Is it worth going to university if it’s not very high up on the league table?

[Universitydilema]

Dd is 18 years old and wants to go to Uni this September. She wants to live at home for various reasons and so would commute. We live in Gloucestershire so nearest is university of Gloucestershire or University West of England. She has offers from both to study business but I know that neither is high up on the league table. Obviously we don’t know how well she has done so far but she is not a straight A student. I keep seeing people say it’s not worth going unless the university is well regarded. Would an employer disregard a degree if it’s a university from either of these? She really liked both universities when we visited them.

It really depends on the course and what kind of career she wants afterwards.
In my team at work (R&D, medical diagnostics) we recruit entry level jobs and specify a relevant degree as essential so we wouldn’t interview people without a degree (unless they had loads of relevant experience maybe), so yes a degree is essential. I personally wouldn’t care what university the degree was from though, and many have gone to our local uni which is mid-tier.

If she wants to do a job where a degree isn’t going to be essential she could look at whether there are better options for her, like apprenticeships or a more vocational course.

I think overall though a degree is still an advantage for a lot of careers

No I don't think it would really matter to most employers what uni she'd been to. It's probably better to ask what careers will this degree lead to and is it worth getting saddled with a load of debt. If she did go to uni then a degree alone isn't enough to make her attractive to employers. Students need to stand out in the job market so get involved with everything while she's there e.g. societies, students jobs, course reps etc... to give her the edge.

It also depends on the subject and what you think the point of a degree is. Many would argue its value is not only measurable in career earnings.

Given she is not going to have the full uni experience - living away from home, bring independent etc - a low value degree and the costs involved in that needs to be thought very hard about. Has she looked into apprenticeships or entry level jobs (have a look at Notgoingtouni website)? These may be better for her in the long term

Absolutely yes!

Depends on the course, some lower ranked universities have excellent courses. From where you live Bristol would be a more prestigious option but hard to get into

Lots of lower ranked uni offer excellent more vocational courses. Is she planning to work as well?

Tbh hardly anyone cares about 'Russell Group' universities; it's a nice cache to say you went to one, and there are certain sectors with snobbier prejudices (e.g., city centre finance or politics), but for the majority of people in normal careers it won't matter.

As I’m old enough to be her grandma, and worked in education, and still keep up with it I would say if it’s something she’s going to enjoy, let her go.
It is not just about the studying it’s about life skills and making friends. And most business courses at this level will have a practical element, and good business links with the commercial community.
My best friend at Uni lived at home, different times perhaps, but it didn’t stop her making friends. In fact I loved being her friend it was great to get to know her family… and her mum’s roast dinners!

My ds went to mid tier uni to do accountancy. He got a graduate job with one of the big 4 immediately after graduating. Said that he found the chartered accountancy exams easier than some folk from more prestigious universities.