Costly or constructive: Is university worth the fees?

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By Tilly McAuley

With the constant rise of inflation and surmounting prices, some begin to question whether or not university is worth the debt which many students are forced to handle. 

Universities are the stepping stone into higher education, careers such as medicine, engineering, business and management, and so much more. The years spent in university can widen knowledge for many and allow them to further themselves into job opportunities.

But is the thousands of pounds in debt worth the handful of years spent in education?

“It’s definitely a lot,” says Chantal Bituin, a second-year Social Work student at Royal Holloway. “I live away from home, and even though I get my maintenance funds, the expenses still rack up. I don’t even want to look at how much I already owe, it stresses me out!”

And that’s the reality for so many students across the country.

Currently, the costs for one academic year at university is £9,535. A number that many are familiar with, and simultaneously dread hearing. But the Gov.Uk website has already increased the tuition fees for the next academic year, raising it to £9,790. 

The Office for National Statistics noted how young people that come from disadvantaged backgrounds feel ‘less in control of their futures’. Those with parents who never opted for higher education and found job opportunities with GCSE’s, their higher levels of deprivation have made it trickier for them to find motivation to enter higher education.

Varying socio-economic backgrounds do affect the rates of students going to university, as the fears of being in years of debt ultimately deter many from applying for university. 

While university is an opportunity that welcomes the meeting of new people, testing academic abilities in the course you are interested in, opening yourself up to new hobbies, it also comes with the stress of thousands of pounds being piled on for, potentially, their entire life. 

”It’s a lot, but I do think it’s worth it,” said Michelle Buchelli, a second year Criminology student at LSBU. “I’ve experienced so many different things that I couldn’t do without university. I do think it is worth the debt.”

So despite university opening the doors for further career choices, is it worth the debt that seems to be never-ending?