Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department plans to take to assess the social and economic value of different university courses to (a) students and (b) taxpayers.

We are clear that outcomes are not just about economic returns. Our higher education system transforms lives and is a great contributor to both our industrial success and the cultural life of the nation. High quality provision in a range of subjects is critical for our public services and culturally enriching for our society.

The Teaching Excellence Framework puts clear information in the hands of students about the teaching quality and outcomes they might expect to receive.

In addition, the government regularly publishes information on the benefits of higher education ranging from; research publications on student aspirations and the wider non-market benefits, to statistical publications on graduate employment and earning trends including ‘Graduate Labour Market Statistics’ and ‘Longitudinal Education Outcomes’ publications, which can be found on the gov.uk website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/graduate-labour-market-statistics-2018.

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-higher-education-graduate-employment-and-earnings.

The government is due to publish an updated study in the coming months on the earnings premium graduates can expect from holding a degree. The latest research, however, can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/229498/bis-13-899-the-impact-of-university-degrees-on-the-lifecycle-of-earnings-further-analysis.pdf.

The research suggests that over a working life, graduate returns average £170,000 for males and £250,000 for females, which takes into account the impact of loan repayments, national insurance and income tax payments.