A Third of People Think University Is a Waste of Time and Money: Poll

File photo of graduates throwing their mortarboard hats into the air following their graduation ceremony on July 16, 2008. (Chris Ison/PA Wire)

Nearly a third of the public think that a university education is not worth the time and money, up from 18 percent in 2018, according to a poll.

The survey by the Policy Institute at King’s College London (KCL), published on Wednesday, also found that nearly twice as many people (76 percent) would prefer there to be more opportunities for school leavers to do apprenticeships, compared to those who favour increased opportunities for attending university (39 percent).

Researchers also found that 53 percent of the public said that vocational education was better at helping young people adjust to work life, compared to just 11 percent who thought university was better preparation.

When asked which better equips people to adapt to the changing demands of the job market throughout their careers, 19 percent believed university was more effective, while 38 percent favoured vocational education.

However, respondents were almost evenly split on which resulted in financial stability later in life, with 25 percent saying university, and 26 percent saying vocational training.

Bobby Duffy, professor of public policy at the Policy Institute, said in a statement that a clear message from the findings was that “while universities are highly valued, they are not enough to meet all needs, with the public clearly in favour of more vocational education and apprenticeships.”

Parents Prefer Apprenticeships Over Degrees

The survey also found that while 59 percent of parents of children aged 11 to 17 said it was likely their children would, or already had, applied to university, more parents would prefer them to undertake an apprenticeship (48 percent) than study for a degree (40 percent).

Researchers also asked graduates if they thought their degrees were worth it, in terms of experience and benefits, with 8 in 10 saying it was. Two thirds (66 percent) said a university education was worth it to help them find jobs and advance their career prospects; however, 30 percent disagreed.

Alison Wolf, professor of public sector management at KCL, said of the findings: “The public understands the value of universities and graduates are positive about the experience, but there is evidence here of growing scepticism about some of what universities do and whether they alone are enough.

“People do not see them as the most important priority for education spending: our findings confirm and build on other evidence that support for apprenticeships ranks higher.”

A spokesperson for Universities UK said that vocational training and degrees are not in competition, “but instead are complementary as much of higher education is vocational.”

“A huge number of the degrees and degree apprenticeships offered by our universities are also directly informed by employer needs, and provide training to specific careers, for example, within health care, teaching, and construction,” the spokesperson added.

Last week, the education think tank EDSK released a report calling for a radical overhaul of post-18 education, which would see the integration of academic and vocational training streams into one tertiary education system, creating parity between degrees and apprenticeships.

EDSK Director Tom Richmond told The Epoch Times that the current higher education (HE) system is “heavily skewed towards three-year residential full-time undergraduate degrees, which is a hugely expensive and inflexible way of upskilling and reskilling both young people and adults.”

“It would be far cheaper for government and far better for learners if more flexible pathways were available to achieving the same goal of a more skilled workforce. This would mean rethinking how, when, and where government invests in every part of tertiary education,” Richmond added.

Sector Finances

The report comes as the HE sector faces increasing financial issues, with many across the country shutting courses and making staff redundant. University leaders said difficulties have arisen as a result of inflation, frozen tuition fees for domestic students, and a drop in international enrolments.

Earlier this month, the University and Colleges Union, which represents over 120,000 academics and HE professionals, called on the government to issue emergency rescue packages to universities struggling with their finances.

In May, the universities watchdog the Office for Students (OfS) released a report warning that 40 percent of HE institutions will face low liquidity at the end of this year, and by 2026–2027 nearly two-thirds will be in deficit.

The Department for Education announced this week that the OfS would be re-orientated to focus on monitoring the financial sustainability of HE providers. The government announcement was accompanied by the publication of a review into the regulator, which acknowledged the concerns of universities, but told HE institutions that “trade-offs will need to be made” for the sector to remain viable.

The report said: “Not every provider will be able to grow their way out of this period of financial contraction. Many will need to review current operating models, and some will need to plan to deliver their offer with more limited resources, as income declines in the future.”

PA Media contributed to this report.