Anybody else regretting and feeling bad about encouraging their kids to go to uni?

Not remotely. I don’t give the debt issue a moments consideration and I’ve told my kids the same. A couple of hundred £ a month isn’t such a big deal

Well done him! Funny that the snobbery lives on.

It doesn't matter though. The outcome is the same. If you don't earn enough from your degree to pay off the loan in 40 years it's written off so you aren't paying the same as someone in a high earning career. Universities get the money upfront though. Humanities and arts degrees subsidise sciences. Without the cheaper to run arts/ degrees the stem degrees will cost far more than £9k. Not to mention no one knows what jobs x are going to be needed in 20 years time. IT, when I went to Uni was there degree which was the big thing. Now they are out of date before they even leave. There is an argument for reducing the number of poor performing universities, and investing more in non university education, but that's been the case for about 40 years.

I think one of the most depressing outcomes of increased fees is that people don’t seem to value education for the sake of education anymore. Going to university is not just about what you might earn afterwards.

There are under 50,000 people on degree apprenticeships and 2 million on Undergraduate courses. It’s extremely competitive, DS managed to get one and graduated last year, he had extensive work experience not related to the course. I used to be involved with University admissions as did DH and it’s a much tougher process. The work load is phenomenal. Multiple interviews, online tests and candidates attending application days to problem solve and team work together plus psychometric testing.

The success rate of being accepted on to a degree apprenticeship is less than 1%.

I don’t think anyone can blame themselves for encouraging their children to go to university when the entire education uk system is so heavily focused on that pathway.
I took an online qualification as an adult (equivalent to a levels) with no intention of going to university (I’ve been, twice). A huge proportion of the course was preparing for uni, visiting university, writing about university plans and so on.
My child didn’t want to do a levels and studied an alternative creative qualification but again, it was really lacking in industry opportunities and simply all about preparing for university, in an industry where uni doesn’t accelerate opportunities any faster than other routes.
For school leavers, they are given advice about apprenticeships but school don’t emphasise nearly enough how competitive it is to find one, or that candidates with previous work experience are far more likely to be accepted than those with good grades and zero work experience.

There is a level 7 Actuary degree apprenticeship.

Uni has been life changing for my autistic son. Finally he's met his people, out socialising (still lives at home), his confidence has come on so much after years of being bullied at high school and best of all he's loving his course. He's found a part time job and learnt to drive. Things we never thought possible. He wasn't ready for the workplace at 18 but hopefully once he has finished his degree he will continue to thrive.

Exactly this. Also, we weren't in possession of a crystal ball back in the early 2010s when they went to uni (one year after the other as they're close in age.) We didn't know that the Government would turn into loan sharks and rip off the young people like they have done, making the student debt DOUBLE what it was when they left uni a decade ago! Despite them paying 1000s of pounds off over the years.... Even Martin Lewis told people over and over again that student debt is FINE>>>>!!! 'DO NOT WORRY about it' he said! Yet, young people have been royally fucked over.

Also, the fees had just gone up from £3000 a year to £9000 a year when mine went, and I was angry and pissed off (as were lots of people after LibDems promised to dispense with Uni tuition fees, and then got together with the Tories and tripled them!)

So actually, DH and I tried to talk our 2 into getting 'normal' jobs because we were terrified for them. We didn't want them getting into so much debt like that. But they, and the college and the Government - and Martin Lewis - and many others in the media and press and so on, said 'it's not a real debt!'

Our 2 DC didn't care about the student debt. They still both wanted to go to Uni.

They now have the huge student debt.

DH and I have no regrets though, because they made the choice to go to Uni. As I said, we even tried to discourage them, but they are both strong willed and independent, and did what they wanted to do.

Nevertheless, they do both have very good careers (earning £75,000 to £85,000 a year, and not even in London!) and they would not be in this career (and on this salary) without the degree(s.) In addition, they only pay 9% of everything above £27,500 I think... They still pay a fair amount towards it, but because of their high salaries they don't notice it much/it doesn't affect them much. They actually don't seem that bothered by it. (DH and I are more bothered!)

And as I said, without the degrees they have, they would probably be on much lower salaries.

Surely though, anyone earning not much (even though they have a degree) wouldn't be paying much towards the student debt anyway....?

They do need to change the thresholds though!

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Both of mine will be going in a couple of years but we will be doing everything we can to ensure they don’t have to take out loans.

Thankfully we can afford it as they already go to independent school so it just means that the school fees will go on uni tuition and living costs instead.

To be honest, I think Martin Lewis has a lot to answer for. He was actively pushing for everyone to take maximum loans whether they needed to or not for many many years.

My eldest went abroad to avoid loans/debt. Second one will have some debt.

