Two thirds of students say their university was not 'straight' about their course's job prospects

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 19:01 EDT, 16 September 2026 | Updated: 19:01 EDT, 16 September 2026 Two thirds of students say their university was not 'straight' with them about their course's job prospects, a survey has found.Polling of 1,054 undergraduates found 66 per cent were not told, unless they asked, what share of graduates in their subject get graduate-level jobs.This included 34 per cent who were not told at all.Meanwhile, 44 per cent said they have never been told the average graduate salary for their subject.In addition, 61 per cent of all respondents said they fear their degree will not lead to a job that justifies the cost, with 15 per cent 'very worried' about this.The fear rises to 78 per cent in the social sciences and 69 per cent among arts and creative students.Duncan Verry, portfolio director of Bett, which carried out the survey, said: 'I assumed the complaints would be about cost, and some are. But the louder one was about honesty.'A lot of these students do not feel their university has been straight with them about what happens after graduation.' Two thirds of students say their university was not 'straight' with them about their course's job prospects, a survey has found (file picture)It comes after figures showed 957,000 16 to 24-year-olds in the UK were not in education, employment or training in October to December 2025, or 12.8 per cent of that age group.Data on graduate employment and salaries for individual courses is available on Government websites, but many youngsters are not aware of this.Employment rates vary greatly, with medicine and economics degrees from top universities producing the best outcomes and art degrees from the lowest-ranked universities producing among the worst.In January, Professor Shitij Kapur, vice chancellor of King's College London, warned that a degree is no longer a 'passport' to social mobility but a 'visa', buying entry to the graduate jobs market without guaranteeing a job.Today's survey showed many students agree, with 17 per cent saying their degree is 'more like a visa that gets me into the application process but no further'.The 'visa' view rises to a third – 33 per cent – of social science students and 20 per cent in the arts.Tuition fees have risen with inflation to £9,790 for this academic year, and interest on the newest student loans rose to 4.1 per cent this month.The online survey was carried out by Research Without Barriers earlier this year for Bett, which organises London's annual education technology exhibition.A spokesman for Universities UK, which represents vice chancellors, said the Government's website Discover Uni helps students 'compare universities and courses using data on many different metrics, including teaching quality, costs, and graduate outcomes'.They added: 'Universities are also serious about supporting graduates into good jobs, in a challenging economy. That's why we've committed to making work-based learning opportunities available to all undergraduates, to embedding AI into every course and making careers advice available to graduates across their working lives.'