One in ten A-level students is reconsidering the option of attending a British university and planning alternative ways to secure future employment instead.
The youngest generation of Brits are beginning to doubt whether going to a UK university is the best idea for their pockets or professional futures.
Factors such as the increase in tuition fees next year and the high rates of unemployment among graduates are forcing students to strongly reconsider their options. However the vast majority of those surveyed still recognised the benefits of going to a British university.
A poll commissioned by BBC Inside Out asked to 1,009 A-Level students in England: “To what extent has the increase in tuition fees put you off going to university?”
Interestingly, 10% of Brits said it definitely put them off, 7% were never planning on going anyway and 54% stated that they probably will go despite the increase in fees still putting them off. Almost one in three (28%) has no doubts about their uptake of a place at university.
Plan B
As an alternative to a degree, the survey reveals that almost two-thirds would consider apprenticeships with half considering the option of studying abroad. A further half would consider going to a local university to save money.
As the report suggests, some British universities have already experienced a decrease in demand for their courses. The Sunday Times City published the following figures recently: University London said their applications were down by 41.4%, Goldsmiths saw a 35% drop and Brunel a fall of 24%.
This downward trend is not the case for all the UK universities, according to the same report. London School of Economics, Queen Mary, and Bath University have seen a rise in applications.
The high price that students pay for their university education plus the difficulties of finding a graduate job after university have left UK students contemplating a future without a degree education.