A Nottingham Trent University student said she feels 'neglected' after paying rent for a home she is not living in.
Ellie Bedding, 21, who studies law at Nottingham Trent University, was left upset after the government announced campuses would stay shut until after Easter.
Speaking to The Mirror, she said she has "wasted" thousands of pounds on a property she has barely lived in.
Downing Street has failed to offer a concrete date for when most university students will return to campuses, although it vowed to make a decision by the end of the Easter holidays.
Ellie said: "It just shows we have really been neglected and taken for granted.
"Easter is too late, rent tenancies run out anytime from mid-June, does that mean we have paid for 10 months of rent when we have only legally allowed to live there for possibly three?
"It’s disgusting and it upsets me how much students have been pushed back and left to get on with it.
"The main thing I’ve missed out on is just having that uni experience everybody expects to have.
"I’ve missed out on gigs I’ve planned, my 21st birthday and just being able to see and hug people without feeling like a criminal.
"A lot of people have really missed out on a lot of first experiences - whether that be driving, legally going out drinking and even graduating."
Ellie added that the pandemic has ruined nights out at university.
She said: "Even when the tiers allowed clubs to open with tables, it just isn’t the same - you couldn’t socialise and you were constantly reminded about Covid and what was going on outside."
The third-year student is also paying rent for a property she is not using.
She said: "I came back to uni the day before the lockdown was announced and unknowingly brought Covid back with me.
"I suffered with it really badly due to the mould in my uni room. When my isolation period had finished, I had to have my family come and pick me up because I was told I couldn’t recover in a mouldy room.
"On the basis of medical reasons I came home and I've yet to return. I have now wasted around £1,500 in rent and this is just going to keep accumulating!"
She claims her landlord has refused to offer her any rent deductions, despite her ordeal.
Despite her frustration, Ellie said she was aware her missed university experiences could be 'rearranged and relived' at a later date.
Responding to the students' concerns, Universities Minister Michelle Donelan said: “From the very start of this pandemic, our priority has been protecting the education and wellbeing of our students, so that they can continue with their studies and graduate as planned.
“We must take steps to help mitigate and reduce transmission around the country, which is why we are implementing a staggered return to in-person teaching.
"Students on practical and creative courses, who need to access specialist facilities and equipment, should go back from the 8 March, and we will review options for the timing of the return of all remaining students by the end of the Easter holidays, taking into account the latest set of data.
"We are clear that the quality and quantity of tuition for these students should not drop.
“I recognise that this has been an incredibly difficult time for students which is why we have made £70m of funding available this financial year for students in the greatest need, such as those struggling to cover accommodation costs.
"This is on top of an existing £256 million that universities can draw on to support those who need it the most.”
A Nottingham Trent University spokesperson said: "Throughout the COVID-19 global pandemic, NTU has worked hard to do the right thing for students. We acknowledge and appreciate the challenges that our students – and the wider NTU community – face because of COVID-19 and its associated restrictions.
"The Government advises that only students on future critical worker courses and those with special circumstances should return to their term-time accommodation in Nottingham prior to 8 March 2021. This leaves the vast majority of our students paying for accommodation they are being asked by the Government not to use. Through Universities UK, we have been seeking to persuade the Government to address this matter.
"We are mindful that NTU can only waiver rents for the accommodation that it controls, and that this only supports around 5,000 of our students. We will continue to lobby private providers and landlords and work with Government, local councillors and MPs to do the right thing for our students."
