University Students: Customers Or Consumers?

The concept of students as consumers has been a topic of debate in recent years, with scholars arguing that higher education is becoming increasingly similar across Europe as a result of processes of marketisation and neo-liberalisation. This shift has been driven by the introduction of competitive funding models, with institutions and courses subject to the same kind of consumerist pressures typical of a highly marketised environment.

In the UK, for example, students are increasingly demonstrating customer-like behaviour and are demanding more 'value' from institutions. This is reflected in the introduction of tuition fees, which has led to students comparing options and evaluating the return on potential investments. However, the idea of students as consumers has been rejected by many, who argue that it undermines the purpose of higher education as a public good and a tool for students to contribute to society.

In an interview with students' union leaders across six European nations, most expressed strong opposition to viewing students as consumers, believing that it undermines relationships between staff and students, promotes a narrow view of the purpose of higher education, and foregrounds labour market outcomes. However, the English students' union leader was more sympathetic to viewing students as consumers, believing that it was associated with some benefits in terms of upholding students' rights and educational standards.

The student-as-consumer approach in higher education

The student-as-consumer approach has been increasingly recognised by students, who demand more from the higher education sector than ever before. Students are now responsible for up to £9000 annually for their tuition, and the government protects students under the Consumer Rights Act. The student-as-consumer approach has been criticised for creating a shift in power from provider to consumer, and for creating a conservative status quo mentality. It is also thought to risk academic standards, for example, students may rate popular lecturers more highly than rigorous ones, therefore rigorous lecturers are pressurised to dumb-down academic content for the sake of gaining high ratings of customer ‘satisfaction’.

The student-as-consumer approach has been criticised for its negative impact on academic performance. A higher consumer orientation was associated with lower academic performance. Moreover, responsibility for paying tuition fees and studying a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics subject were associated with a higher consumer orientation and subsequently lower academic performance.

The student-as-consumer approach has been criticised by various scholars, who have argued that it undermines the important contribution students make to their own learning, and that it promotes a narrow view of the purpose of higher education. It has also been criticised for undermining pedagogical relationships between staff and students.

Students' unions and the student-as-consumer approach

The student-as-consumer approach in higher education has been a topic of debate among scholars, with some arguing that students are increasingly demonstrating customer-like behaviour and demanding more value from higher education institutions. This approach has been rejected by educators, but there is a lack of empirical evidence on the extent to which students express a consumer orientation and its effects on academic performance.

The student-as-consumer approach has been linked to a shift in power from the provider to the consumer, which may have positive implications for students as it involves increased control over expectations and the evaluation of services. However, this approach may also foster a culture where students seek to 'have a degree' rather than 'be learners', promoting passive and instrumental attitudes towards learning. This shift in perspective may also create a conservative status quo mentality and risk academic standards, as students may rate popular lecturers more highly than rigorous ones.

The student-as-consumer approach has been influenced by the introduction of tuition fees and the increasing commercialisation of higher education. In England, for example, the government has identified students as 'customers', and higher education institutions have become subject to commercial pressures that demand competitiveness, efficiency, and consumer satisfaction. This has led to universities developing sophisticated brands and advertising programmes, and presenting themselves as service providers.

The student-as-consumer approach has been criticised by scholars and students' union leaders, who argue that it undermines the purpose of higher education as a public good and narrows its focus to labour market outcomes. They believe that this approach may adversely affect staff-student relationships and the important contribution that students make to their learning. Furthermore, understanding students as consumers may promote a narrow view of higher education and its role in society.

In Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Poland, and Spain, students' union leaders have strongly opposed viewing students as consumers, arguing that it undermines the concept of higher education as a public good and the contribution that students make to their learning. They believe that this approach may negatively impact staff-student relationships and the democratic nature of higher education institutions.

In contrast, the students' union leader in England was more sympathetic to the student-as-consumer approach, arguing that it is associated with upholding students' rights and educational standards. This divergence in perspectives may be due to cultural and political norms, as well as the alignment of students' unions with national governments and institutional management.

