A shortage of accommodation on campus has left a large number of current undergraduates uncertain of their living arrangements for next year.
Following the steep rise in tuition fees from the 2012 intake onwards, a vast number of students are applying in this year’s cycle to avoid the increase. Data published by UCAS reveals that 344,064 people had submitted their applications to university by 20 December to start courses this autumn.
The University has warned that it may be unable to offer campus accommodation to returning undergraduate students as first years must take priority. This follows the difficulties with finding freshers on-campus accommodation in the autumn term.
The University has decided to wait for a forecast of the expected number of first year students before making a decision on whether final year undergraduates can apply for University accommodation for 2011/2012.
This is of particular concern for third-years returning from study abroad whose year group will have found housing groups by the time they return.
The option of private sector accommodation is less than ideal for many students.
For Vision’s US Correspondent, second-year History student Jack Knight, returning from a year abroad in America means banking on the availability of campus accommodation.
He said: “I’m really quite anxious about my living arrangements for next year. I think it’s absolutely outrageous that final year students might not have the option to live on campus. The University should be there to help everyone, not just freshers. It would be a shocking blanket ban to apply. Can they not plan ahead?”
The University of York has suggested that final year undergraduate students look for private sector accommodation as they are currently unable to confirm whether applications for campus accommodation will be available.
YUSU Welfare Officer, Laura Borisovaite, shared the following statement on the situation for next year: “To ensure over capacity is not an issue and first year students are not pushed into 51 week lets, next year, returning students are being offered the choice of signing on for the longer let rooms or finding suitable housing in York prior to the start of Autumn term.”
She proposed that “this is a welcome move, however, it is important that any changes made allow final year undergraduates to not have to pay for accommodation following their graduation in July, but instead be able to take up their residence this summer.”
Meanwhile, the University responded with a statement: “We are making plans to meet the forecast demand for student accommodation in 2011/12 and we shall continue to give a higher priority to first year students.”
A number of first-year students could not be offered campus accommodation this academic year. Some late applicants were accommodated in the private sector and others were in temporary accommodation at the start of the year.
The planned building of an additional 600 rooms in the new Langwith College, due to begin construction this summer, has been presented as a measure to help avoid similar situations in the future. For now, accommodation shortages across campus are a concern for many.