The total number of students at the University of Southampton has increased by nearly 10,000 in just 10 years, an exclusive investigation by the Wessex Scene has revealed.

According to figures from the Higher Education Statistics Authority (HESA), the number of students at the University was 15,257 in 1996. Ten years later this number reached 24,735, after a steady yearly increase in the number of students.

In other words, the number of students at the University of Southampton increased by a staggering 62% between 1996 and 2006.

Although official data for the current academic year is not yet available to view, it is estimated that (according to the trend evident in the figures for the last ten years) there could be as many as 25,000 students currently studying at Southampton.

This remarkable increase raises serious questions about the sustainability of growth. Can the University of Southampton continue to provide adequate facilities and services in line with an increasing student population? Or is the University already overcrowded, with not enough space to meet the educational needs of its fee-paying customers?

The Wessex Scene approached various departments within the University to discover whether the educational needs of students were being met. In many cases, the University had adequately responded to the increase in student numbers. On the other hand, many services seem unable to cope under the strain of the growing student population.

Most staff and students were shocked to discover that there are at least 24,735 students at the University, many expecting this figure to be much lower, at around 22,000.

Accommodation provision and library services were cited as key areas where the issue of overcrowding needs to be addressed.

Although the University guarantees first-year accommodation for all undergraduate students whose first-choice is Southampton, others who do not meet this criteria can be forced to live with strangers in private rented housing. If the University accepts yet more undergraduates next year without expanding its accommodation services, many more first-year students will face the daunting prospect of finding a place to live – and people to live with – in an unfamiliar environment.

According to Rebecca Hall, President of the Private Rented Society set up to help first-years find a place to live, stated that, "if the University doesn’t improve its services to these students – and I think the numbers will only rise in the next few years – then many will simply drop out."

Although Hartley and other campus libraries are able to provide adequate facilities for most of the academic year, overcrowding is evident at peak times during the day - and especially during exam periods – when many students are unable to even find a place to sit.

This year Southampton University Students’ Union (SUSU) provided additional workspace during the exam period. Dan Francis, SUSU’s VP Welfare and Societies, revealed that these rooms were "mostly full for the majority of the exam period", indicating the vital importance of additional study space.

As Dan Francis indicates, limitations on space are not just restricted to Library Services. Extra curricular facilities are also facing restrictions. The Clubs and Societies room, for example, has a maximum capacity of 60.

"As our student activities expand – societies increasing, the number of participants increasing – it is becoming harder and harder to find space for these groups. We need to work with the University on this."

The Wessex Scene focused on two key areas - Accommodation provision and Library Services - to highlight potential issues of overcrowding.

Should the University be doing more to meet the educational and social needs of its fee-paying customers?