Universities are looking at three-day weeks to help students struggling with the cost of living crisis, according to reports.
More than half of students in 2023 work alongside classes and up to two thirds of first years in the autumn expect to have a part-time job, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service said.
Innovations to help students include compact timetables where classes fill a shortened week rather than have lessons spread more thinly over five days, according to The Guardian, which first reported the development.
De Montfort University in Leicester said it was introducing the new course timetable after a successful pilot project last academic year.
“The change allows for more compact timetables and this sits around students’ lives better,” said vice-chancellor Prof Katie Normington.
“A lot of students are working and have other responsibilities, and it makes organisation of that easier.
“We had great feedback last year from students. Internal surveys show that those on the block-teaching timetable were about 10 per cent happier than those not doing it.”
De Montfort said the pilot timetable last year also saw a rise in local area students.
“Students with a Leicester or Leicestershire postcode rose from 42 to 47 per cent last year,” she said.
“If they are travelling to campus, it is easier and cheaper to do that a couple of times a week rather than four or five times for an hour here and there.”
Several other universities have been identified as having similar plans, including some Anglia Ruskin universities, the University of Law with campuses across the country, and Coventry University’s Dagenham and Greenwich sites.
John Dishman, CEO of Coventry University Group, said: “The model is entirely down to the cost of living issue.
“Barking and Dagenham is the poorest borough of London. People rely on having part-time work and their income is basically maintenance loan and part-time work.
“We have seen it more and more over the last two years or so. People just will not have access to courses unless it is built alongside their ability to work.”
The cost of living is a top concern for more than 75 per cent of students, according to a survey from Advance HE and the Higher Education Policy Institute.
Four reasons global stock markets are falling right now
There are many factors worrying investors right now and triggering a rush out of stock markets. Here are four of the biggest:
1. Rising US interest rates
The US Federal Reserve has increased interest rates three times this year in a bid to prevent its buoyant economy from overheating. They now stand at between 2 and 2.25 per cent and markets are pencilling in three more rises next year.
Kim Catechis, manager of the Legg Mason Martin Currie Global Emerging Markets Fund, says US inflation is rising and the Fed will continue to raise rates in 2019. “With inflationary pressures growing, an increasing number of corporates are guiding profitability expectations downwards for 2018 and 2019, citing the negative impact of rising costs.”
At the same time as rates are rising, central bankers in the US and Europe have been ending quantitative easing, bringing the era of cheap money to an end.
2. Stronger dollar
High US rates have driven up the value of the dollar and bond yields, and this is putting pressure on emerging market countries that took advantage of low interest rates to run up trillions in dollar-denominated debt. They have also suffered capital outflows as international investors have switched to the US, driving markets lower. Omar Negyal, portfolio manager of the JP Morgan Global Emerging Markets Income Trust, says this looks like a buying opportunity. “Despite short-term volatility we remain positive about long-term prospects and profitability for emerging markets.”
3. Global trade war
Ritu Vohora, investment director at fund manager M&G, says markets fear that US President Donald Trump’s spat with China will escalate into a full-blown global trade war, with both sides suffering. “The US economy is robust enough to absorb higher input costs now, but this may not be the case as tariffs escalate. However, with a host of factors hitting investor sentiment, this is becoming a stock picker’s market.”
4. Eurozone uncertainty
Europe faces two challenges right now in the shape of Brexit and the new populist government in eurozone member Italy.
Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, which has offices in Dubai, says the stand-off between between Rome and Brussels threatens to become much more serious. "As with Brexit, neither side appears willing to step back from the edge, threatening more trouble down the line.”
The European economy may also be slowing, Mr Beauchamp warns. “A four-year low in eurozone manufacturing confidence highlights the fact that producers see a bumpy road ahead, with US-EU trade talks remaining a major question-mark for exporters.”
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Results
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
