Responding to the Institute for Fiscal Studies report on the impact of undergraduate degrees on lifetime earnings, Director of Policy at University Alliance Susanna Kalitowski said:
“The IFS report proves the indisputable long-term earning premium gained from degrees: higher education is clearly one of the most effective routes into well paid employment. At age 31, the report shows that graduates overall earn almost 50% more per year than non-graduates, and they are more likely to access higher-skilled occupations and experience greater employment stability. This earning uplift emerges early in careers and tends to persist over time, showing that the benefits of a degree just keep on giving as graduates continue in their working lives.
Alan Milburn’s interim NEET report also found that graduates show greater labour market ‘resilience’ than non-graduates and while some graduates do become unemployed or NEET, they are significantly more likely to remain actively engaged in the labour market. We also released our own polling last year, which showed that the British public know the value of a university education.
The evidence is clear: North, South, Reform voter or Green voter, well-off or just getting by – the public want the children in their family to go to university. The data shows it, parents know it: university education is invaluable.”
