Conservative ‘anti-university rhetoric’ blamed for dip in applications

Students listening to parents who have heard former Tory ministers slating tertiary education as ‘not worth it’

“Anti-university rhetoric” from the Conservatives has helped fuel the number of pupils deciding not to study for a degree, a university boss has claimed.
Latest figures from the the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) showed a slight decline in the proportion of students applying for a university place this year.
By the end of June, 41.9 per cent of 18 year-olds across the UK had applied for a place through Ucas – down from 42.1 per cent last summer and 44.1 per cent in 2022.
Vivienne Stern, the chief executive of Universities UK (UUK), said the former Tory government’s negative language around some universities may have contributed to the decline.
“Under the previous government there was quite a strong anti-university rhetoric,” said the UUK chief, who represents more than 140 universities across Britain.
“So ministers would really openly question the value of going to university and the [former] prime minister did this on a number of occasions. I think that really has an effect.”
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Ms Stern said she had heard anecdotal reports of students being discouraged from going to university after speaking to their parents, who “sort of referred back to what ministers had been saying about ‘well it’s not worth going to university’.”
“They didn’t take the place up as a result. That’s a real tragedy,” she added.
A key tenet of Rishi Sunak’s education policy was to slim down when he claimed was a bloated university sector, and pledged to scrap one in eight degree courses as part of a crackdown on so-called Mickey Mouse degrees.
Mr Sunak accused universities of “ripping young people off” by offering degree places that do not increase their long-term earnings potential.
He pointed to figures from the Institute for Fiscal Studies suggesting that one in five graduates would have been better off financially if they hadn’t gone to university, and one in three graduates are in jobs that do not require a degree.
Concerns have also been raised about the deteriorating value of degrees at some universities that have been slow to drop remote learning models brought in during the pandemic.
A survey by the Higher Education Policy Institute published in June found that more than two-thirds of pupils are still being taught online as part of their undergraduate degrees.
The poll of more than 10,300 university students found that 69 per cent are still receiving some of their lectures online. The think tank said it was “striking [that a] significant proportion of online delivery remains” and looks “set to stay in place”.
The Labour Government has made a concerted effort to usher in a change of tone on universities, with the party’s election manifesto denouncing “Conservative attacks on our globally respected institutions”.
Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, said last month: “The difference between the approach that we will take and the approach that you have seen previously under the Conservatives is that we recognise that universities are a public good.”
Next Thursday’s A-level results could prove a crucial moment for universities facing financial crises. The Telegraph understands many are hoping that bumper results will encourage more students to accept their offers and provide a much-needed boost for the sector, while poor marks could deter pupils and deal a further hammer blow.
Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, suggested students may have heeded the previous government’s warnings, and that many pupils awaiting their exams results now have doubts over the value of higher education.
“It’s the Covid legacy, it’s the widening attainment gaps, it’s the cost of living crisis, which I think is getting worse by the year, and then you’ve got this anti-university rhetoric that we’ve heard constantly,” he said.
“Many more school leavers are questioning the value of more academic study, worried by the cost of living crisis on campus, and digesting the constant diet of negative headlines about higher education, from ‘Mickey Mouse’ courses to financial turmoil across the sector.”
He warned that students from disadvantaged backgrounds were more likely to be “put off” from university, which could worsen education inequalities.
“In the post-pandemic era of widening school divides in the race to secure the top grades, the fear is that the country’s most prestigious universities will become even more the preserve of privileged elites,” Prof Major added.
It comes as ministers hold crisis talks about the future of several universities amid fears that some could be pushed under later this year. About 40 per cent of universities in England are expected to run budget deficits this year, while three are understood to be in serious financial peril.
Ms Phillipson said last week that they were expected to manage their own budgets before seeking help via a government bailout.
Speaking to the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, she said: “Universities are autonomous and there are expectations around how they manage their budgets, and I would expect them to do that without seeking any calls on the taxpayer.”