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Issue Description
More young people are going into higher education now than ever before. Meanwhile, the debate about university standards continues to rage. Are degrees still valuable to modern employers? Is university too expensive? Is the graduate job market saturated? Does a university education boost social mobility? Is the higher education system elitist? These are just some of the questions debated in Student Matters.
The information comes from a wide range of sources and includes government reports and statistics, newspaper reports, features, magazine articles and surveys, literature from lobby groups and charitable organisations.
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Key Facts
- There are currently over two million higher education students in the UK. Higher education courses are offered at around 130 universities and higher education colleges, and many further education colleges. (page 1)
- The National Student Survey shows that the overall satisfaction rate for students studying higher education in England remains high: 81 per cent said that they are satisfied with their course. (page 4)
- The UK’s largest survey of student finance, published on Push.co.uk, reveals that students who started at university in 2008 can expect to owe nearly £21,200 by the time they leave, and new students should reckon on at least £2,000 more than that. (page 12)
- More than half of students surveyed by Push are in commercial debt, and two-thirds are in debt to friends and family. (page 13)
- Over 50 per cent of young people from every social class say they want to go to university. (page 15)
- £19,000 is the median starting salary for a new graduate in full-time employment. (page 17)
- Thousands of state school pupils are not applying to the most selective university degree courses despite having the A-levels to secure a place, new research shows. (page 19)
- In 1450, there were three universities in Britain: Oxford, Cambridge and St Andrews. Today there are 169 higher education institutions, of which 109 are universities. (page 21)
- Half of state school pupils do not think that they will be better off financially by going to certain universities over others, and teachers in the maintained sector are reluctant to discuss the different status of universities, suggest two new pieces of research commissioned by the Sutton Trust. (page 21)
- Secondary school teachers in England and Wales seriously underestimate the proportion of state school students at Oxford and Cambridge universities, according to an Ipsos MORI survey of nearly 500 teachers published by the Sutton Trust. (page 24)
- More than 80% of graduates are either ‘very satisfied’ or ‘fairly satisfied’ with their careers. (page 32)
- Nearly two-thirds of graduates can expect to earn more than £20k a year by the time they have been in the job market for three-and-a-half years. (page 32)
- Undergraduate numbers have risen by 35 per cent since 1997. (page 35)
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Table of Contents
Chapter One: Student Issues
The benefits of higher education, Going to university, What is higher education really like?, High levels of satisfaction among students, Choosing a course, Joining clubs and societies, Student housing: the basics, Student mental health, Smoking, alcohol, drugs, Student drinking problems, Student costs breakdown, Push releases figures for 2009 student debt survey, Survey puts spotlight on commercial debt, Gender and higher education.
Chapter Two: University Standards
Does a degree really set you up for life?, Boosting social mobility, State school pupils shun top degree courses, New universities to revert to old polytechnic role, Higher education and earning power, Oxbridge introduce new entrance tests, Teachers show alarming Oxbridge misconceptions, Mandelson outlines the future of higher education, How do we tell the good universities from the bad?, Poll shows public support abolishing top-up fees.
Chapter Three: Graduate Prospects
Options after graduation, Graduate destinations, Graduate earnings uncovered, What is the average graduate starting salary?, Maintaining standards in higher education, Graduates’ outlook bleak, Middle-class grip on professions ‘must end'.
Key Facts
Glossary
Index
Additional Resources
Acknowledgements
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The Study Guide for: Student Matters - Volume 185
Each book in the Issues series has a study guide. These four-page guides provide a variety of discussion points and other activities to suit a wide range of ability levels and interests.
Publisher: Independence Educational Publishers
Price: £1.95
ISBN: 978 1 86168 536 0
