Growth in European degrees taught in English

The number of degrees taught in English in the European Continent has grown from 55 in 2009 to around 2,900. Switzerland and the Netherlands are leading the way. The major areas taught are Business & Management (26% of all courses), Social Sciences (15%) and Engineering & Technology (14%).

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Graduate earnings study

Research data from graduates 3.5 years after leaving university has found that 93% of graduates from the 2012/13 leavers were in employment or undertaking further study, with 87.5% of graduates living in the UK in employment. The median salary was £27k. 88% of graduates said that they were satisfied with their careers to date, with 76% saying that their degree has prepared them well for their career. The median salary for graduates from Russell Group universities was £30k. Durham University had the highest employment rate (97.9%) followed by Warwick and St Andrews (both 97.7%). Of the 25 universities with the highest employment rate, 15 were from the Russell Group.

National Trends in Earnings

Using data from the Office of National Statistics Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, the most recent being October 2016, and excluding self-employed workers or bonuses, the BBC has looked at income for various jobs. They used 'Gross annual pay' and 'Hourly pay, excluding overtime', and selected the median figure rather than the mean, as per ONS advice.

Overall, by May 2017, average weekly pay in the UK was 0.5% lower than the same time a year earlier, after inflation was taken into account. They said that privatisation, unionisation, skills shortages and supply and demand are major factors in determining how pay fluctuates.

Biggest winners 2011-2016	PLUS
Air traffic controllers	54%
Taxi and cab drivers and chauffeurs	44%
Rubber process operatives	39%
Electronics engineers	35%
Publicans	31%
Tailors and dressmakers	31%
Energy plant operatives	29%
Aircraft pilots and flight engineers	26%
Childminders and related occupations	24%
Crane drivers	22%
Biggest losers	MINUS
Health associate professionals, other	22%
Probation officers	20%
Coal miners	15%
Advertising accounts managers	14%
Precision instrument makers	14%
School inspectors	11%
Shelf fillers	10%
Museum archivists and curators	9%
Hotel/caravan managers and owners	8%
Radiographers	8%

Is Uni for you?

A survey of 2,612 11-16yr olds by the Sutton Trust has found that 74% said that they intend to study for a degree, the lowest figure since 2009, down from 77% last year and 79% in 2015, from a high of 81% in 2013. UCAS figures show that 32.5% of 18yr olds in England and 29.5% in Wales went into higher education last year, the highest recorded entry rate for both countries. The Sutton Trust said its findings were an important indicator of pupils' plans before they took their GCSEs.

The annual poll found that 14% said they were unlikely to go on to higher education, compared with 11% last year and 8% in 2012, of these, 70% said they did not like the idea of going to university, or did not enjoy studying, 64% cited financial issues, such as wanting to start earning as soon as possible and concern over debt, 44% thought they were not clever enough, or would not get good enough results, and 42% did not think they would need a degree for the jobs they wanted to do. Of those who said they were likely to study for a degree, 51% said they were worried about the cost of higher education, up from 47% last year. The biggest concern was tuition fees, followed by having to repay student loans for up to 30 years and the cost of living as a student.

University Expectations vs Reality

A study by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) has said that many young people have unrealistic expectations of university, and need much better preparation for what they can expect. Around half a million students begin university courses each year, and the annual HEPI study published earlier this year found that only about a third thought they were getting good value for money. The latest study, based on a sample of more than 2,000 young people, suggests this could be because expectations of university life are unlikely to be matched by the reality.

In terms of contact hours, 66% of the young people surveyed thought university would mean more group work than in school and 60% thought there would be more lecture hours than classroom hours in school. The reality is that for most courses teaching hours will be lower. The survey also found that those from poorer backgrounds were less prepared for meeting strangers and building a new social circle. It also found that young people are not clear about the costs ahead of them, with only about half identifying rent as the biggest expense (outside fees). Others thought that their biggest spending would be on course materials, nights out, groceries or student societies.

Criticism of the Student Loan system

A report by the London School of Economics has concluded that nearly everyone fares badly from the student loan system. The report warned that high earning graduates faced an effective tax rate of 51% in their 40s due to debts from university. In addition, due to rise to 6.1% interest accrued upon taking out the debt, medium earners in essential professions, such as teachers will pay back more over their working life than high earners in law and finance. With a typical male teacher paying £133,000 over their working life, compared to £85,000 for a typical lawyer. 

Sally Hunt, head of the lecturers’ union, the UCL, said, “There are no winners under the current student loan system, just different ways to lose”. Co-author of the report, Professor Maike Halterbreck, said that the report proved that an “in depth review “of the current system was needed, “as soon as possible”.