Is it still worth going to university?

Lucy Moon and Georgia Thomas share a house to try to reduce costs

At the beginning of a new university year, students are settling in and learning to manage budgets.

However, cost of living pressures and long-running industrial action by lecturers are some of the challenges being faced by them.

Despite that, university remains a popular choice, even though the number of 18-year-olds taking up places has fallen since the pandemic.

Universities Wales said studying at university was critical to the economy.

As thousands of students travel to campuses for the start of term, many for the first time, we asked them about their hopes and concerns after a difficult period in higher education.

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In a popular student area of Swansea, we meet housemates Vee Parr, 19, and Izzy Platten, 20, who are both starting the second year of a human geography degree.

University "just opens up the world, it opens up many doors," says Vee Parr, left, with housemate Izzy Platten

Vee said he was "quite lucky" to receive some support from his parents, but had also worked hard over the summer to give himself "a nice little nest egg" to help him through the year.

To cut costs he has managed to limit his spending on food to about £20 a week, and said: "It's definitely something that concerns me because I don't want to be in even more debt in 10, 20 years".

He estimated he was already £26,500 in debt, but said it was easier to stomach when considered as a tax he will only pay when he earns over a certain amount, rather than a normal debt.

"I definitely think uni is worth it - it just opens up the world, it opens up many doors," he said.

Izzy agreed: "If you really want to go to university then I think you should - it's just got to be something that you want to do."

Latest data from university admissions service Ucas showed 10,470 applications accepted from 18-year-olds from Wales, 4% down on the same time in 2022, but up on the pre-pandemic summers of 2017, 2018 and 2019.

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In the last academic year, there was disruption due to a dispute involving lecturers, and there may be more on the way.

Though a marking and assessment boycott has now ended, the backlog means that many of this summer's graduates still do not have all their marks.

We first spoke to Ellis Matthews in July when he was not able to graduate because of the boycott.

Now he is packing for the move from the Newport area to Cumbria to start a job in the nuclear industry.

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"I still haven't had my marks but luckily I've had a job from a company who say they'll accept me despite me not having my results," said Ellis.

He called his experience "really disappointing".

Prof Elizabeth Treasure, vice chancellor of Aberystwyth University and chair of Universities Wales, said she was looking forward to a period of "calm".

She acknowledged universities were also subject to a financial squeeze and faced a "really challenging time".

'University leads to higher income'

"University is really very important for the individual, for the society and for the economy. We're going to need more and more graduates with specialist skills," said Prof Treasure.

"We know it does lead to higher income and we know it is absolutely critical to developing the jobs of the future.

"So I would say to students, young people, people looking for career changes - it's definitely worthwhile going to university."

At Swansea University's freshers' fayre, Llanelli school friends Lucy Moon, studying marketing, and Georgia Thomas, an English and creative writing first year, navigated crowds around stalls trying to get them to sign up for everything from K-pop to ultimate frisbee.

The social aspect of university was a big draw.

"Definitely making lots of friends - very much looking forward to that," said Georgia, 19.

Lucy will be looking for part-time work to help with costs.

"We've gone into a house together to try and cut costs," Georgia added. "Weigh it up with the benefits and I think it's worth it."