Students: University Degrees Are Not Good Value for Money

Students: University Degrees Are Not Good Value for Money

A recent study has indicated that around 33% of students in England feel that their university degrees course are not worth the £9,000 tuition fees they are paying for it. Over 15,000 students who participated in the survey conducted by the Higher Education Policy Institute and the Higher Education Academy revealed that they have just 10 minutes extra with university lecturers despite the rise in fee prices. This number has increased dramatically since 2012 where only 18% of students felt that they were receiving poor value for money. The study also found that students in Scotland were more likely to say their courses were worth the money, with around 70% indicating that they were pleased. This huge gap between English and Scottish students could be due to the fact that Scottish students do not pay any tuition fees if they study at a university in Scotland.

Fees Need to Be Reduced

48% of UK students said that the top priority that needs to be addressed is reducing fee levels, followed by 35% of students who feel that having more teaching hours and reducing the size of classes are the next issues that need fixing. 31% of the 15,000 students questioned said that they would definitely or possibly would have chosen another course if they were able to go back and pick again. The results found that in the first two years of a university degree, undergraduates only have an average of 14 hours contact time with their teachers and also spend another 14 hours on average doing private study in a week. This figure of approximately 28 hours a week is far less than the 40 hours a week guideline that is recommended by the Quality Assurance Agency. These low contact hour results could be due to the fact that 9% of students feel that attending the lectures in person are not useful due to the facts that class notes can be accessed online. Universities minister David Willetts said: “Young people are [becoming] more serious about their education. Universities need to raise their game. Institutions will now have to do far better than simply offering lectures with 500 students sitting in a room taking notes from slides on a screen.” Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of Universities UK, said: “The important thing is ensuring that students have enough information about their courses and that the experience matches their expectations.” What do you think about the results of the study and what can the government do to ensure that students receive good value for their money when it comes to their education? Is it worth getting university degrees when you look at the value for money? Perhaps you think the other benefits from further education make it worth every penny. Leave your comments below.

Written by Adem Mustafa