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The cost of living is the topic at the top of everyone’s minds over the past year, and likely to be with us for a while. Students are one particular group that have been affected by rise of cost of living the most, and as prices of rent and food have gone up against a backdrop of maintenance loans being lower in real terms compared with 2021, Universities UK issued a stark warning in December 2022 that “…[students] risk becoming the ‘forgotten group’ in the cost of living crisis.”¹ But what about students who have recently submitted their UCAS application for September 2023 entry - what impact has the cost of living had on the decisions they’ve made over the past year? We surveyed and listened to students throughout the 2023 cycle to find out how cost of living factors were influencing the decisions they had made, and those...

If you haven’t already signed up, you can register to receive for Chapter 2 here, before the full report is published in April.

Having taught, and later worked behind-the-scenes at universities and colleges, I’ve got a good grip on the way the student experience works from both sides of the fence. When they work in synergy – with providers providing and students studying – we see real societal benefits.

And when students enjoy their course and have fun alongside it, they emerge as highly valuable and well-rounded adults. There’s nothing quite like the intelligent, curious, pragmatic graduate that we’ve seen coming through the Gen Z ranks over the past few years.

Which is why it’s so important to protect and support their lifestyles during this cost of living increase. The money they spend during their studies not only contributes massively to the economy, but it also teaches them as much about...

The introduction of T Levels marked a major landmark in qualification history, with the first ever cohort completing the brand-new technical qualification last year. Like their A level peers, about 1,000 students opened their results last August to discover their overall achievement, so it is right that we have a specific day in National Apprenticeship Week celebrating their successes.

T Levels mark the most significant change to the qualification landscape since the decoupling of the AS in 2015. T Levels, and the Post-16 review, are changing the shape of England’s vocational and technical education offer, and it is vital that all stakeholders – schools, colleges, universities, employers and training providers – understand what these reforms mean for the future pipeline of students.

These reforms sit within broader changes that have been seen over the last few years, including the introduction of Higher Technical Qualifications and Degree Apprenticeships. In...

The chance to go to university or begin a traineeship or apprenticeship is one of the biggest decisions an individual will make. It’s not just a big financial investment, but a period of major emotional and psychological upheaval. So, what’s behind this decision? To what extent do factors such as employability, the chance to develop skills, and wellbeing metrics influence applicants’ behaviour? And how do individual perceptions of value affect decision-making? Here’s what we learnt from a survey of around 20,000 applicants applying through UCAS for undergraduate study in 2022.

Value matters to students, but is a highly subjective concept

Upfront we learn that it is ‘extremely important’ or ‘important’ to more than nine in 10 individuals that their course is ‘good value’. Moreover, the proportion of applicants who say value is ‘extremely important’ increases with age – 75% for those aged 25 and over, relative to 62% for 18-year-olds – reflecting the magnitude of...