RESEARCH REPORT UWE Bristol Graduation The Final Hidden Course Cost Conducted by The Students Union Officer Team Compiled by: Jamie Jordon (VP Education) Siân Hampson (VP Community & Welfare)
Introduction Within the first few weeks of taking office, we decided that one team goal would be to reduce the price of graduation. We felt that this was an issue that would affect a large proportion of students at UWE. Currently, the costs associated with graduation stand at: 35 per guest ticket 45 for robe hire 20 minimum for photography (optional) As an example situation, we can take a student who would bring along two guests. For said student to graduate it would cost them 115 alone on guest tickets and robe hire. This does not factor in additional costs incurred when graduation e.g. photography, travel to and from the event, potential extra tickets, and celebrations. We accept that the university cannot be expected to absorb all of these costs, however, we believe a lowered price would be beneficial to all our students. This will help to reduce the last hidden course cost, which can act as a barrier to many students. Other Institutions To make a comparison, we conducted research into the costs of various institutions around the country. These findings can be found in Figure 1 below. Institution Robe Hire Guest Ticket Extra info University of Bristol 45 Free University of 45 Free Sheffield University of Arts 45 28 Kings College 45 25 London University of 45 Free Warwick University of 45 20 Hertfordshire University of Derby 45 13 Royal Conservatoire 42 Free 3 free tickets of Scotland Kingston University 45 25 St Mary s University 45 25 Keele University 45 Free 4 free tickets 2 in ceremony, 2 in viewing room University of 45 Free Winchester Liverpool John 45 Free Moores University Brunel University 45 25 Swansea University 45 Free University of Bath 45 Free
University of Cambridge Nottingham Trent University City University London Aberystwyth University 45 Free 45 Free Free after SU campaign 40 25 45 Free 2 free tickets No marquee setup up to the departments Halls offered to parents ( 30-60) 40 Free 2 free, 15 per additional ticket 50 Free University of Portsmouth University of Birmingham Leeds Beckett 45 10 Use a lot of photo University props e.g. 2016 sign University of Central 50 Free Lancashire University of Exeter 43 Free 15 per additional ticket University of Edinburgh 40 Free 4 guaranteed tickets, 2 extra (lottery) University of Lincoln 47 Free 40 graduate fee, 2 free tickets, can later apply for extra Bath Spa University 45 17 Figure 1: Table showing others institutions pricings for graduation ceremonies. From the 28 that responded, only 11 charged for tickets. Some institutions guaranteed from 2-4 free tickets per student, followed by a first come first served system for any extras, or some charging for the extras. Of the institutions which charged the prices ranged from 10-28. Aberystwyth University provided accommodation in their halls of residence for guests to use of the ceremonial period. This cost ranged from 30-60 allowing guests to have a guaranteed place to stay at a reasonable price. The University also does not provide a marquee post-ceremony, and allows the departments to organise their own celebration events. UWE Bristol We conducted a short survey of 105 for the summer 2016 graduation ceremonies to get a feel of how students felt the price reflected into the event, and how enjoyable they found it. We asked the following questions found in Figure 2 below. Graduation Survey
1. Have you enjoyed graduation? o Yes o No 2. How many tickets did you buy? o 1 o 2 o 3 o 4 o 5+ 3. Did the price act as a barrier for you booking tickets? o Yes o No 4. Do you feel the tickets offered value for money? o Yes o No 5. Did you receive everything you thought was included in the price of the ticket? o Yes o No 6. If you have any other feedback please write it below. Figure 2: Example of the survey asked around the summer 2016 graduation ceremonies. Results Have you enjoyed graduation? 5% 95% Yes No Figure 3: Visual result from Have you enjoyed graduation?
How many tickets did you buy? 10% 5% 6% 29% 50% 1 2 3 4 5+ Figure 4: Visual result from How many tickets did you buy? Did the price act as a barrier for you buying tickets? 51% 49% Yes No Figure 5: Visual result from Did the price act as a barrier for you buying tickets?
Do you feel the tickets offered value for money? 33% 67% Yes No Figure 6: Visual result from Do you feel the tickets offered value for money? Did you receive everything that you thought was included in the price of the ticket? 26% 74% Yes No Figure 7: Did you receive everything that you thought was included in the price of the tickets?
Our Findings A large majority of the students surveyed are happy with the ceremony. This shows that the event itself is well run and an enjoyable experience to celebrate their achievements. We would like to praise the University for putting in a lot of effort to making sure that the day is special and one to remember. The majority of students bought the guaranteed 2 tickets with 50.5% of those surveyed doing so. This demonstrates that there is a demand to purchase both of the tickets on first offer. As graduation is a special time, people like to invite as many family and friends to enjoy the day with them this is further shown in the fact that 43.9% bought more than 3 tickets. Almost half (48.6%) of the students surveyed found that the price of tickets acted as a barrier for them booking their tickets. This is a concern for us as one of the 2020 aims are to be an inclusive university, but the price of attending graduation appears to be a main concern for our students. On top of this, there would have been a number of students who could not have even afforded to attend the ceremony. The Students Union believe that everyone s successes should be celebrated and having a significant financial barrier is not acceptable. Whilst a large majority enjoyed the ceremony, two thirds (66.7%) do not feel that the cost reflected into what was on offer. So whilst the ceremony itself is enjoyed, it would be much better received at a lower cost. We feel that there is an underlying theme in the findings with concerns surrounding the costs from both students and parents. We feel this was most hard hitting for those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Some people s parents can t afford to go and therefore don t get to see their children graduate, very disappointing. How is this fair when I have paid 27k for my degree and my parents have to pay 100 just to drive here? It is disgusting how UWE has successfully commercialised something I worked for. The University clearly haven t considered the effect this large cost has on families with low incomes (students of which the University claims to support). The 35 + robe hire + travel and for many, accommodation, is a lot of money to celebrate the achievements of students. It is a real shame that it leaves a bad taste in the mouth following a fantastic ceremony. There was a period where some family members were likely to be not able to attend due to the significant cost which would have ruined the experience. Considering the very good work of the University it is a shame that this journey has ended with a shadow over the University s reputation, in my opinion. There is a strong theme of disappointment with the amount students have had to pay. This is a real shame as many have enjoyed the ceremony, but have a conflicted feeling with the cost. We feel that the sting of the price leaves a final negative feeling
towards UWE Bristol which is not how we would want our graduates to feel. Especially after both the University and The Students Union have worked hard to ensure that the student experience is the best it can be for their duration here. Our Recommendations The ceremonies were received well, students really enjoyed the day of celebrations keep up this good work! Many were disappointed with the food and drink provided, especially covering dietary requirements. The cost benefits of this should be investigated and the standard of what is on offer for the price of tickets. The price of tickets were seen as major barrier and left students feeling angry and disappointed. This gives out negative vibes towards the University after students have paid so much for fees already. We feel the price of tickets should be free or substantially reduced. The venue for graduation is amazing and we wouldn t want this to change we feel it sets out a nice environment for the ceremonies. Those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds struggle to afford to attend graduation which is quite disheartening. We suggest that the University looks into providing financial assistance to those to be able to afford the costs of robe hire. The University s spend per student is significantly lower than a lot of other institutions in the league tables we feel this is an area where subsiding graduation costs could help. Investigate the potential of using halls of residence for guests to use over the graduation period similar to that of Aberystwyth University. To work with The Students Union to develop more inclusive graduation ceremonies to celebrate our students successes. The Students Union Officer Team: Ahmd Emara (President) Jamie Jordon (VP Education) Serena Smith (VP Sports & Health) Siân Hampson (VP Community & Welfare) Olivia Evans (VP Societies & Communication)