Nearly one in three people think university is not worth time and money, King's College London poll finds

Nearly a third of people think a university education is not worth the time and money, a poll has found.

More than three in four people think opportunities for apprenticeships should be increased, according to research by the Policy Institute at King’s College London (KCL).

The public are “more sceptical” that going to university is worth the investment, the report suggested.

The study, which surveyed more than 2,600 British people in May and more than 1,000 in June, found that 31% agreed that university education is not worth the amount of time and money it usually takes.

This is higher than in 2018 when fewer than a fifth (18%) of the public said university was not worth it.

Nearly twice as many people want greater opportunities for apprenticeships (76%) than greater opportunities to go to university (39%), according to the poll which was conducted with Focaldata.

The study, which included a poll of 369 parents of children aged 11-17 in the UK, suggested that nearly two in five (37%) of this group feel degrees are not good value for money compared to ten years ago.

The findings come after university leaders have warned of significant financial concerns as a result of frozen tuition fees paid by domestic students and a drop in overseas students.

Nearly three in five (59%) parents of children aged 11 to 17 said it is likely their child will apply to university, or that they’ve already applied, which is down on 2014 (65%).

Nearly half (48%) said they would prefer their child to study an apprenticeship, while 40% said they would prefer them to do a degree, according to the poll.

University leaders have been calling on the new Government to raise the annual tuition fee for domestic students in line with inflation to help institutions struggling financially.

The previous UK Government raised the cap on university tuition fees in England to £9,000 a year in 2012 but it has been fixed at £9,250 since 2017.

Bobby Duffy, professor of public policy and director of the Policy Institute at KCL, said there were “clear tensions” around perceived value for money.

He said: “Three in ten think a university education just isn’t worth the time and money – up from two in ten six years ago – and people are more likely to disagree than agree that degrees are still good value for money compared to a decade ago.

“This is based on some knowledge, as the public are pretty accurate in how much debt a student typically runs up.

“At a time of very real financial pressure on universities, with risks of institutions failing, it illustrates how limited the Government’s options could be in raising fees by a significant amount.”

Alison Wolf, professor of public sector management at King’s College London and member of the Augur Review of post-18 education, said: “ University finances are an increasing worry just when governments are facing ever-growing demands for expenditure in multiple areas, along with slow growth, high debt, and demographic challenges.

“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.

“All of this will, inevitably, feed into government decisions and underlines the need to think hard about how – not whether – our university system should develop and change.”

A spokesperson for Universities UK (UUK) said: “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.”

A Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson said: “There are a huge range of options available to start and progress in a rewarding career, including an apprenticeship, going to university or taking a vocational qualification.

“We have already established Skills England to boost opportunities across the country and have refocused the Office for Students to prioritise the financial stability of the higher education sector and deliver better quality and outcomes for students.

“We will continue to back our world-class universities as engines of growth and opportunity.”