What students mean when they say a degree is value for money
The 2026 HEPI and Advance HE Student Academic Experience Survey found perceived value for money rising, and this piece unpicks what students are actually valuing: contact hours and teaching quality first, then facilities and support, with tuition fees themselves a smaller factor than the sector assumes. It matters because universities design their spending around what this survey says students want.
Preseason, before Welcome Week even starts
Sports clubs make the case for turning up to preseason — the training week before term, open to beginners as well as returning players, and the single easiest way to arrive already knowing people. You do not need to have played before, and most clubs run a beginners’ side. Joining a sports club covers what committing actually involves.