Analysis of Google search data reveals that online searches for ‘Do I need a degree’ skyrocketed 475% on the 24th of February, following announced changes to the university tuition fee system, which includes lower thresholds for loan repayments and certain students being banned from getting loans if they do not pass their Maths and English GCSEs.
A new finding by marketing agency School of Marketing reveals that online searches for ‘Do I need a degree’ skyrocketed to nearly five times the average volume in one hour, an unprecedented spike in people Googling about not wanting to go to university, according to analysis of Google Trends.
The findings also found that searches for ‘Not going to uni’ increased 989% on the same day, nearly nine times the average volume.
A spokesperson from School of Marketing commented on the findings:
“These findings highlight how quickly news like this can influence young people’s decisions about their future, with the changes already seeing many prospective students looking for alternatives. It will be interesting to see how this affects university enrollment rates over the next few years, with many people being locked out of loans and potentially no longer being able to finance a degree. This could also see indirect impacts on university alternatives like apprenticeships as well, and maybe even the number of graduate schemes in certain fields.”
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