41% of graduates say university was the wrong choice

Nick Elvin

Two-fifths of undergraduates who graduated in 2013 felt university hadn’t been the right option for them, according to new research.

NotGoingtoUni.co.uk, a website exploring the alternatives to university, quizzed 2,615 people aged 18 and over, all of whom graduated in 2013. Initially all respondents were asked if they thought university was the right choice for them, to which 41% answered “no”.

All respondents were then asked “What are your biggest regrets, if any, from attending university?”. When provided with a list of possible responses and told to select all that applied, the top five results were:

1. Lack of job prospects at the end – 57%
2. The level of debt – 52%
3. Not putting enough effort into assignments – 41%
4. Not partying enough – 36%
5. Picking the wrong course for me – 17%

From the 59% of respondents who stated university had been the right choice for them, when asked “Why do you feel university was the right choice for you?” the most popular responses were: “It gave me insight into the field I want to work in” (28%), “I had a placement year which was beneficial to me” (27%) and “Having a degree makes me more employable than those who don’t” (22%).

All respondents were then asked if they had been aware of the options available to them when it came to them making choices about their future, to which 74% stated the only two options that were discussed with them towards the end of their education were to either attend university or go straight into a full-time job.

Spencer Mehlman, managing director of NotGoingtoUni.co.uk, said: “Just because someone makes the decision to attend university, doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the right choice for them. So many students get themselves into debt to attend university, only to find they’ve picked a course that may not be right for them, or the job opportunities just aren’t there when they graduate.

“Many schools also don’t make their students aware of the various opt
ions available to them; they don’t just have the option of attending university or going into full time work – young people can get into vocational training and other work-based learning schemes, such as apprenticeships.”