Kingston students are part of a wider national trend which sees an increasing number of university students juggling part-time employment with full-time study.
New data has highlighted that the financial pressure to work is eroding study time resulting in higher levels of stress.
A survey conducted by The Student Academic Experience Survey (SAES) 2025 published by Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) revealed a drastic rise in the proportion of students working during term time, with figures rising to 68% from 56% in 2024 and just 42% in 2020.
Advance HE found that independent study time had dropped from 13.6 hours in 2024 to 11.6 hours in 2025.
Amal Yussuf, a third-year pharmaceutical science student, told The River: “Balancing uni and work is pretty challenging. Especially since I work as a healthcare assistant. My work takes 12 hours out of my day so sometimes I have to take a full day off uni.”
Many students like Yussuf feel they have to sacrifice studying in order to make money.
For third-year students, the stakes are higher as more is expected from them. “As the years have gone by, it’s progressively getting harder, it’s just constant work,” said Ramla Ahmed, a final year pharmaceutical science student.
Study time is not the only thing students have to sacrifice. They also are forced to give up things which are essential to their health and wellbeing. Due to the ongoing rise in the cost of living , students have made cuts on how much they spend on food. According to the National Union of Students (NUS), 96% of students are cutting back as a result of the crisis.
Khushal Gautam, a computer animation master’s student said: “The cost of living is definitely affecting students. That’s the reason why we work when it all gets too much. Sometimes I sacrifice food.”
The pressure of working and going to uni has left students burned out and exhausted. “There is only one day left for me to relax, and on that day I have to do my assignments, laundry, the food shop. All this has affected my sleep cycle, on average I sleep about two to three hours,” Gautam said.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) reported that loans have only risen 2.3%, which left students from low-income backgrounds with a real wage income reduction of £1,200.
Student Finance England (SFE) maintenance loans are meant to lower the cost of living pressures for students, but with high rent prices in the local Kingston area, it leaves students with little to nothing for their daily expenses.
On average, student accommodations cost about £250 a week at 71,75 Penrhyn road the rent is £243 a week, which is £972 per month.
Students who are lucky enough to get the full £9000 a year in maintenance loans from SFE are left with barely anything after rent. For some students, working is not a choice – it is a necessity.