Attitudes to higher education
Futuretrack is exploring students’ attitudes and values towards higher education.
With tuition fees in place and changing governmental policy, the study is assessing the impact on the modern student.
Some of the areas explored include:
- is higher education a good investment?
- support for student loans by course type and ethnic group
- the fear of effect of student debt
- the true value of education.
In detail
Futuretrack shows that applicants have highly positive views about the value of higher education. Take a look at the top three responses in the following graph:
Graph: Responses to various attitude statements about HE:
Click the above to enlarge
- There is remarkably high agreement that students should contribute to the cost of HE if they can afford to – particularly among English students.
- EU and overseas students are most convinced about the value of higher education as a whole.
- Older applicants are less likely to agree that ‘student loans are a good idea’.
Student quotes about higher education:
“Education is the key to almost everything in life. Looks, money and family might all be lost, but what you acquire through education stays with you forever. It makes you independent!” Female, Medicine and Dentistry, South East.
“Higher education trains the mind and character of an individual.” Male, Combined Sciences, Scotland.
“University is a chance to learn, understand, know and search. This is the purpose of life - as life is about developing and exploring. As Kirk would say, 'To boldly go where no man (or woman) has gone!” Male, History, North West.
Read the complete report
If you want to read the first stage report in full, contact us for a copy. If you’re a Futuretrack participant why not play with the results yourself? Log-on to the members’ section and search the survey to uncover some fascinating results.
Read other sections of the Stage 1 summary
- Who's taking part
- Application
- Career planning
- Choice making
- Funding and debt
- 2006 survey results home
