The Student Room - Postgraduate Survey 2011

1. Demographics

2. Postgraduate degrees

3. Which course?

4. Student loyalty

5. Cost/Benefit of a postgraduate degree

6. Making the decision

7. Distance learning

8. Why The Student Room?

DEMOGRAPHICSPostgraduate Survey

672 students took part in the survey advertised on The Student Room

• 47.9% Male

• 52.1% Female

• Aged 16 – 30

• Living in the UK (62.4%) and abroad (37.6%)

• State (79.9%) and private (20.1%) schooled

• All stages of education from GCSE and upward

POSTGRADUATE DEGREESPostgraduate Survey

Students find postgraduate degrees are too expensive and there is a lack of funding, others just don’t have enough information

• 65.8% of those not doing a postgraduate degree is because they are too expensive

• 50.7% say it is because of a lack of funding options available

• 21.9% have had enough of studying

• 16.4% don’t have the time

• 15.1% don’t have enough information about postgraduate courses to make a decision

Scottish/UK/ International Students

•Scottish students are the least concerned about postgrads being too expensive and are don’t do them because they have had enough of studying

•International students are not put off by the added years in education and are not concerned by a lack of government funding

•Scottish students are also the least aware of postgrad options

Undergraduates vs Graduates

•Graduates are more concerned about the lack of government funding

•Undergraduates see the cost being the major reason for not doing one

•Undergraduates are less knowledgeable about postgrad courses than those that have graduated

Employability and a new course are the main driving forces behind postgraduate study

Main reason for doing a post grad degreeUndergraduates vs Graduates vs Postgraduates

•Graduates are most likely to do a postgrad as a requirement of their career, to postpone employment or to gain knowledge of a new subject

•Undergraduates have a greater desire to enhance their knowledge of their current course

•Postgraduates main reason for continuing their studies is to increase employability

Scottish/UK/International Students

•International students are more likely to do a postgrad to enhance their knowledge of either their current or new subject

•UK students main reason is to increase their employability

•Scottish students are least likely to do a postgrad to postpone employment and are more interested in increasing employability or are required to do it for their career

WHICH COURSE?Postgraduate Survey

Professional accreditation makes the course more appealing to post grad applicants

• 64.2% find accreditation of a course by a professional body more appealing

• Most popular study areas are

• Humanities

• Science

• Engineering

• Business

Are you more attracted to courses accredited by a professional body?Undergraduates vs Graduates vs Postgraduates

•Postgraduates are least worried about courses being accredited by a professional body as they have experienced a postgrad course for themselves

Scottish/UK/International students

•International students are most interested in courses that are accredited by a professional body, possibly due to them looking for added value from the course

STUDENT LOYALTYPostgraduate Survey

Few students remain loyal to their university for postgraduate courses

• 61.7% expect to change universities for their postgraduate degree with the most popular alternatives being

• Students are split on whether they would consider studying abroad

• 46.5% would leave the country

• 47% would stay in the UK

• 6.5% are undecided

• 20.1% will stay at their university with the most popular being

Would you consider a postgraduates course at a non-UK university?Undergraduates vs Graduates vs Postgraduates

•Those that have graduated are most likely to consider a post grad abroad as are those currently studying for one

Scottish/UK/International students

•UK universities seem to be the primary goal for UK and Scottish students with international students most open to studying elsewhere

International students named a total of 28 British universities that they would like to do a postgraduate course at

• 65% of international students expect to change universities for their postgraduate degree, naming the following UK institutions

COST / BENEFIT OF A POSTGRADUATE DEGREE

Postgraduate Survey

The majority of students will fund themselves through their post grad

• 52.6% of students will fund themselves with a combination of part time work, personal savings and bank loans

• 24.6% expect to work part time whilst studying

• 18.3% will receive funding from parents or other family member

“International students expect their courses to be more with 47% believing a postgraduate course will cost them over £12,000”

How do you expect to fund your post grad degree?Undergraduates vs Graduates vs Postgraduates

•Taking on part time work whilst studying is the most popular way to fund a post grad

•Graduates are least likely to fund it with personal savings, probably due to having none left after uni

•Public funding is the least but this is likely due to a lack of knowledge of the support available for postgraduate students

Scottish/UK/International Students

•Scottish students are most likely to work part time to fund their post grad and least likely to rely on public funding

•International students are marginally more expectant on receiving financial help from their parents

Increasing knowledge and employability are the main reasons for doing a post grad

• Gaining a greater knowledge of their chosen subject is the main benefit that students see in doing a post grad course

• 73.2% believe that it will give them greater career prospects

• 52.7% think that increasing employability is one of the main benefits

• Other benefits include

• Being employable after retirement

• Having an additional career option

• Academic status and self-satisfaction

Undergraduate and postgraduate students would be less likely to continue their studies had they paid higher tuition fees

• Only 41% said that they would definitely have still done their postgraduate course had they had to pay the £9,000 tuition fees that will hit the 2012 entrants.

“I have no choice if I want to follow my chosen career”

“The benefit of it is worth more than the amount to be paid as a fee”

• 29.9% would not have done a post grad had they paid the higher rate for their first degree with the remainder unsure what they would have done.

“I wouldn’t have been able to afford it”

Would you have still done a post grad if you’d paid £9,000 tuition fees?Undergraduates vs Graduates vs Postgraduates

•Current postgraduate students are least likely to have continued their studies had they paid the higher fees set to come in 2012

Scottish/UK/International students

•International students are least likely to be affected by a rise in fees deterring them from doing a postgraduate course as they expect to pay more any way

MAKING THE DECISIONPostgraduate Survey

86.8% of 20-25 year olds on The Student Room are considering studying a post grad course

How many students decided they wanted to do a post grad before they were 20?Undergraduates vs Graduates vs Postgraduates

•Students are making the decision to do a postgraduate course from a younger age with more undergraduates making the decision before they are 20

Scottish/UK/International students

•International students are more likely to know they are going to do a postgraduate course from a young age

Universities and associates are the main source of information and influencer of a students decision to do a postgraduate course

DISTANCE LEARNINGPostgraduate Survey

Students are undecided on distance learning courses

Do you know about distance learning and would you consider it?Undergraduates vs Graduates vs Postgraduates

•International students are most aware of distance learning options and marginally more likely to consider one for a post grad

Scottish/UK/International students

•Postgraduates are most aware probably due to having actually been through the process of looking at the options available to them

ABOUT THE STUDENT ROOM?

Postgraduate Survey

4.5 million unique users a month looking for information, support and advice from their peers

• 88% of TSR users said they would be interested in studying a Postgraduate course

• 82% of users said that they would like more information about Postgraduate courses

• 25% of visits to The Student Room are international students

• 32% of The Student Room’s users at university said their decision of where to attend was directly influenced by The Student Room

For more information about this research contact Kailan D’Arcy or Jamie O’Connell at The Student Room... 0800 999 3222