The AMS's 2024 Academic Experience Survey (AES) results reveal students’ continuing concerns around affordability, mental health, access to support services and discrimination.
Every year, the AMS polls students on their thoughts surrounding the university on topics like educational satisfaction, campus community and finances.
This year's survey received a record-breaking 4,148 responses, surpassing last year's record of 3,413. Among the respondents, 3,177 were domestic students and 971 were international students.
AMS VP Academic and University Affairs Drédyn Fontana credited the high engagement to better logistical planning and a strong desire from students to have their voices heard.
“This speaks to students having things to say about what’s happening to them at UBC,” said Fontana in an interview with The Ubyssey.
Seventy-four per cent of respondents were undergraduates — the majority were from the Faculty of Arts with 1,013 respondents, followed by 885 Faculty of Science respondents and 430 Faculty of Engineering respondents. Fontana said the AMS plans to increase representation from underrepresented groups in future surveys by "engaging with leaders from those groups."
Student satisfaction remains unchanged
This year, 65 per cent of students expressed satisfaction with their university experience, a figure that has remained consistent over the past two years.
Students unaware of mental health resources, survey says
Despite the drop in students reporting mental health challenges from 41 per cent in 2023 to 34 percent this year, nearly half of the respondents remain unaware of available mental health resources at UBC. Additionally, 40 per cent pointed to long wait times as a major barrier to accessing the support they need.
“We need to increase capacity,” Fontana said. “Two things that we can do as the AMS is advocate for more investment and promote the things that exist currently.”
Most discrimination based on ethnicity and gender, survey says
According to the report, the highest levels of discrimination were related to ethnicity and gender.
Sixty-one per cent of Black respondents — a decrease from seventy-five per cent last year — and forty-five per cent of Indigenous respondents reported racial discrimination. Similarly, and 41 per cent of female respondents reported gender-based discrimination.
Fontana said UBC needs to address discrimination at an institutional level. He noted UBC’s Strategic Equity and Anti-Racism (StEAR) framework as a foundational step in addressing discrimination.
"UBC definitely addresses a lot of this in their StEAR framework. They talk about intersectionality a lot in their approaches, and there are certain funds dedicated specifically to persistently marginalized groups," said Fontana.
He pointed to “making [equity, inclusion and diversity] education unavoidable,” as another approach. “That's the approach that's being taken by UBC and is a continued commitment for them and so I will continue to support that initiative.”
An ongoing affordability crisis
Affordability remains a significant issue for UBC students, with key challenges arising from tuition, course materials, food and housing costs. Only 55 per cent of respondents felt confident in managing their finances — a 5 per cent drop from the previous year.
Course material costs continue to pose a challenge. While 64 per cent believe not buying textbooks would hurt their academic performance, 60 per cent used outdated editions and 51 per cent used unauthorized access to cut costs. Additionally, 51 per cent of respondents reported feeling worried they wouldn't be able to afford groceries, with that number rising to 64 per cent for international student repondents.
Despite there being available financial support at UBC, only 12 per cent of students found UBC's financial services accessible, with 10 per cent believing the university has made meaningful efforts to reduce financial barriers. Additionally, 22 per cent are unsure if they can return to UBC in the future due to financial difficulties.
"None of this is new, and we're going to continue to push in the same direction," Fontana said.
Fontana said the AMS will continue to advocate for increased financial aid, funding for food security and increased housing bursaries.
However, he also said "UBC does do good work on this ... but the affordability crisis is worsening. It's not getting better, so it needs to continue to happen. So we're going to keep asking for it."
"When I look at what the most important thing is for the AMS to be doing, it’s increasing agency for students."
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