With election results having been announced, what role does the NUS think students played in leading to the outcome?
The National Union of Students (NUS) has said the student vote “played a key role” in yesterday’s election, in response to its result.
In its response, the NUS highlighted two key demands: international students being defended and more investment in education.
The president of the NUS Malia Bouattia said: “Students and young people want to see progressive and fair policies that will have a very real and positive impact on our futures.
We want a government that does everything in its power to welcome international students and keep our universities and colleges diverse…”
The NUS says that a combination of Brexit and “regressive” Home Office policies means that the UK is a less attractive place to study for international students.
It also believes that further investment into education is needed in response to the high levels of debt graduates find themselves in upon completion of their degrees.
To encourage more young people to vote, the NUS worked with students’ unions to run voter registration drives and provided platforms for them to hear directly from candidates. This meant more than 2 million young people got onto the electoral register.
The number of young people having voted in this election is estimated to be around 72%, a higher figure than in the 2015 election and the EU referendum.