Is University Worth The Cost? | Good Morning Britain

GCSE and A-level students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will begin receiving their exam grades this morning. Many of these students will be anticipating results that guarantee them a place in their chosen university. But is university worth the cost? Are apprenticeships better suited to the current job market over academic degrees?

Broadcast on 17/08/23

Like, follow and subscribe to Good Morning Britain!

The Good Morning Britain YouTube channel delivers you the news that you’re waking up to in the morning. From exclusive interviews with some of the biggest names in politics and showbiz to heartwarming human interest stories and unmissable watch again moments.

Join Susanna Reid, Ben Shephard, Kate Garraway, Charlotte Hawkins and Sean Fletcher every weekday on ITV from 6am until 9 every weekday!

#GMB

[mattmet]

Kevin came to work on an internship programme I was running. One of the brightest and talented person I’ve met in my career.

[MrSupertom]

To put it simply...no. because there's no guarantee you'll get a job in that field, you carry the debt regardless and the value of the teaching provided is now not worth the £30k-£40k the student is meant to pay.

[celebibi]

People say thag University degrees dont matter and after getting my degree i somewhat agreed. But when i started working in the finance industry I found out that a lot of these companies are ONLY hiring individuals who have degrees not to mention the number of internship opportunities in top paying firms that graduate scheme only for uni graduates. The only people i met who had never gone to uni and had high paying jobs were the over 50s

[webleydevelopment]

50k debt to party for 3 years. Tidy for gov. Welcome to a lifetime of debt.

[nicolabutcher]

The problem with university is that it's a huge gamble to select the right course. You might have lots of different interests, choose the wrong one and then be back at square one, if your field aren't open. Not enough work experience placements or advice.

[MW-mleq]

Both sides of the debate present really good arguments here.

University can provide great networking opportunities and can really help young people find themselves. I wish I had taken more opportunities at university.

That being said, better employment is ultimately why people go to university. I’m a graduate. First class degree. Prestigious university. I’m currently applying for jobs for £20k/year that couldn’t care less about my education and favour ‘skills’ and ‘experience’ over an undergraduate degree.

With the huge associated debt, consider your options…

[DanTheStripe]

Not sure why it has to be an Us vs Them thing. Both uni and apprenticeships are worth it in the right circumstances - people definitely overlook apprenticeships but it can be draining working for less than minimum wage for a year.

[AmaniCarson]

University was an invaluable experience for me. I studied English literature and at the time lots of people said that a degree was useless unless you were studying a STEM subject. I'm now over 30 and am still waiting for my degree to not be useful like they said. My degree is still continuously opening doors for me. Of course there's nothing wrong with taking other routes, but I raise an eyebrow when people completely dismiss university degrees or diminish their value.

[damonmartin]

Apprenticeships are awesome but i do think degrees are good especially in STEM. Military gives tons of good stem apprenticeships that i wish i knew about. It's more academic than you think they come to many of our classes at my uni.

[SJames]

University was the right choice for my husband as he knew the career path he wanted to go down, and it has paid off. However, i decided not to go to uni after I left A Levels as it wasn't for me, and i didn't know what i wanted to do. I loved acting and thought i would try and pursue this, but instead, i floated around between retail and hospitaility work before landing a position in a financial advice firm. I was never very good at maths so couldnt believe i got a job let alone enjoy the job. 8 and a half years later i have completed 3 R0 exams and aiming to beocme a financial adviser. This was never on my mind as a career path but had i gone to uni, i dont think i would have ever considered it. So for me exploring different jobs and taking time to myself was a benefit. I am now better paid than most uni graduates and without a student loan to pay off.

Key takeaway: Uni is great for some who know what they want to achieve, and their career path requires it, but its not right for everyone

[PastaSauce.]

I never went to university. I didn’t know what I wanted to do so didn’t want to go just for the experience. All I have is a few GCSES’s which have done nothing for me. I now own my own business and I’m so happy.

[matthulme]

Posh girl says we should go to uni, says it all.

[sophiec]

Depends on what you study and if your motivated enough. Sometimes it's not what you think when you're studying the subject. Some people are better at learning and passing tests and other people are better at practical roles. Some people just wing it all the way and manage to do well. There are a lot of subjects that don't lead anywhere the industries as they don't exist.

[URFUTUREUK]

The debt that students are taking home after the course is not comparable to the service students receive.

[TheEternalOuroboros]

It all depends on what career you aim to have. I couldn’t be a clinical psychologist without university🤷‍♂️

[richardgt]

Rubbish ....what a degree does is it sorts those that can handle pressure from those that cannot ..nothing to do with skills picked up in the work place that come soon enough in your graduate position.... university makes for well rounded individuals ... Get a degree and half of all graduate positions will possibly be available to you to pursue

[S-rnxn]

You hardly learn any practical skills, it’s mainly theory based. Then you have to learn it all on the job

[joeygrant]

Most of the things the person who was at university said are only able to be done if you are wealthy, most people in 2024 are unable to take part in societies and actually enjoy the experience, due to the cost of living and student finance being unable to actually provide a living for them.

[Hanfahhussain]

people who go to university have this attitude where they feel they intitled to high paid jobs

[CrazyTobster]

Some jobs will keep the door locked if you don't have degree

While all universities discriminate against very bright people with Dyscalculia who could do a degree with ease, simply because they can't get a GCSE in maths. Let be real, very few university courses have complex maths and people with Dyscalculia learn with ease; it just maths that an issue.

This is one unjust thing that makes me absolutely furious. Science knows almost all universities course will not be an issue for Dyscalculia students while British universities are having none of it.

It no different than women being barred from being an MP or from voting which was the case in this country.