Upon returning to Birmingham University’s Edgbaston campus, both students and freshers alike will notice two stunning expansions in the area. The first addition is a £55m sports centre, which is dotted with equipment catering to both casual gym-goers and professional athletes. The sports centre includes Birmingham’s only 50-metre swimming pool, six glass-backed squash courts, and numerous gyms and halls. In contrast, the southern campus houses an impressive new library that boasts more than 40 miles of shelving and almost 2,000 work stations, each with a plug point. Aside from its variety of features, the library also provides its visitors with stunning views of both the campus and the city itself.
As Director of Library Service, Diane Job suggests, students no longer only consider their courses when deciding on a university. Instead, they place great emphasis on the overall value for money that the university can offer, which includes its full range of facilities and features. As a result, the development is costing £500m over five years in response to similar initiatives from other UK universities. Since 2012, many institutions like Birmingham University have begun building extensively with the aim of increasing their intake and improving their appeal to prospective students. Annual capital expenditure hit a record-breaking £2.5bn by 2013-14, which saw the addition of half a million square metres of building space – equivalent to nearly building five brand-new universities.
However, the development is not only evident in Birmingham students. Other universities across the country have also begun constructing an impressive range of features. Swansea University, for instance, will soon open its Bay Campus after an extensive decontamination process of an old petrol storage site. The Bay Campus, which boasts a beach and a seafront promenade, will attract further appeal to the university’s current academic offerings. Elsewhere, Aberystwyth University will have a £100m building project in the pipeline to redevelop an old college on the seafront, allowing space for exhibition spaces and artist studios. Similarly, Cambridge University’s £1bn project will see the creation of a new suburb two miles west of the city. The new development will comprise 1,500 houses for university staff, 1,500 private houses for sale, accommodation for 2,000 postgraduates, a 100,000 sq metre research facility, a state primary school, shops, and a care home.
The major question arising is whether tuition fees can explain such radical developments. Graduates now come away from university with an average debt of £44,000, which is more than triple the amount for those who graduated just five years ago. Thus, the question is necessary as to why universities are spending such a large amount of money on facilities. Bath University counters this idea, suggesting that facilities are not simply being created because there is an influx of funds due to tuition fee rises. Instead, funding methods have just changed a great deal, with the university insisting that “The way universities are funded has changed.” The university suggests that “Under the old system, the university received much more of its money from the taxpayer, via grants from the Higher Education Funding Council.” Such grants used to cover teaching and building costs. Since the introduction of new tuition fees, direct grants have been reduced each year, forcing universities to swap one source of income for another. However, while this is somewhat true, universities still saw nearly £3bn more income combined from funding sources in 2014-15 than they did in 2010-11. Thus, universities are now, more than ever, highly competitive and eager to attract the best students possible. As Trevor Payne, Director of Estates at Birmingham University suggested: “We need to invest in the staff and student experience if we’re going to attract the best of the best.”
In addition to the sports and library complex, the university has recently unveiled a towering 21-story hall of residence that contains fully equipped studios and study rooms, along with a Tex-Mex eatery. While the campus already boasts a lush environment, plans for a "green heart" are in motion, which will provide ample outdoor space for socializing, working, and hosting events.
During a visit to the newly established £16m Bramall Music Building, Payne expressed his views on the matter while the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra rehearsed upstairs. "It’s only natural for students to expect their tuition fees to be well spent, and they deserve to see returns on their investment. By showing them that we are making investments in our facilities and infrastructure, we are giving them the quality they expect and deserve."
However, some students are of the opinion that the cost of tuition fees may be directed towards building work rather than student support. Gabriella Marcucci, a third-year English language student, shared, "Sometimes, I can’t help but feel that the £9,000 paid by many students goes towards the construction work. It would be great if more funds were dedicated to alleviating our everyday expenses. Nonetheless, the new buildings and facilities have indeed improved my academic experience, and I would be disappointed if I hadn’t gotten the chance to witness them firsthand."
