As rising tuition fees take their toll, more and more potential students have
decided that a degree isn’t everything
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Between one and two youngsters in every
classroom in England may choose not to go on to university when
previously they would have Photo: Getty Images
7:30AM BST 10 Aug 2012
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Martha Hanks was already having doubts about university, she says. That was
before, like every other 18-year-old waiting for A-level results later this
month, she had to factor in 2012’s massive hike in tuition fees from around
£3,300 to £9,000 a year for many of the courses she was considering.
“I had already been questioning whether a degree was right for me,” she admits
of her time in sixth form at a highly regarded north London independent
school, “when I thought about the sort of career I think I’d like to have –
in PR, fashion, media or something creative. But now I am faced with a debt
of £27,000 for a degree that would probably be irrelevant to my chance of
getting the job I want.”
Martha is typical of the 15,000 young people who might have been expected to
go on to higher education but who have, according to a new report from the
Independent Commission on Fees (ICF), decided against it. The commission,
set up under the chairmanship of Will Hutton to monitor the effects of the
new funding regime for English universities, has highlighted in particular
the impact that the reforms are having on those from middle-class families
who would otherwise aim for the most sought-after courses.
Though she doesn’t rule out the possibility of “one day” going to university,
Hanks, whose parents are both graduates, has instead chosen to turn her back
on academia and look for internships and opportunities to learn on the job
to get some experience on her CV. “I didn’t want to make a rash decision,
and it was probably easier to choose this option this year because of the
increase in fees,” she says. “Last year everyone in my school was just
rushing to get university places before the cost went up whether it was
right for them or not.”
The ICF conclusions are part of a growing body of evidence that the new
charging scheme for English universities is impacting disproportionately on
those from more affluent homes. Figures released earlier this month by Offa
– the Office for Fair Access, set up by the Government to ensure the rise in
fees didn’t stop those from the poorest backgrounds from applying – revealed
that three quarters of universities are charging the maximum of £9,000 per
annum for at least one of their courses in the coming academic year. In one
third, the top rate applies to all courses, despite ministers insisting,
when they brought in the changes, that institutions demanding the full
amount would be “exceptional”.
