University still priority for young Scots as only 5% defer over Covid

HALF of prospective students in Scotland believe that university is still the pathway to the best job prospects, according to research from the Bank of Scotland.

Cameron Green, a 16-year-old from East Kilbride with ambitions to become an architect, is set to attend the University of Strathclyde to begin Architectural Studies in September.

“Going to university has always been part of my plan because I’ve wanted to be an architect for years,” he said. “I love the idea of creating beautiful buildings that people will use and enjoy, designing them so they work for future generations.

“I think some university courses will lead to more lucrative careers in terms of salaries – doctors, dentists, engineering, IT all feel like they would provide financial security in the future. However, it’s a lot of hard work to qualify in those fields, just like architecture.”

Cameron also believes – as do one third of young people – that attending university will net them a better salary in the long run, compared to those who decide against taking the higher education route.

For many prospective students, the pandemic and being faced with attending university virtually has been at the forefront of their minds.

Despite this, just 5 per cent of young Scottish adults delayed starting university as a result of the pandemic, according to research, while less than 10% believe that going to university is no longer financially viable.

Cameron added: “The pandemic has been rocky for students. I was really concerned about the prospect of doing all of my learning virtually as it wouldn’t have felt like a true ‘uni’ experience.

“I thought long and hard about whether to defer. However, Strathclyde [University] was great, and held a meeting to explain how everything would work that made me feel a lot better, so I’ll be pushing ahead and won’t be deferring.”

For 18-year-old Kiera Gowans from Kirriemuir, Angus, the pandemic changed her perspective on university.

She said: “I’m really keen on joining the police force and, for a long time, I didn’t want to go to university. My plan was to apply to join the police straight after school but the pandemic really changed my perspective.

“It made me realise you never know what’s around the corner in life and you should make sure you’re doing the things that you love.

“I decided I didn’t want to jump head first into a job after school and that I had an opportunity to study a topic I’ve always been interested in – crime, the reasons for it, and the justice system – so, when I saw the criminology course at Abertay, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to apply.”

Two fifths of the young respondents (41%) believe that, despite the costs, having a degree is still worthwhile, compared to one in five (22%) who think university is not good value for money.

Pete Mccarthy, director at the Bank of Scotland, said: “Despite the uncertainty the last year created for young people, it’s reassuring to see this hasn’t deterred the next generation of students from following their educational and career plans. The overall picture is positive, with just 5% delaying their course as a result of the pandemic.

“Young people are also taking their finances seriously, with a 16% rise in those saving money to fund their degree aspirations, compared to pre-pandemic. It’s a good idea to start looking at higher education costs as early as possible, as it will help with getting a good idea of what may need to be saved.”

The Institute for Fiscal Studies has found that, after taking account of student-loan repayments, male graduates end up £130,000 better off, on average, over their lifetimes by going to university, and female graduates gain £100,000.

This differs, however, by type of university and by subject. For graduates of the large, researchintensive institutions of the Uk-wide Russell Group and, in general, for graduates in medicine, dentistry, veterinary, economics, mathematics and engineering, earnings have been high.