New funding arrangements for higher education came into force in the autumn 2006.

These changes mean that:

• Students now pay higher tuition fees than before (typically just over £3,000 per academic year).
• The fees are paid for after graduation rather than at the beginning of each academic year as previously.
• Academic institutions are having to work harder than ever to ‘sell’ their courses to students and to ensure that concerns over higher fees do not cause student numbers to drop.
• The role of students as consumers of education - and of universities as businesses catering for them - is more sharply defined than it was in the past.

Mintel’s last report on this subject was published shortly before the new funding arrangements for education came into place, and took as its theme ‘Students as Consumers’.

It found that:

• Students were already aware of the ‘business-consumer’ relationship with their universities.
• They were philosophical about the prospect of debt after they graduated, which in itself did not impinge on their spending while they were studying.

This report takes the same theme and looks at how the new fee arrangements have affected the student consumer.

Key report themes:

• What can universities do to maximise student satisfaction?
• How can financial institutions help students to manage their money effectively?

In what ways can companies best cater for the needs of students - with particular emphasis on the following sectors:

• Food and grocery shopping
• Clothes, toiletries, make-up
• Technology
• Leisure