Teenagers are turning their backs on the idea of going to university

YOUNG people are becoming less likely to believe that getting a degree is important amid rising fees and a tricky job market.

Only 75 per cent of 16-year-olds surveyed in a poll thought it was important to go to university, down from 78 per cent last year and a high of 86 per cent in 2013.

The figures, from the Sutton Trust, come as almost half the population go to university after the cap on numbers was lifted.

The Government had hoped that it would boost social mobility and propel more youngsters into highly-skilled jobs. But there are increasing concerns that some students are studying for degrees which have no relevance in the job market.

However, 77 per cent in the poll said they are likely to go into higher education. The Ipsos Mori poll, which questioned 2,381 children aged 11-16 in England and Wales, found there were differences between groups in degree ambitions.

Only 67 per cent of poorer pupils – those eligible for free school meals – plan to go to university compared with 79 per cent of their richer classmates. And 81 per cent of girls expect to study for a degree compared with 73 per cent of boys.

Of the young people who said they are unlikely to go into higher education, the most common reason was that they do not like the idea or do not enjoy learning and studying, followed by finance. More than a third feel they are not clever enough, while the same proportion said it was not needed for their job plans.

Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust, said: ‘Young people face a dilemma. If they go on to university they incur debts of over £50,000 and will be paying back their loans well into middle age. And in a number of cases they end up with degrees that don’t get them into graduate jobs.’

A spokesman for the Department for Education said ‘university isn’t for everyone’, adding: ‘That is why we are transforming technical education in this country to put it on a par with our amazing academic system.’