Students Not Being Put Off Going To University

If the results of a recent survey by BBC’s Inside Out are to be believed, it would appear that one in 10 students that would have been attending university next year, have now been put off by the higher fees coming into action in 2012.

This survey of over 1000 A-Level students across England, has found that most would probably still go to university despite the introduction of higher fees. This helps to show that, overall, in the eyes of students the benefits of university outweigh the new higher costs.

The survey also showed that two-thirds of students would consider an alternative educational route, such as an apprenticeship, as an alternative to going to university.

However, having said this, over half of those asked said that the possibility of cutting living costs, such as paying rent or utilities costs, by living at home would factor into their final decision about which university they would go to, or possibly going abroad in search of lower fees.

This comes as universities are preparing to switch to their higher fees for the academic year 2012/13, from when the teaching grant will be cut, meaning that some universities will be able to charge as much as £9,000 for a degree course.

Although these fees have increased a lot, they will be funded through government subsidised loans.

This is not a huge problem for those in Scotland, as Scottish students will not have to pay for their time at university, or for those in Wales as their fees will be heavily subsidised – but for those in England it means real change in both the lifestyle that students live, and the choices that they make when applying for a course.

In general, the survey showed that young people believe that they will have better job prospects having been to university, than they would if they had gone into work straight after school.

It also shows that over half of all students asked do not agree that the financial pressures of attending a university is too much to handle. The research suggested that just under half of students are beginning to look abroad for a university with lower fees, while half would consider going to a university closer to home in an attempt to save money.

Universities and Science Minister, David Willetts has said: “It’s important that prospective students are not put off applying for university.”

He continued to say that “going to university depends on ability – not the ability to pay. Most new students will not pay upfront, there will be more financial support for those from poorer families and everyone will make lower loan repayments than they do now once they are in well paid jobs.”