On the fence about whether or not to go to university?
Deciding what to do after sixth form or college can feel massive, and you may be asking yourself some questions about where you want your life to go. Whether you’re about to finish your A levels, T levels, or an NVQ level 3, there are a few routes you can take after you’ve completed further education, with university being the obvious one. But is that the right route for you?
From how it could impact your earning potential to paying back student debt, in this blog, we explore the pros and cons of choosing university as your next step towards your career goals, to help you decide.
Pros and Cons of University
Pro: Increase your earning potential
Universities open doors to jobs that require a high level of knowledge and expertise in the field, which is why they often lead to bigger salaries.
In fact, figures released by the government in 2025 revealed that young people aged 25 to 29 who attended university and earned an undergraduate degree earn 27% more than those without any qualifications.
And over your working life, you could earn up to £100,000 more than those without a degree. However, these figures can often depend on which course you choose and the grade you acquire.
Pro: Meet people from diverse backgrounds
Although the main point of university is to study your chosen subject in detail, it’s also about meeting people, having fun, and experiencing a life where your friends become your family.
Whether you go to university in Scotland or head down south into England, you’ll meet people from across the UK, and sometimes even the world. This gives you the chance to connect with people from various walks of life, those you might not have otherwise met.
If you’re looking for love, recent research found that 20% of students in the UK found ‘the one’ at university, and according to another study, 12.17% went on to marry them.
Pro: Turn your passion into a career
If you’re passionate about a subject and find great joy in learning more about it, going to university could help you turn your passion into a career.
Whether you’re an avid reader who wants to write your own book one day or a history fanatic who wants to make an archaeological discovery, there are more than 35,000 courses available at universities across the UK.
If you’d like to explore where your chosen subject could lead, check out the Prospects website. From career advice and applying to university to postgraduate study and finding work experience, it’s full of handy tools to help you discover just how far your passion could take you.
Pro: Set yourself up for other opportunities
It used to be quite common for people to choose a career and stick with it until they reached retirement age. But these days, this is rare. Some people switch careers to improve their salary and work-life balance, whereas others may not have realised what their career choice involved until they started doing it.
The good news is that most undergraduate degrees can help you gain qualifications in other areas. For example, if you study art but decide later down the line that you’d like to become a primary school teacher, as long as you have a GCSE grade 4 or above in English, maths and science, you’ll be able to apply for teacher training PGCE courses and apprenticeships.
You could also apply to other graduate programmes or complete a master’s and work towards a PHD. Your undergraduate degree provides a strong foundation to build upon if you ever want to switch careers or work towards more qualifications in the future.
Pro: Experience independence with others your age
When you reach 18, university gives you the chance to taste independence within the safety of university halls alongside lots of other people who are the same age as you.
This can make the transition to independent living less lonely because you’ll be joined by more than 250,000 other 18-year-olds leaving home for the first time. You won’t be navigating bills, groceries, and budgeting alone; you’ll be in it together with your housemates, making sure someone remembers to buy toilet paper!
Con: Student debt
One of the biggest things that puts people off university is the cost. I mean, who wouldn’t be intimidated by the idea of being in over £50,000 of debt after just three or four years?
Well, as a care leaver in Scotland, you’ll be entitled to free tuition at Scottish universities and additional funding to reduce the amount of debt you’ll owe. This includes a Care Experienced Student Bursary (CESB) of £9,000 and a £2,400 Special Support Loan.
You also won’t have to pay any of your student debt back until you’re earning over £32,745, and it will come straight out of your pay packet. Student loans won’t appear on your credit report, and only the amount you pay each month towards the debt will be considered in mortgage and other credit applications.
Con: Postpone earning an income
University courses typically last between 3 and 5 years, depending on which course you choose and whether you complete a foundation or work placement year.
Most young students choose to study full-time, which means you’ll have to postpone earning a full-time income until you graduate.
But, as we said earlier, your degree could lead to a higher income in the long run. This means you need to weigh up what’s more important to you, earning an income now or postponing a full-time income to go to university and potentially increasing your earnings over the course of your career.
You also have the option to study part-time while working full-time. However, you’ll need to be willing to give up your free time and have enough self-discipline to get your university work done.
Con: No guarantee of a job
Around 800,000 students graduate from university each year. Some of these graduates will go on to further study, while others will begin looking for graduate opportunities and jobs in their chosen field.
If you study something like Medicine, Nursing, or Dentistry, it can significantly increase your chances of securing a job because you’ll be in high demand. Whereas if you study a popular course, such as Law, Media or Psychology, the job market within these subjects can be far more competitive, making it more difficult to secure a role in your chosen field.
As a result, you might need to broaden your search or consider further study to make your application stand out once you finish your undergraduate degree.
Questions to ask yourself
Now that we’ve covered some of the key pros and cons of attending university, it’s time to reflect on whether it’s the right step for you.
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
Do you know which subject you’ll study?
If you’re passionate about a particular subject or know which one you need to study to reach your career goals, that’s great, and university could be a good fit.
However, if you’re not sure what you really want to do and are thinking about picking a course at random, it’s unlikely to work out. You’ll be studying your chosen course around 35 hours a week, and if it’s something you don’t enjoy, you may end up failing or dropping out, but you’ll still have to pay back that student loan.
It can feel like a lot of pressure to decide what you’d like to do for the next 50 years when you’ve had no experience in the workplace. So if you’re unsure, explore other options – you can always apply to university later in life.
Do you actually need a degree?
You don’t need a degree for every career. For example, if you want to become a firefighter, you’ll complete an apprenticeship and ongoing training, and if you want to become a pilot, you’ll usually complete a training course, such as the British Airways Speedbird Pilot Academy.
So before you commit to university, think about whether it’s really necessary for your chosen career.
Do you have the discipline to study?
Regardless of which course you choose, you’ll be required to complete at least 12 hours of independent study each week. This might include pre-lecture reading, writing notes, and doing research, which means you’ll need self-discipline to get out of bed or say no to that night out so you can crack on.
If you think you’ll struggle to remain focused, you might want to consider other options available to you.
Could you earn your degree another way?
University isn’t the only way to gain an undergraduate degree. Companies across the UK offer degree apprenticeships, where you work in the industry while gaining your degree. It usually involves working for 80% of the time and studying for the other 20%.
Degree apprenticeships are a great way to earn while you learn and get industry experience that will help you stand out above other candidates when you apply for future jobs. What’s more is that you won’t have to pay a penny for your degree, as it will be covered by your employer and the UK government.
Still unsure?
We hope this blog has given you lots of food for thought and helps you decide whether university is right for you.
But, if you’re still unsure, talk through your worries with your foster carers, social worker, or pathway coordinator; they are all here to help you succeed and find a career you’ll be happy in.
