions to provide the support and resources students need to succeed and to be transparent about course-related costs upfront.

The new proposed OfS C5 conditions make this even clearer: if you’re advertising tuition fees, any additional unavoidable costs (such as specialist materials) must also be disclosed clearly.

And guess what? In 30 seconds, I'm leaving to Mars

We compiled all our findings into a report, but rather than passing the ball to the University’s court, we took a different approach based on partnership.

We presented our case to senior leadership at the university, not just as representatives but as critical friends, and they were responsive and eager to work with us on addressing the issues. It was a moment that proved the power and true value of developing strong institutional relationships.

Alongside our college officer and student reps, we worked collaboratively with university leads to launch a cross-institutional project. This led to a multifaceted approach, reacting to immediate issues and evaluating long-term concerns spanning curriculum design, communication, and equity.

Together, we developed a set of recommendations, including:

• Reframing the language in marking rubrics to clarify that higher spending isn’t required for higher grades.
• Improving the clarity and accessibility of additional course cost documents, consulting students to ensure they are up-to-date and accurate.
• Tackling assumptions around ‘professionalism’ and ‘risk-taking’ in creative course outcomes.

We also introduced immediate support measures, such as our new Materials Swap Shop, published a funding guide, and began advocating for systemic policy changes, including university-funded access to required materials.

And importantly, we’ve started challenging misconceptions around hidden curriculum narratives that “creative risk-taking” must be expensive.

Can we all slow down and enjoy right now?

When students are forced to choose between a meal and a module requirement, it’s not just a basic needs issue, it’s a wake-up call – for curriculum designers, quality assurance teams, regulators, and for all of us invested in equity in education.

We need to start asking what we can do beyond the basics. Do all students have equal access to learning outcomes? Where else could there be hidden strains on student’s finances? Unpaid placements? Commuting costs? Software licenses?

SUs have the power and partnerships to make these critical policy changes, and that change starts when we stop asking how we can help students cope and ask why they should have to.

If you want to read more, please visit our website Cost of Living Shop

Follow us on social media to see the other great work Hallam SU is doing https://www.instagram.com/hallamsu

Or give me (Eve) a shout either on LinkedIn or via my email e.woodall@shu.ac.uk