More than one in 10 students are using food banks because they cannot make ends meet during the cost of living crisis, according to a survey by the National Union of Students (NUS).
The poll of more than 3,500 university students found that 11% are using food banks, up from 5% in January, while 96% are cutting back as a result of soaring prices and bills.
One in five say they are unable to buy toiletries and one in 10 cannot purchase sanitary products when required.
It was reported last month that there has been a 3,000% increase in the number of graduates who owe more than £100,000 in student loan debts.
In 2016, the Sutton Trust charity found that British graduates have the highest debts in the English-speaking world and the average loan balance has risen since then.
The NUS survey found that a third of students are living on less than £50 a month after paying their rent and bills, with many reporting that their maintenance funds are not enough to pay for a weekly shop, allow them to travel to university or cover their energy bills.
The poll also revealed a cost of learning crisis as three-quarters of students said they would be unable to pay for course materials without more support.
Four in 10 (42%) say they are unable to make it on to campus or are being forced to travel less, and 41% are neglecting their health so they can save money, by missing out on “extras” such as dental appointments.
Nine in 10 (92%) say the crisis is affecting their mental health, with 31% saying rising costs are having a “major” impact.
Only a fifth of students say they have received any government support and only 8% said they felt ministers are doing enough to support them.
More than eight in 10 (83%) have sought financial support through other means, such as using credit cards, buy-now-and-pay-later credit schemes such as Klarna or taking out bank loans.
More than half (53%) of students say they have turned to family and friends for support, while 40% have reached out to them for loans.
A third of students say the rising cost of living has also had an impact on their families. Students with caring responsibilities and disabilities, those who are estranged from their families and people from poorer backgrounds have all been affected more by the crisis.
An NUS spokesperson said: “Huge increases in the price of bills, food and living costs coupled with soaring rent has students on the brink … We’re seeing stress and anxiety piling on them from bouncing debt between different cards to stay afloat.
“Despite all of this, students are being completely ignored by the government. These findings are bleak; we’re knee-deep in a cost of learning crisis that will affect the poorest students the hardest.”
The union has called on the government to put in place a tailored cost of living support package for students, as well as requesting that student maintenance provisions and the apprentice minimum wage be brought into line with the living wage.
