National Union of Students - Student Life Support
The university or college experience is often regarded as one of life's best. For many it's the first time living away from home, and with that comes fantastic freedom. By the end of it you've not just got a valuable qualification. You've become self-sufficient and dealt with all the good - and sometimes bad - things that life throws at you. The National Union of Students is there to help you through it.
What is NUS?
NUS is the umbrella organisation for students' unions across the UK. Almost all unions are members of NUS. Each university and the larger further education colleges have an active union - they're the place to go if you want to get involved in campus life. That can be anything from drinking in the union bar or helping with charity events to running a radio show or campaigning on student issues. Unions also provide you with welfare advice, so if anything goes wrong whilst you're at university or college you can get advice.
Union representatives often sit on the board of governors of the college or university, help student course representatives and support students in academic appeals. The unions are run by elected student officers so, if you want to help run your union, you can stand for election.
Your local union also gives you an NUS Card. This is a nationally recognised student identity card which provides a range of discounts in shops, cinemas and leisure centres.
What does NUS campaign for?
Every year NUS runs campaigns on a range of issues to get a better deal for students. This year's major campaign is on student funding.
As you'll know, you no longer get a grant to go to college or university. The stereotype of students lazing around all day putting the world to rights or watching trashy daytime television is long gone. 90 per cent of students are now working during their degree to make ends meet and - even then - they still graduate with an average £12,000 debt. That's why NUS' National President calls for "the abolition of tuition fees and the introduction of targeted maintenance support".
The lack of grants and the introduction of tuition fees has seen student debt more than double over the last five years and students today learn to juggle their studies, part-time work and extra-curricular activities. To compensate for the obliteration of state student financial support the government introduced larger loans, which are repayable as soon as graduates start earning £10,000 per annum.
The total loan for one academic year is split into three lump payments at the start of each term. Students living away from home studying outside London can borrow up to £3,310 a year (of which 25% is means-tested) and students studying in London and living away from home can borrow up to £4,700 (again 25% is means tested).
Although this may seem like a lot of money, essential outgoings soon account for the loan. Over the course of a 38-week academic year NUS figures show that a student studying outside London will spend £7,011 on living costs (£8,375 in London). The chief expenses being rent (£2,301 outside London, £3,048 inside); fees (£1,075) and food (£1,067 outside London, £1,270 inside).
NUS campaigns on behalf of all its 3.5 million student members. And as the government looks at ways to open access to groups that may not have been able to consider university, NUS continues to fight for financial packages that will support students whilst they are at university and open up the experience to everyone.
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