Students or recent graduates, be honest.How many lectures have you missed?

It's a question that almost every student can answer.

According to an article published in The Sunday Times, only 48% of undergraduates attended all of their scheduled classes in 2025.

At first glance, it's easy to assume this reflects a lack of motivation or engagement.

But the reality is far more complicated.

Today's students face a very different university experience to previous generations, with financial pressures, changing learning environments and an increasingly competitive graduate job market all influencing how they spend their time.

Students are balancing more than ever before

University has always involved balancing academics with life outside the classroom.

However, that balance has shifted significantly in recent years. The same article found that 68% of students now have part-time jobs, almost double the proportion from a decade ago.

That statistic alone tells an important story.

For many students, part-time work is no longer simply about earning extra spending money. It's becoming an essential part of covering rent, food, transport and other everyday living costs as the cost of living continues to rise. At the same time, students know that employers increasingly value experience alongside academic qualifications. So working while studying isn't just about finances. It's also about improving employability.

Experience has become just as important as education

Graduates are entering one of the toughest job markets in years.

Across many industries, employers aren't simply looking for a degree.

They're looking for candidates who can demonstrate workplace experience, transferable skills and evidence that they've applied themselves outside of the classroom.

That creates a difficult balancing act.

Students know they need good academic results, but they also know that internships, placements, society leadership, volunteering and part-time work all strengthen their CV.

With only so many hours in a week, something has to give.

For many students, that "something" is lecture attendance.

University learning has changed since the pandemic

The way students learn today is very different from how it was just a few years ago.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, many universities expanded their use of recorded lectures, online resources and digital learning platforms.

As a result, students often have more flexibility over when and where they study.

If a lecture is recorded, some students may decide they'll absorb the material more effectively later.

Instead of sitting in a large lecture theatre, they might choose to watch the recording in the library, a coffee shop or from their room where they can pause, rewind and study at their own pace.

For those students, missing a lecture doesn't necessarily mean missing the learning.

The learning experience itself matters

Attendance isn't influenced solely by convenience.

The quality and pace of teaching also play a role.

If students believe they'll learn more effectively by studying independently than by attending a lecture in person, many will choose the option they feel provides the greatest value.

Whether that's the right decision or not, it's understandable why some students make that choice.

Universities are no longer competing only with other universities.

They're competing with increasingly flexible ways of learning.

We also need to consider commuting students

Another factor that's often overlooked is the growing number of commuting students.

Not every student lives on campus or within walking distance of university.

Many travel significant distances each day, often alongside part-time work and family commitments.

If timetables aren't designed with commuting students in mind, attending every lecture becomes much more difficult.

Long journeys, transport costs and inconvenient scheduling can all contribute to lower attendance.

It's an important reminder that lecture attendance statistics don't always tell the full story.

So, what is the solution?

There probably isn't one simple answer. Students need academic success. They also need work experience. Many need part-time jobs simply to afford university. And universities continue adapting their teaching methods in response to changing student expectations and technological advances.

Perhaps the real question isn't whether students should be missing lectures.

It's whether the current higher education system is asking students to juggle too many competing priorities at once. I'd be interested to hear what others think. Should students be prioritising work experience and part-time employment, even if it means missing some learning hours? Or should part-time work be less common so students can focus more fully on their education?