The university lottery

Students are shifting towards degrees with better earnings prospects, but governments should invest in providing information rather than throwing money at the problem, says Leaders.

April 11, 2023 . 5:14 PM

1 min read

University degrees still provide a premium of over 40% in earnings compared to non-graduates.
However, returns on investment vary greatly, with 25% of male and 15% of female graduates in England being worse off financially.
Students are switching to subjects linked to better earnings, such as computer science.
Governments should invest in giving students more information to make sensible choices, rather than throwing money at the problem.
Programmes at all levels that wish to benefit from state funds should have to clear a basic quality hurdle.