Fran Allfrey and Zoe Tipler write for King’s College London’s Roar newspaper on a student-led campaign against hidden course costs at their university:

Over the last year, students’ unions across the country have been helping students fight back against various proposals within the Government’s Higher Education White Paper. When £9000 fees were announced last summer, the National Union of Students (NUS) urged unions to turn that disappointing set-back into a positive: and use the impending fee-rise as a way to pressure universities to ‘come clean’ on what £9000 should actually include.

KCLSU President Hannah Barlow, and Vice President Academic Affairs Simi Smith, led the campaign against hidden course costs at King’s. A survey ran through the autumn term for all students to fill in their course costs, and course reps were also asked to feedback any suggestions for solutions. Furthermore, the student officers and student council got out and about on campus to ask students what they think they are unfairly paying for, and what that amounts to.

The results of these surveys – which Roar! reported on in the last issue – showed that many students arrived at King’s unaware that they would have to fork out for field trips, CRB checks, travel to medical placements, books or lab equipment which is essential to their course. Unions across the country found the same happening up and down the UK.

Full article here.