With a general election fast approaching on 4 July, at Student Hubs we are thinking about the ways in which we can support students to engage with the election, understand the role they play, and hear about manifestos from organisations aligned with our work with universities to mainstream student social action and support active citizens for life.
Today we wanted to spotlight two recently released manifestos: Student Minds’ manifesto and Universities UK’s manifesto.
This blog is aimed at our student audience, highlighting issues that may impact them from Student Minds and Universities UK’s manifestos. This blog is part of our #ElectionReady awareness campaign, supporting students to engage with the general election. See more about our upcoming election training in partnership with Student Minds at the bottom of this blog.
what is a manifesto?
A manifesto is a public statement of intent from an organisation, government or political party about what actions, policies and aims (both short-term and long-term) they have. In the case of Student Minds and Universities UK, their manifestos focus specifically on what they would like to see from the incoming government, and what policies or actions they are encouraging the political parties to stand behind as they campaign in the general election.
Who are student minds and universities uk?
Student Minds are a mental health charity specifically focused on supporting students, and you may have heard of their University Mental Health Charter which many universities have signed up for, or accessed their ‘Student Space’ support service. They advocate for student mental health and deliver various activities with universities to achieve this aim, including speaking on policy recommendations.
Universities UK is a university membership organisation, which represents 142 universities across the UK. They often speak out as an influential voice in the sector and representative of universities across the country on policy issues which impact universities and their members.
what issues do the manifestos raise that may affect me?
In reviewing the two manifestos, we spotted several issues that we know are deeply impacting the students we work with, and wanted to raise awareness of these specific issues for our student audience here. As a charity we seek to mainstream student social action and this means ensuring everyone has the choice to access higher education, and the opportunity to thrive when they are there.
We recommend you read both manifestos in full, as you may find other issues the organisations advocate for which intersect with your experience as a student and/or graduate.
- Student loans and maintenance grants
Both Student Minds’ and Universities UK’s manifestos address the need for a review of how student loans and maintenance grants are currently operating. We know how important these issues currently are to students: in a May 2024 poll via HEPI and TechnologyOne of over 2000 students, 53% of students reported that they ‘missed out on extracurricular activities because of their financial situation’ and 33% say ‘finances put them at risk of dropping out’.
Student Minds are asking for political parties to ‘commit to a transparent and robust review of the student funding model, with a focus on increasing maintenance support and reducing the long-term financial burden of going to university’, and list several measures they explicitly want explored, such as ‘raising maintenance loan entitlements’, ‘raising thresholds for means-tested maintenance loans’ and ‘reviewing the repayment model’ of the student loan system.
Universities UK are also asking the political parties to commit to ‘reinstating maintenance grants for those who need them’, ‘correcting maintenance loans to reflect real rates of inflation’ and ‘returning teaching investment per student to the equivalent of 2015-16 levels’.
Many of these recommendations are for England specifically, as the devolved nations have different student loans systems. See more information about student loans in Scotland here, student loans in Wales here, and student loans in Northern Ireland here.
We know the cost of living and finances is a huge burden on students currently, and we support these manifesto requests from Student Minds and Universities UK.
- International student policy
Both manifestos from Student Minds and Universities UK acknowledge the impact international students have particularly faced with recent government policy, and are calling on the political parties to address this in their manifestos. This BBC article from February summarises some of the recent government policy changes and news coverage surrounding international students at UK universities.
Student Minds is calling for the political parties to ‘improve support and guidance for international students accessing NHS mental healthcare’ and ‘commit to a transparent and robust review of Student Visas for international students’, the latter of which comes with specific recommendations on removing ‘the term-time cap on hours worked in part-time employment’, ‘the Immigrant Healthcare Surcharge’, the ‘application fee for the student visa’ and a call to ‘reverse legislation preventing international students from bringing their families to the UK whilst studying’.
Universities UK also address international student policy in their manifesto section on ‘putting universities at the heart of growth’. They are calling for ‘supporting stable and managed growth in international students, backed by a pledge to maintain the Graduate visa’ and to increase ‘public trust and transparency in the UK’s immigration system by separating temporary migration from permanent migration in the migration figures’.
We know the value that international students both receive and give by studying and participating with universities in the UK (such as in our case study at Southampton), and they have a large role to play in shaping universities across the country. Supporting them to thrive whilst in the UK and beyond in their graduate careers is vital.
- Placed-based university activity
As a social action charity whose work is rooted in a place-based approach, we were pleased to see Universities UK’s manifesto specifically acknowledging the role of place-based work by universities in supporting opportunity and social mobility.
Specific recommendations we want to highlight, and which speak to our work engaging schools and colleges in our Hubs as well as our student consultancy opportunities, include:
- ‘Incentivising stronger place-based networks that promote access to tertiary education – whether that’s higher education, further education, or apprenticeships.’
- ‘Establishing a new ‘tertiary education opportunity fund’ that will harness collaboration between colleges and universities to widen participation in tertiary education.’
- ‘Increasing support for universities to work with businesses through place-based innovation funding and supporting start-ups and spinouts that create local opportunities and growth.’
- ‘Encouraging more universities back into teacher training to help address the shortage of high-quality teachers.’
how can you get involved in the general election?
We are excited to share that Student Hubs will be collaborating with Student Minds on a two part election awareness campaign. Two virtual sessions will support you to get #ElectionReady:
- Knowing your rights: On 19 June Student Hubs will share an overview of everything you need to know to get active as a voter
- Deciding your future: On 27 June Student Minds will give you the tools you need to make change and support their manifesto for better conditions for student mental health
You should also keep an eye on our social media for our campaign encouraging you to engage with election content, signposting to key resources, events and activities, telling you how to ensure you can vote.
If you want to find out more about the election, you can go to:
- The UK Parliament website to find out more about your local representatives
- The NUS page on the general election
- Your university website and/or Student Union, as many universities will have student voter registration and information campaigns launching soon