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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Richard Adams

We ask the experts: does it still pay to go to university? ‘It’s complex’

A rear view of a university graduate in a graduation gown holding a diploma in his hand outside the academic building
Licence to print money? Graduates do earn more over a lifetime, but not all degree subjects are created equal. Photograph: Olga Dobrovolska/Getty Images

Is a university degree still worth it? That question has been asked for decades but with increased frequency over the last 10 years, as the cost of taking a degree has shifted from government to graduates.

The short answer is: yes it is, according to experts such as the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). But as undergraduates in England now finish their courses with tuition and maintenance loans averaging £53,000, the longer answer is that it’s complicated.

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