University study less attractive to young people – Poll

The proportion of young people in the United Kingdom who think they are likely to go to university is at its lowest level in years, new figures suggest, with many citing cost as a primary concern, writes Rachael Pells for the Independent.

Responding to the annual Sutton Trust poll – which questioned more than 2,600 11- to 16-year-olds in England and Wales – around one in seven (14%) said they were unlikely to go on to higher education, compared with 11% last year and 8% five years ago. The proportion of secondary school pupils planning to study for a degree remains high, at around three-quarters (74%). But this figure is at its lowest level since 2009, and is down from a high of 81% in 2013.

Of those who said they were unlikely to go, seven in 10 said they did not like the idea, or did not enjoy studying, while nearly two-thirds (64%) had financial reasons – wanting to start earning as soon as possible, for example – and debt concerns.
Full report on the Independent site