Student 'devastated' to learn of campus closure

A student said he was "devastated" to find out via a text message that his university campus was being shut.

Ethan Dauncey, 23, was one of 800 people told their courses would be moved from Southend-on-Sea to Colchester in 2026.

The University of Essex cited "significant financial pressures", as well as the loss of 400 jobs across the institution, as it announced the move on 2 December.

A spokesman said "an isolated technical issue" caused delays in telling some students of the imminent closure, but that information was supplied once the glitch was resolved.

Mr Dauncey, a first-year adult nursing student, found out when a news article was circulated in a WhatsApp group with his course peers.

"I'm feeling quite devastated. It felt like a massive blow and the way I found out wasn't great," he said.

"We only actually got official contact from the university the next day. I'm pretty upset about it."

Mr Dauncey chose the Southend-on-Sea campus, which opened in 2008, so he could be near to his friends and family who lived there.

Students facing relocation have been offered £600 by the university to help with any transition to its main site in Colchester, as well as guaranteed on-campus accommodation if uprooted.

Those who do not want to move to Colchester are to be offered an additional £400 per year by the university.

But Mr Dauncey said he would still be left out of pocket within weeks if he continued commuting.

"I don't feel it's right for me to uproot my life and go live in Colchester because they asked me to," he said.

"I have thought about dropping out; I think a lot of people have. All these people are going to lose access to education.

"They're not going to become nurses and they're going to have to drop out. It's quite heartbreaking."

The annual cost of an undergraduate degree in England and Wales rose to £9,535 a year in August.

Pam Cox, Labour MP for Colchester, used to work at the university and said she was "deeply saddened" by what was happening.

The university has been assessing whether some students are eligible for additional requirements on top of the payments it has offered, and said it recognised the "strength of feeling" among its community.

"We are committed to ensuring that all impacted students have access to accurate information and practical advice," the spokesman said.

"We continue to talk to students about our plans and have scheduled regular Q&A sessions throughout the period ahead."

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