Increasing number of students going without food and heating in order to cope with rising university and living costs

Respondents to a new poll tell of scavening in bins for food and turning to escorting and theft while at university too

The Student Room has found students are being forced to turn to food banks in order to survive while at university (Getty Images)

Students who are struggling financially at university are increasingly going without food and heating, and even turning to theft and escort work, according to a recent survey.

Forum and wiki, The Student Room, polled 860 students - aged between 16 and 25 - from across the UK throughout December 2015 to find one in three have been going without food in order to cope with the rising costs associated with higher education, primarily across England and Wales, as well as living costs.

The site added how students told of visiting food banks and scavenging from bins in order to eat and save money.

41 per cent of respondents told The Student Room they have - or have known someone who has - sold drugs on campus to cope with living costs, and another 35 per cent said the same about having to work as either an escort or exotic dancer.

30 per cent revealed how they are either in a relationship with a sugar mummy or daddy to meet costs or know someone else who is and, from the 30 per cent who told of how they had stolen* in order to survive at university, 79 per cent said they stole food, just over half stole alcohol and money, and 40 per cent stole electrical equipment.

Hannah Morrish, university community manager at The Student Room, described how everyone across the country is feeling the stress of rising living costs and emphasised how students are no exception. She added: “However, what this research goes to show is how vulnerable many students are, not just financially, but socially as well.

“For any students who are struggling to make ends meet, we want to stress there is an active and easy-to-access support network available; from applying for student hardship funds from universities through to independent and anonymous financial advice forums, such as The Student Room.”

Highlighting the other avenues of help available for students, she said: “Students’ unions, the student advice centre at your university, The Money Charity, National Debtline and the Citizens Advice Bureau are all great starting places for debt counselling and money management advice.”

*respondents could select more than one answer