SAES 2026 interactive explorer showing how students spend an average week in term time, broken down by demographic characteristic

How students spend their week

Student Academic Experience Survey 2026  ·  Advance HE / HEPI  ·  Average hours per week in term time

29.4h
average study week · all students (n=10,065)
+ 9.0h paid work on top for all students
Composition of an average week – all students
Hours per component. Select a characteristic to compare across groups.
Timetabled contact Independent study Placements / fieldwork Paid employment

Timetabled contact = scheduled hours (Q1a, trimmed mean excluding 0 and above 40). Independent study = Q7 (trimmed mean excluding 0 and above 50). Placements/fieldwork = Q9 (mean including 0 – most students report none). Paid employment = Q11 (mean including 0 across all students). Sub-groups with very small bases (Chinese UK domicile n≈75, non-binary n≈94, trans n≈260, estranged n≈490) should be treated as indicative.

Source: Student Academic Experience Survey 2026, Advance HE / HEPI (published June 2026). Base: 10,065 full-time undergraduates. Data weighted to HESA.