Students sacrifice grades for jobs (From Warrington Guardian)

Students sacrifice grades for jobs

12:30pm Tuesday 23rd November 2010 in News

STUDENTS are sacrificing good grades to work in part time jobs because of spiralling levels of debt, research claims.

According to the report undertaken by the Higher Education Careers Service Unit (HECSU), university students are more likely to work to pay off debts in their last year of study when final exams take place.

They instead have to focus on dealing with more than £15,000 of debt, resulting in lower grade expectations and less participation in extra-curricular activities, says the report.

Jane Artess, research director at HECSU, said: “We expected students to cut down the time they spend working in their final year, but this is not the case.

“Not only are we finding that these students are more likely to work then than in their first year, but the hours they spend have also increased.”

Futuretrack is an initiative that follows 50,000 students from UCAS applications until they get their first job.

Professor Kate Purcell leads Futuretrack at the Institute for Employment Research, University of Warwick.

She said: “We can say that fundamental aspects of student life are affected with those working long hours more likely to predict lower grades for themselves.”