Value judgements: course ratings by the Class of 2009

Almost two-thirds of students who graduated in 2008-09 still thought their courses were good value for money three and a half years later, a survey has found.

Just 14 per cent say the courses they completed had not been good value for money, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency’s longitudinal survey of graduate destinations.

Opinions differ by mission group, with the highest rates of satisfaction recorded among graduates of the Russell Group of large research-intensive universities (69 per cent). The rate is lowest among GuildHE graduates (60 per cent).

At the subject level, graduates in disciplines with low unemployment, such as medicine and dentistry, are among those most likely to say their studies had been value for money (84 per cent). But almost 30 per cent of those in creative arts and design and mass communications/documentation doubt the value of their courses.

Source: Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Longitudinal Survey, Hesa

Note: survey is based on a sample of UK-domiciled graduates who left higher education in 2008-09

elizabeth.gibney@tsleducation.com