Table of Contents
Issues in the Market
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- Methodology
- Abbreviations
Future Opportunities
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- Flying back to the nest
- Catering to the expanding household
- Looking for a Third Place
- Alternative education
- What to do if you can’t afford it?
Executive Summary
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- What is it all about?
- Rush to beat tuition fee hike
- University seen as an investment in a career
- Parents are the back-up plan
- Fees to change the university experience
Student Demographics
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- Key points
- Accepted applications growing
- Higher Education statistics
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- Figure 1: Higher Education statistics, UK, 2008/09 and 2009/10
- Subjects studied
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- Figure 2: All students in Higher Education (undergraduate and postgraduate), by subject area of study, 2008/09 and 2009/10
- Tuition fees
- Higher-than-expected fees proposed
- Student loans
- Employment prospects
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- Figure 3: England’s 16-24-year-olds not in education, employment or training, 2005-10
Attitudes towards University
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- Key points
- Degrees of expense
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- Figure 4: Attitudes towards university – students and non-students, April 2011
- Erosion of credibility
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- Figure 5: Agreement with the statement ‘There are too many meaningless degrees’, by gender, age, working status and gross annual household income, April 2011
- University assumed to improve career opportunities
- Taking time out
Reasons to Study
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- Key points
- Subjects of interest
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- Figure 6: Reasons for going to university, March 2011
- University – the default option
- Choose life
- Pressure points may not deliver
- Is it worth it?
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- Figure 7: Attitudes towards tuition fees, by reasons for going to university, March 2011
- Multi-appeal of going to university
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- Figure 8: Number of reasons for going to university, March 2011
The Student Experience
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- Key points
- Subject of great interest
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- Figure 9: What students enjoy the most about university, March 2011
- Independent living
- Social scene
- Independents grow up
- Number of things students enjoy about university
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- Figure 10: Number of things students enjoy about university, March 2011
- How students spend their time
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- Figure 11: Proportion of time spent on selected activities in an average day – students and non-students, April 2011
- Work is not a priority
- Social scene
Postgraduate Plans
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- Key points
- Going back to my roots
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- Figure 12: Postgraduate plans, March 2011
- Short-term planning
- Jobs, not debt are of most concern
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- Figure 13: Postgraduate plans, March 2011
- Figure 14: Concerns about job prospects and debt, March 2011
- Escape unemployment
Future Priorities
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- Key points
- Partying is the priority
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- Figure 15: Future priorities, April 2011
- Boomeranging to reduce debt
- Spending priorities
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- Figure 16: Monthly spending priorities, April 2011
- Students put pride in appearance
Attitudes Towards Tuition Fees
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- Key points
- Parents to bear the brunt
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- Figure 17: Attitudes towards tuition fees, March 2011
- Over-reliance on employment to fund fees
Student Typologies
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- Key points
- Youthful optimism
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- Figure 18: Target groups, March 2011
- Confident (34%)
- Who are they?
- Targeting opportunities
- Concerned (21%)
- Who are they?
- Targeting opportunities
- Socialisers (18%)
- Who are they?
- Targeting opportunities
- Future Focus (15%)
- Who are they?
- Targeting opportunities
- Coasting
- Who are they?
- Targeting opportunities
Appendix – Student Demographics
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- Figure 19: Students in UK Higher Education*, by type of course and gender, 1980/81-2009/10
- Figure 20: Numbers of full-time undergraduates in UK, 1980/81-2009/10
- Figure 21: Full-time undergraduates, by gender, 1980/81-2009/10
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- Figure 22: Higher Education initial participation rate* for English-domiciled first-time participants in Higher Education courses at UK Higher Education institutions and English, Welsh and Scottish Further Education colleges, 1999/2000-2009/10
- Figure 23: Total number of accepted university applicants, by entry cycle and gender, 2004-10
- Figure 24: Accepted applicants onto Higher Education courses, by age, 2004-10
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- Figure 25: England’s 16-24-year-olds not in education, employment or training, by gender, 2005-10
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Appendix – Attitudes towards University
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- Figure 26: Students versus non-students, by demographics, April 2011
- Figure 27: Agreement with the statements ‘It is expensive’ and ‘There are too many meaningless degrees’, by demographics, April 2011
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- Figure 28: Agreement with the statements ‘You’ll get a better job if you go’ and ‘The career I want needs specific qualifications’, by demographics, April 2011
- Figure 29: Agreement with the statements ‘There’s too much pressure to get a degree’ and ‘The cost of tuition fees means I wouldn’t be able to go’, by demographics, April 2011
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- Figure 30: Agreement with the statements ‘It makes it easier to get a job’ and ‘It’s good to take a gap year before going to university’, by demographics, April 2011
- Figure 31: Agreement with the statements ‘It’s better to go to a university close to home’ and ‘You have to be academic to go to university’, by demographics, April 2011
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- Figure 32: Agreement with the statement ‘I don’t see the benefit of a university education’, by demographics, April 2011
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Appendix – Reasons to Study
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- Figure 33: Most popular reasons (themed) for going to university, by demographics, March 2011
- Figure 34: Most popular reasons for going to university, by demographics, March 2011
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- Figure 35: Next most popular reasons for going to university, by demographics, March 2011
- Figure 36: Reasons for going to university, by reasons for going to university, March 2011
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- Figure 37: Postgraduate plans, by reasons for going to university, March 2011
- Figure 38: Repertoire of reasons for going to university, by demographics, March 2011
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- Figure 39: Reasons for going to university, by repertoire of reasons for going to university, March 2011
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Appendix – The Student Experience
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- Figure 40: Most popular what students enjoy the most about university, by demographics, March 2011
- Figure 41: Next most popular what students enjoy the most about university, by demographics, March 2011
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- Figure 42: Other what students enjoy the most about university, by demographics, March 2011
- Figure 43: Repertoire of what students enjoy the most about university, by demographics, March 2011
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- Figure 44: Reasons for going to university, by repertoire of what students enjoy the most about university, March 2011
- Figure 45: Proportion of time spent on selected activities in an average day – students and non-students, April 2011
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Appendix – Postgraduate Plans
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- Figure 46: Postgraduate plans, by demographics, March 2011
- Figure 47: Most popular postgraduate plans, by demographics, March 2011
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- Figure 48: Next most popular postgraduate plans, by demographics, March 2011
- Figure 49: Postgraduate plans, by postgraduate plans, March 2011
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Appendix – Attitudes Towards Tuition Fees
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- Figure 50: Most popular attitudes towards tuition fees, by demographics, March 2011
- Figure 51: Next most popular attitudes towards tuition fees, by demographics, March 2011
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Appendix – Student Typologies
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- Target group by demographic
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- Figure 52: Target groups, by demographics, March 2011
- Figure 53: Target groups, by demographics, March 2011
- Reasons for going to university
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- Figure 54: Reasons for going to university, by target groups, March 2011
- Figure 55: Repertoire of reasons for going to university, by target groups, March 2011
- Figure 56: Reasons for going to university, by repertoire of reasons for going to university, March 2011
- Most enjoyable aspects of university
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- Figure 57: What students enjoy the most about university, by target groups, March 2011
- Figure 58: Repertoire of what students enjoy the most about university, by target groups, March 2011
- Attitudes towards tuition fees
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- Figure 59: Attitudes towards tuition fees, by target groups, March 2011
- Postgraduate plans
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- Figure 60: Postgraduate plans, by target groups, March 2011
- Figure 61: Postgraduate plans, by target groups, March 2011
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