It is all so predictable. I was part of the generation that marched against both the Iraq war and student loans. It was all so predictable that when those with the big loans got to an age where they had some voice in the media/politics, this would finally be the big issue that it always was. It is all grossly unfair to burden the next generation with debt to access education and to keep feeding the old generation that sits on all the wealth/political power/votes.

I completely agree, @PorkyHooton.

With DD, we encouraged her to think about what’s important to her in a career and also think five years, even ten years ahead to what she sees herself doing/would like to be doing. Then work backwards from there.

Do I feel guilty for encouraging my son to go to university given the student loan situation? No. I encouraged him to experience higher education, but I never pushed him toward a particular career.
That said, it is striking how much debt students take on today. By the time many finish their degree, they are carrying tens of thousands in loans, yet starting salaries for some professions including teaching aren’t much higher than what you could earn in jobs that don’t require a degree, with some minimum-wage roles approaching £25,000. It really highlights the financial challenge some young people face in balancing study, debt, and early career earnings.

My daughter went to Cambridge and studied Geography. Not a subject that would easily lead to a career. My youngest daughter went to art college and . She came out and became a management consultant, not something that readily used her skills but a university was the thing that opened the door to her. Just a few years down the line she is now thinking of retraining as a barrister (even more debt and even more study). I can’t make her mind up for her and will support her in whatever she does. Some choices incur debt and some don’t but it is our children’s choice to make.

I kind of agree with this; at least, this it how it has worked out for my DC. They have both had a brilliant time at uni, left home in a supported kind of way, got to live in another part of the country, made some truly incredible friendships and gained a qualification which is a leg up in the world, if not essential in their fields. Yes it was expensive, but I don't think they regret it. Going to uni is about so much more than just their future career.

Yes, I do a bit.

DS initially liked the idea of apprenticeship/degree apprenticeships… but aside from the fact they are like gold dust, he didn’t know what he wanted to do and nothing he saw really appealed that much.

So we encouraged uni. It seemed sensible. He did fairly well at A level, got into a top ten uni. He did a fairly traditional academic but not STEM subject, the sort with various transferable skills (and the majority of grad schemes he’s looked at just want any degree). Worked part time throughout 6th form and uni. Graduated with a 2.1 last summer….. and is still job hunting.

He’s finding it really tough and demoralising.

Most sixth formers don't just follow whatever path mum and dad tell them to. They have an opinion about what they'd like to do when they leave school. Unless someone had totally brow beaten their nearly adult dc and made then ultra obedient in an unhealthy way I guess.

It's a sad state of affairs if we are now telling academic young people with top A level grades higher education is not for the likes of them, unless mum and dad can pay upfront. It would be a real backwards step.

@firstofallimadelight Going to university is rarely a waste of time. The payback may be slower than expected though.

Nothing actually to do with the financial services industry then. Though I’d share your broader concern about Plan 2 interest rates, more the level and tiered charging rather than the application point@Papyrophile

Yes I grew up on the era where a degree guaranteed a job but people from where I grew up didn’t go to uni and I regretted it so from my kids being young I normalised going to uni as I wanted them to feel it was accessible to them. But then the costs went up so much, degrees became ten a penny. I actively encouraged apprenticeships but they both wanted uni. Now 45k in debt each one has a job she needed a level 3 qualification for and the other ended up doing a apprentiship after her degree . They loved their time at uni though

Take a clear luxury, like jewellery design. Nobody needs jewellery, but some of the fine metal work skills will have a wider application in industry.

Yes, I am happy for the taxpayer to get back their investment . I am less comfortable with the notion that it should be charged ab initio
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When I went to university in 1974, only a handful went so paying fees and grants wasn't big money, and most people earned and paid back via their higher earnings. But when you allow every single course to charge £9500 for tuition, regardless of the graduate earning potential, it is a hiding to nowhere.

My son wanted an apprentiship but didnt get one after a lot of trying. He is working full time but its made up of several different jobs, a couple are well paid but not really possible to progress in.

He's now thinking of doing a degree as he can keep some of his part time jobs alongside it but will maybe get a chance at one job in an area of interest and progression opportunities.

We've talked about how he could get the degree and end up doing the same combination of jobs he does now earning the same amount, but paying 9% of this salary over the 25k and he feels its worth the risk. He also thought being a graduate is useful if you want emigrate and money comes and goes but its quite hard to take education from you (apart from illness affecting the brain)

So what im saying is its easy to think your child might have earned more or done better without a degree but the reality might have been several zero hours contracts and wondering what if the other direction.

You mean the Treasury and taxpayer then?

@isthatmytrainleaving Yep, my DH (53) is still paying off his graduate degree loans- he’ spread them over 30 years so it’s like another household bill.

But, that advanced degree was vital to his career, he wouldn’t be doing what he does without it.