University degrees that will get your kids a job and those that probably won't

[ratewhore]

If the full range is 84.7 - 99.6% I would say that isn't at all bad.

If only that was the complete picture...

[Freamon]

That's because they are the ones who'd emerged with 6 years of debt instead of 3, and could least afford not to.

And with the new system, a graduate's total debt is actually likely to increase even more during the first decade or two of their working life before they actually start paying anything back.

[mudskipper]

And with the new system, a graduate's total debt is actually likely to increase even more during the first decade or two of their working life before they actually start paying anything back.

Yep - and I believe there are penalties for paying off early.

Looking at the situation at the moment - the impression was given that a few unis would increase the fees to £9000 but most would have much smaller increases. In fact, 1/3 have gone to the max, and nearly all are £8000+. So looking at £25K for daughter's uni fees. If she'd gone this year, it would have been around £10K, but arts courses require you to do a foundation course first, so we missed out.

[d000hg]

At the other end of the spectrum, only 84.7pc of graduates with computer science degrees got a job with six months of finishing their degree.

Is 84.7% really the other end of the spectrum, or somewhere in the middle?

[SueEllen]

Yep - and I believe there are penalties for paying off early.

They wanted to make them a graduate tax in all but name.

One issue of just making it a graduate tax was that they thought it would be extremely hard to chase EU nationals to get them to pay it back, as they are already finding difficult to chase them for student loans.

[Fred Bloggs]

I think the stats for computer science are extremely misleading. Bloggs Jr is looking at doing a combined honours maths/computer science degree in 2012. Imperial and Cambridge, for example, are 100% employment post graduation. I imagine (but haven't looked) that the likes of Chester and Huddersfield are less than half that. So, I think the answer really is, "it depends where you go to study". Bloggs Jr is looking at Bristol, Warwick, Manchester, Liverpool so he's likely to end up with half a chance of a job I guess, I hope anyway.

[Doggy Styles]

One issue of just making it a graduate tax was that they thought it would be extremely hard to chase EU nationals to get them to pay it back, as they are already finding difficult to chase them for student loans.

Oh the joys of free movement!

[Freamon]

I think the stats for computer science are extremely misleading. Bloggs Jr is looking at doing a combined honours maths/computer science degree in 2012. Imperial and Cambridge, for example, are 100% employment post graduation. I imagine (but haven't looked) that the likes of Chester and Huddersfield are less than half that. So, I think the answer really is, "it depends where you go to study". Bloggs Jr is looking at Bristol, Warwick, Manchester, Liverpool so he's likely to end up with half a chance of a job I guess, I hope anyway.

Where you go obviously has an impact, but the most important factor is the individual.

Some people who go to middle-tier universities make sure they get good work experience during uni and expend effort during their final year in lining up a decent graduate job.

Some people who go to top universities don't bother with any of the above and end up unemployed for the first 18 months after graduating.

It's mostly a question of putting the effort in and getting yourself organised.

[minestrone]

No chance these figures are correct, half the people that got a degree in Engineering on my main degree are working outwith the industry. If you get a third you will not be hired and you are doing a conversion course to teach maths.

[minestrone]

And law, it really is a vanity degree, it is quite rare for someone on that course to pratice law after graduation.

"I have a degree in law"

"Nice one, what are you doing now?"

"well I work for a retail bank and check the letters going out to defaulters"