UK: University choices limited by cost fears

More than half of university-bound sixth-formers are considering a local choice because of the ‘financial implications’, limiting the ability of students to select the course best suited to them, reports the Financial Times. According to research by education charity the Sutton Trust, England is moving towards the higher education of the US, Germany and other European countries, where many students choose their local college – leaving an elite who opt for national institutions such as the US Ivy League.

Peter Davies, research author and education professor at Staffordshire University, said the finding was worrying because many recently-founded English universities did not offer the full range of subjects.

The research, based on 1,600 interviews of sixth-formers in urban Midlands areas, found 56% of those thinking of higher education were considering a local university because they thought it would be cheaper.
Full report on the Financial Times site