UNIVERSITY students expressed their anger and upset yesterday as the ongoing row over their high tuition and accommodation fees while self-isolating at home continued to escalate.

A sharp rise in Covid-19 cases has forced thousands of students to self-isolate in their halls of residences, while the shift to online working has caused many to question their tuition and accommodation fees.

Tuition fees in the UK can be up to £9,250 per year for an undergraduate degree, among the highest in the developed world, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Sian Godward, 18, has just started her first year studying interior architecture and design at Leeds Beckett University.

She moved into a flatshare in the city last month, but has now moved back home to nearby Wakefield after three out of five of her housemates did not show up due to Covid-19, as Leeds is in local lockdown.

Despite not living at the property, she currently cannot escape the contract, meaning she will add over £6,000 for the year to her student loan.

Ms Godward will only be receiving face-to-face teaching for three hours per week, which she said she was not told before signing the contract.

“If I had known that I would not have moved out at all … it was having a massive impact on my mental health,” Ms Godward said.

Ewan Hillier is self-isolating at halls in Northumbria University, where he studies film and television production, and it was announced on Friday more than 750 students have tested positive for Covid-19.

“I am annoyed that the uni told us to come back,” the 21-year-old from Hexham said.

“I know fellow students who have now gone home as they are high risk and are still forced to pay rent when they live at home.”