Lord Browne Review Will Deter Students From Low And Middle Income Families From Attending University

Oct. 15, 2010 - PRLog -- •   40% of GCSE & A-Level students will reconsider attending university if the Browne Review fee recommendations are implemented

•   Over 65% of students from low income families planning to go to university say they would be forced to compromise what they would study and where in order to be able to afford it.

•   65% will consider Scottish universities to avoid high graduate debt

•   90% feel they will need to work part time through their degree

•   80% of current undergraduates from low income families would NOT have chosen to go to university if they had faced the graduate debt proposed in the Browne Review.

•   80% don’t think the alternatives to attending university are clear enough

The Browne Review will deter a significant proportion young people from low and middle income families from applying to university a major new survey reveals.

The findings come a day after Lord Browne took part in a live Q&A on The Student Room, the country’s leading student social networking site. This was Lord Browne’s first direct engagement with students since the publication of his review into Higher Education funding which recommends the cap on tuition fees be lifted.

Other Interesting research findings show:

•   Only 15% from low income families feel they currently get value for money from their university for the amount they pay

•   38% who voted for Lib Dem in the last election wouldn’t vote for them again

•   19% who voted Conservation at the last election said they wouldn’t vote for them again

•   60% of students planning to go to university would now seriously consider living at home and studying at a local university

•   41% of students say that if they were available they’d consider a 2 year degree if fees went up

•   80% believe a significant rise in fees will have an impact on the traditional university experience

•   39% of students feel the graduate tax is a better option than that being proposed by the Browne Review


Jamie O’Connell, marketing director at The Student Room, said: “When Lorde Browne was on The Student Room on Wednesday he explained clearly how student debt is in fact graduate debt and that it is only repaid when a graduate is able to repay it. However there is a fear factor involved for students – being 30,000+ in debt is a scary concept, it goes against many peoples principles. This research confirms that students from low and middle income families will be deterred from going to university. The knock on effect for social mobility in the country is highly concerning.”

- Ends -

Notes to editors
Research was carried out online on The Student Room among 1,254 GCSE, A-Level, Undergraduates, Graduates and Postgraduates 12th – 14th October 2010.

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About The Student Room
Founded in 2002, The Student Room (www.thestudentroom.co.uk) is the world’s largest student web community, with 26 million page views and 2.8 million unique users each month.

Members are predominantly young people aged 14-24+ who offer support and advice to each other via forums on subjects ranging from education and careers to health, music and relationships.

The Student Room works closely with several government departments and is the major advertising platform for higher education in the UK. It offers powerful ad targeting solutions for graduate recruiters and youth brands. For more information and to get insight into student opinions and habits visit http://insight.thestudentroom.co.uk/