What sort of people go to university?
People from all backgrounds go to university:
- 18% of full time first degree students were eligible for free school meals prior to going to university (OfS Access and Participation 2024 data)
- 65% of the 18-year-old entrants were White, 18% were Asian, 9% were Black and 6% had mixed ethnicity (OfS Access and Participation 2024 data)
- 91% of undergraduates were from state schools (HESA 2024)
- Only 50% of undergraduates had parents or guardians who had previously been to university (HESA 2024)
What are young people really anxious about?
In 2024, Savanta/Youthsight conducted polling of 567 young university applicants to find out what their biggest anxieties about the process. This is what they found:
Do students regret their decision to go to university?
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- Only 7% of current full-time undergraduates said they would do something other than have gone to university if they were to make the same choice again (AdvanceHE 2024 Student Academic Experience Survey).
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- 86% of all UK graduates describe going to university as a good decision or the best decision they’ve ever made (UUK, Censuswide 2024)
What do employers really look for?
Might students regret going to university and taking on debt?
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- Only 7% of current full time undergraduates said they would do something other than have gone to university (AdvanceHE 2024 Student Academic Experience Survey)
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- 8 in 10 graduates say their degree was worth it for the overall experience and benefits, for gaining academic knowledge and skills, and for the experiences they had as a student (King's College London Policy Insitute 2024)