The student-as-consumer approach and academic performance

The student-as-consumer approach in higher education has been a topic of debate in recent times. The shift towards a consumerist approach in higher education has been attributed to the expansion of neoliberalism, which has transformed the way we live our lives. This has had significant implications for social institutions, including education. The influence of neoliberalism on the higher education sector has been discussed in the literature through examples of cross-national policy convergence, such as the creation of a European Higher Education Area and the Bologna Process.

The student-as-consumer approach has been rejected by educators, but there is a lack of empirical evidence about the extent to which students express a consumer orientation and its effects on academic performance. However, there is some evidence that students are demonstrating consumer-like behaviour and demanding more value from higher education institutions. This shift in power from provider to consumer may have advantages for the student because it involves a shift in control from provider to consumer. Consequently, standards and quality of service are expected to rise because customers have control over expectations and evaluate services by their capacity to fulfil their demands.

However, a consumer approach may have negative implications for universities, who do not traditionally regard education as a product or service. It is thought to risk academic standards, for example, students may rate popular lecturers more highly than rigorous ones, therefore rigorous lecturers are pressurised to dumb-down academic content for the sake of gaining high ratings of customer ‘satisfaction’. It has also been argued that an approach may foster a culture whereby students seek to ‘have a degree’ rather than ‘be learners’ because it promotes passive instrumental attitudes to learning.

A study by Bunce, Baird, and Jones (2016) examined the impact of consumer orientation on academic performance. The study found that a higher consumer orientation was associated with lower academic performance. Furthermore, responsibility for paying tuition fees and studying a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subject were associated with a higher consumer orientation and subsequently lower academic performance.

In a study by Brooks (2022), students' union leaders from six European nations were interviewed to examine the extent to which they shared the same understanding of students, focusing specifically on the concept of student-as-consumer. The study found that the term "consumer" tended to generate quite visceral reactions; it was clearly a term that—for these interviewees at least—held considerable emotional power. When asked whether they believed students should be seen as consumers, most expressed strong opposition. The interviewees believed that constructing students as consumers undermined relationships between staff and students and risked promoting a narrow view of the purpose of higher education and undermining its conceptualisation as a public good.

The student-as-consumer approach and student rights

The student-as-consumer approach in higher education has been a topic of debate among scholars, with some arguing that students are increasingly demonstrating customer-like behaviour and demanding more value from higher education institutions. This approach has been rejected by educators, but there is a lack of empirical evidence about its effects on academic performance.

Students' union leaders across Europe have expressed strong opposition to viewing students as consumers, believing that it:

• Undermines relationships between staff and students, shifting universities from democratic spaces to recipients of an educational experience determined by top-down management.
• Promotes a narrow view of the purpose of higher education and undermines its conceptualisation as a public good, foregrounding labour market outcomes instead.
• Poses a serious threat to the important contribution students make to their own learning.

In contrast, the English students' union leader was more sympathetic to viewing students as consumers, arguing that it was associated with upholding students' rights and educational standards. This anomaly may be explained by the broader national cultural and political norms, as well as the ways in which institutional students' unions have been reconfigured in response to market pressures.

The student-as-consumer approach and the labour market

The student-as-consumer approach has been a subject of debate in recent times, with scholars arguing that higher education is becoming increasingly similar across Europe due to marketisation and neo-liberalisation. The student-as-consumer approach has been rejected by educators, but there is a lack of empirical evidence about its effects on academic performance.

The student-as-consumer approach has been linked to a shift in power from the provider to the consumer. This shift in power is said to demand competitiveness, efficiency, and consumer satisfaction. Students who identify as consumers may have little interest in what is being taught and show reduced responsibility for producing their own knowledge. They may also have a propensity to see their degree as something that can be bought, and not something that requires effort and engagement.

The student-as-consumer approach has been associated with lower academic performance. Students with a higher consumer orientation were found to have lower academic performance. This was also true for students with a higher grade goal, more fee responsibility, and those studying a STEM subject.

The student-as-consumer approach has been criticised for undermining the important contribution students make to their own learning, and for promoting a narrow view of the purpose of higher education. It has also been criticised for foregrounding labour market outcomes and reconfiguring the purpose of higher education in very narrow terms.

The student-as-consumer approach has been more accepted in England, where students are constructed as consumers in policy documents and on university websites. This is in contrast to Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Poland, and Spain, where there is strong opposition to viewing students as consumers.

Frequently asked questions