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Training and Personal Development

Welsh Students encouraged to study in Wales (Continued)

Matt Wrigley, spokesperson, said: Overall, it seems that students are becoming more financially savvy and are opting to get a higher financial return on their three-year ‘investment’ at university.

Indeed, some government reports suggest that graduates will, over the course of their working lives, earn an average of £400,000 more than their peers who go straight into work from school.

(Picture: Photo of One male student and one female student in a library holding open a book)

However, the fact remains that fewer Welsh students have applied for university places this year and it could be argued that the fall in numbers is because students from poorer backgrounds and ethnic minorities cannot afford the tuition fees despite assistance from the Welsh Assembly.

The National Union of Students president Gemma Tumelty, said: “The real litmus test on the impact of top-up fees is whether under-represented groups were driven away from applying to university”. This would appear to be the case.

There is no doubt about it: this generation has it tougher than its predecessors who had free university education. But, is that a good enough reason not to go to university?

On the face of it, university graduates face mounting debt from student loans and tuitions fees and a seemingly unsalable property market. That said, all predictions about labour market demands indicate that graduates will be increasingly sought after and can command higher salaries than their no-graduate peers.

So, are Welsh students being too cautious? Maybe. But, if the English are not put off by higher tuition fees then perhaps the Welsh should also see higher education as a worthwhile investment in their future.

(Picture: Photo of 2 male students and 2 female students sat round a table with books and files open on it)

Welsh students choosing to study at a Welsh institution will only have to pay £1,200, with the Welsh Assembly making up the remainder £1,800. But, if they opt instead to study at an English university then they will be liable to pay £3,000 - a difference of £5,400 over a three-year course.