The proportion of the general public in England who believe a degree is not good value for money has hit a record high, while fewer people think graduates are better off in the long term than non-graduates, according to research.
Most people also support a cap on the number of international students that UK universities are permitted to enrol, according to the results of the latest British Social Attitudes survey, released on 2 June.
A report on the public’s views produced by the National Centre for Social Research shows that the value of higher education is increasingly being called into question, with 34 per cent of respondents saying university education “isn’t worth the amount of time and money it usually takes”.
This is the first time the figure has climbed above 20 per cent, and is up from 14 per cent in 2005.
The proportion of people who believe that graduates end up financially better off than non-graduates has also fallen to the lowest level on record, at 36 per cent.
