STUDENTS more worried about the cost of studying THAN getting a job
Embargoed until 00:01 Monday 12
September 2011
Press contact Alex Rowe 020 7924 7555 /
alex.rowe@communitas-pr.co.uk
Research carried out this week (9 September) by the website
bestCourse4me - the site which gives independent information on the
career outcomes of graduates - has thrown up a surprising trend;
58.67% of young people say that when thinking about university they
are more concerned about the increase in fees or the debt they may
incur after graduation, rather than their employment prospects.
41.33% cited employment opportunities as a concern.
The research will be presented at the launch of the updated
version of the bestCourse4me website on Monday 12 September.
The site uses information collected from the Higher Education
Statistics agency, HESA and the Labour Force Survey to show what
careers graduates take up after university, and the salaries they
earned.
The bestCourse4me site was set up by software millionaire and
philanthropist, Steve Edwards, last year. He and his wife Ros fund
the majority of the costs with additional support from
Microsoft.
Steve Edwards commented; "Students are now being asked to make a
huge investment in their future, and that means that now, more than
ever, it is vital that they have all the information they need to
make the right choices for them. Clearly, the increase
in fees is very important to students and this new understanding
makes open access to information even more important. While
there has been a lot of noise about this, we must listen to what
students actually say rather than relying on stereotypes and
assumptions. Providing this information is what bestCourse4me
does. It offers independently verified statistics which show
students exactly what happened to their peers who graduated.
And, for the very first time published anywhere, the new version
of the site now also has data from almost every university in the
UK which shows the A-level results that students actually received
and which gained them entry in to each course. This means
that students, their parents and their careers advisors can see
statistically sound information about what results they need for
each course rather than having to rely on marketing materials and
careers guidance some of which can be of variable quality.
bestCourse4me believes that poor guidance on entry requirements
places students from educationally deprived backgrounds at a
serious and unfair disadvantage and is a big restriction on social
mobility. The bestCourse4me A-level data will make the
selection of appropriate 16-18 qualifications such as A-levels, and
the university application process, much more open and will mean
that anyone can check the actual grades accepted to study any
course giving potential students from all backgrounds a much better
idea of their potential to get a place.
bestCourse4me asked 75 young people aged between 16 and 18 year
olds 'From the two options below, What is your major concern
about deciding whether to go to university ?
1
Employment opportunities / improving your future career
prospects
2 The cost
of studying (Student loans, living costs, fees etc).'
The research was commissioned by bestCourse4me and carried out
by OnePoll on the eve of the re-launch of the popular site.
Steve continued:
"In addition we can now share very exciting new information
about the actual A-levels that universities accepted for each
course. While we know that it's not just A-levels that determine
whether a student will gain a place on their chosen course, they
are without doubt a hugely important factor and I firmly believe
that access to this information should be freely available to
all."
Reporters and photographers are invited to attend the
official launch of the
re-launched website on Monday 12 September
at:
3pm - 5pm
Microsoft Customer Briefing Centre
100 Victoria Street
London
SW1E 5JL
To request an interview with Steve Edwards, or to
confirm acceptance of this invitation please contact Alex Rowe 020
7924 7555 / alex.rowe@communitas-pr.co.uk
Ends
Notes to editors
1 bestCourse4me is
completely independent and offers a unique range of information
which is not available elsewhere. It clearly shows students
and their parents the link between what and where they study and
future earning power and employment prospects.
2 We have many case
studies and a great deal of raw data which is currently being
inputted in to the site. If you are interested in some examples of
how the data on A-levels would impact A-level students then please
contact Alex Rowe. Data will be live on Monday at this link
/explore/?Tab=ALevel
3 A film demonstrating the
website is available to view here /film/
4 There will also be a
small group of students who have used the site (and were featured
in the film) at the launch.