Calls for £9,000 per year university tuition fees to be re-assessed as new way of learning is likened to an Open University course

Students at the University of Leeds have spoken of being confined to halls of residence for a month, the difficulty in accessing mental health services and quality of education being impacted since their bedrooms became the classroom.

Tuition fees are currently set at £9250 for the 2020-2021 academic year but one parent has compared the experience students are getting to an Open University course - which is around £3000 per year for an Honours degree.

Ali Naqvi has two children at the University of Leeds. He says if online learning is the way forward, then the traditional university model and cost needs to change.

He said: "I take the university's point that delivery is moving into an interactive way of learning but that does lead you to the debate as to whether, if going forward we can't go back how it was, the whole university model will have to change. £9250 for something you can get via Open University for £3000 - it does not stack up well.

"If they are learning remotely why should they be based in a particular place, you could study at Leeds and be based in Glasgow or Cheshire. Why should it be three years when it could be accessed over two years? These are fundamental questions for the long term but the bottom line is students were sold the product that they would be attending university for three years and having the whole experience and that has not happened."

First year student Livia Garrod, aged 19, returned home to Suffolk earlier this month and was considering whether to carry on with her textile design course. For the first six weeks after arriving in Leeds, four of those were spent isolating after a flat mate tested positive. After being able to go out and about for a week another flat-mate tested positive but there was confusion over the best course of action from the NHS track and trace system and the university - so the entire flat was told to isolate for another fortnight.

Ms Garrod says it has left her unmotivated to learn and "under-whelmed" by the university experience despite the best efforts of course tutors.

"There is that social aspect and making friends, it still happens but in completely different ways - it is a bit underwhelming. People say university is the best years of your life - it is laughable, we are waiting for that to happen."

The emphasis of online services is also affecting mental health and self-esteem, she added, as when she tried to seek support before she returned home to Suffolk it was hard to come by.

Ms Garrod said: "The support services have an automated email - it seems quite superficial. If you are having a really bad time and get an email like that, it feels patronising. The opportunity to talk to somebody if you are really struggling or have somewhere you can go - I can't imagine they don't exist. It would be impossible for the university to not be aware of how much people are struggling, but I don't know how to access them or what's available."

The Students Union at the University of Leeds carried out surveys just before the second lockdown to gauge how students were adapting to the new way of working and while some students favoured the online classes because it gave more flexibility and saved time on travel, others have struggled with the lack of routine and have been hampered by access to technology and WiFi with increased anxiety before lockdown two about not being able to use the library.

Out of class, student welfare officer, Sophia Hartley said the effort was being put in to give students some form of social life.

"There are 350 clubs and societies and they have worked really hard to try and keep community members engaged. There is so much more they want to do but because people are spending so much time on their laptops, that has been a difficult one. Students, and myself included, have not experienced what it is like in normal times and it is not the same. The effort is there and that is important to remember."

She added that the issue of value for money and tuition fees were on the table for debate but it was too early to comment further.

"It is definitely on our radar and we are here to listen to what students are saying, that is why they elected us. If it is an issue on the ground, it will be on our radar to look at."

A University of Leeds spokesperson said: “COVID-19 has presented new challenges for universities across the UK. Throughout this crisis the University of Leeds has sought to prioritise the health and wellbeing of our students and staff, and this has meant changing the way we deliver education. We continue to follow Government guidelines and, where it is necessary to deliver teaching and learning online to meet these guidelines, we work hard to ensure that the experience is high quality, engaging, inclusive and flexible."