BBC Radio 5 Live Final Year Undergraduates Survey

Survey of final year undergraduates about their education for BBC Radio 5 Live.

Just half of final year undergraduate university students (52%) say that their university education has been value for money. 40% say it has not been value for money.
Two thirds of STEM subject students (65%) say their education was value for money, compared to less than half of humanities and social science students.

Q: Which of the following comes closest to your opinion about your university education?

	%
It has been value for money	52%
It has not been value for money	40%
Don’t know	8%

Base: All final year students (n=1,004)

Most final year students (58%) think that their university education has somewhat prepared them for the future.
A quarter think that it has prepared them a great deal (26%), while 14% think it has not really prepared them.
Just 3% say it has not prepared them for the future at all.
Opinions about this are similar across students of different subjects.

Q: To what extent do you feel that university has prepared you for the future?

	%
A great deal	26%
Somewhat	58%
Not really	14%
Not at all	3%
Don’t know	0%

Base: All final year students (n=1,004)

Less than half of final year students (46%) would take the same course at the same university if they could start again.
However, despite many students saying their education is not value for money, just 3% say they would not to go to university at all if they had the chance.
Similar proportions say they would do the same course again, but at a different university (18%) as say they would do a different course at the same university (17%).
One in eight (12%) say they would still go to university but would do a different course at a different university.

Q: If you could start university again, which of the following do you think you would do?

	%
I would take the same course at the same university	46%
I would take the same course at a different university	18%
I would take a different course at the same university	17%
I would take a different course at a different university	12%
I would not go to university at all	3%
Don’t know	5%

Base: All final year students (n=1,004)

Date Published: 22nd June 2015

Client: BBC Radio 5 Live

Methodology

Methodology Note: ComRes interviewed 1,004 final year undergraduate students online between 1^st and 7^th May. Data were weighted to be representative of all final year undergraduates at British universities, including by university type. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.