University not worth cost, say students
22/06/2015
Many students believe the experience of education they receive from going to university is not worth the £9,000 a year cost, a survey from the BBC has shown.
40% of the first students to pay higher fees do not believe their course has been good value for money, according to the survey of undergraduates in their final year of degree courses in 2015. Just over half believed they were getting good value, and 8% were undecided.
The survey, which asked 1,004 students questions about their course, also discovered that there were distinct differences of opinion between students doing different types of courses. Two-thirds of those studying science, technology, maths and engineering - subjects that require a lot of practical teaching and staff time - said their courses had been good value. In comparison, 44% of humanities and social science students, which tend to receive less direct teaching time, said they felt their courses represented good value.
58% of students said they felt like their courses had left them somewhat prepared for the future, but only one in eight students said they would still go to university if they had to make the decision again.
Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute, believes that universities should tell their students exactly where their money is going to increase moral.
Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of Universities UK, said that there was no evidence to support that the higher fees introduced in 2012 deterred students from going to university. She said:
"The shift in England from public funding to increased fees means that students are understandably, and rightly, demanding more from their university courses. Universities are responding to this and are also improving the amount of information to students about courses to ensure that their experience matches their expectations.”
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