One in three degree applicants ‘may not enrol’ amid cost concerns

One in three UK university applicants says that they may not go on to take up their place, according to a survey.

In a survey of more than 2,000 applicants conducted by Unite Students and the Higher Education Policy Institute, 32 per cent said it was at least “somewhat likely” that they would not enrol on their course. Thirteen per cent said it was “likely” or “very likely” that they would not join.

Financial pressures were most likely to be cited as the reason for this, mentioned by 32 per cent of applicants, followed by concerns over not achieving the grades they need (27 per cent), lack of confidence (22 per cent) and mental health issues (21 per cent). 

The survey, published on 16 July, follows anecdotal reports that student no-shows are on the up. Times Higher Education has reported that some universities have faced gaps of more than 10 per cent between those who accepted places and final enrolment figures, and have launched new initiatives to target the crucial period between A-level results day and the start of term in response.

Nick Hillman, Hepi’s director, stressed that the number of applicants ultimately withdrawing was unlikely to reach the levels reported in the survey, but acknowledged that the figures were still “worrying” and that financial pressures risk seeing “the middle class pull further away”. 

He raised concerns about a “bifurcation” of the student experience between students who do not have to take on paid work and can afford to take part in societies, and those “that are surviving by the skin of their teeth”. 

“[Students are] almost fitting in their studies around their other life priorities. And that’s not been the student experience that we’ve been trying to deliver…It’s meant to be an immersive experience, and it’s becoming less of an immersive experience for a significant proportion of young students,” Mr Hillman said.

Concerns about the cost of living loom large throughout the Unite Students 2024 Applicant Index. While 46 per cent of respondents say they have enough money to cover their costs at university, 30 per cent say that they do not. Forty per cent say financial issues are affecting their mental health, up from 37 per cent last year.

Seventy per cent are in paid work, up from 68 per cent last year, with nearly one in 10 working more than 40 hours a week.

While 73 per cent of applicants from the wealthiest backgrounds say that they expect to feel welcome at university, this drops to 53 per cent among the poorest respondents.

And growing numbers of students say that they have little interest in the social side of university – 31 per cent, up from 25 per cent last year.

However, students are more likely to say that they are confident that they will get the job they want after graduation compared with last year.

Jenny Shaw, higher education external engagement director at Unite Students, said the report highlights “huge inequalities” between students. 

“This is a cohort that’s been particularly badly affected by the pandemic because of when it fell, and applicants are coming in just feeling a little bit less confident and at a little bit of a disadvantage socially and academically, and universities need to respond to that,” she said. 

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com