Despite widespread expectations that this year would herald a rapid increase in university applications as students sought to commit to higher education before the advent of higher tuition fees in 2012, statistics released by UCAS this week suggest that the rise was in fact smaller than expected, coming in at around 2.1%. This perhaps reflects a growing shift in attitudes towards university, not just influenced by the higher fees, with considerable potential implications for the graduate recruitment market.
Of course, the statistics do still signal an increase, and the university admissions process remains as competitive as ever. The universities minister David Willets admitted that there will remain a large number of applicants who are unsuccessful. But compared to 2010, when the rise from the previous year was speculated to be around 16.5%, this number provides a stark contrast. This suggests that even before the increase in tuition fees, university no longer provides the certain path it once did for so many, as fears over the potential success of a graduate job search cause some to look for alternatives outside of the university institution.
However, this change in attitude could in the long term go some way to alleviating the very fears on which it is based. If the number of those deterred from applying for university by what they perceive to be limited options upon graduation increases, then so will the eventual number of willing graduates looking for employment three years down the line. Theoretically this could increase the opportunities available to those who did go to university, creating a more thriving graduate market and making university a more appealing option once again. Of course, by this point the higher tuition fees themselves may also serve as a deterrent, making a degree more than ever something which will really allow graduates to stand out from the crowd.
Jon, GRB Journalist
