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Lawyer 2B readers: law degree not worth £9,000 annual price tag

18 February 2013 | By Becky Waller-Davies

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Just 16 per cent of law students believe a university education is invaluable and justifies the £9,000 annual cost of tuition fees.

The majority of Lawyer2B readers who voted in our online poll - 58 per cent - do not believe a university education is worth the increased fee and agree that £9,000 is ‘a ridiculous sum of money’, while just over a quarter believe that tuition fees are simply ‘a fact of life’.

The results contrast with the results of a YouGov survey that found that 40 per cent of students thought university education was still worth £9,000 per year.

The YouGov report also found that UK undergraduates and postgraduates currently studying at UK universities owe £20bn. The vast majority is owed to the state-owned Student Loans Company with 15 per cent of debt owed to family, friends or commercial lenders. Most students think that attending university is vital for their careers.

Just under three-quarters - 72 per cent - of students have a student loan and 40 per cent receive maintenance grants. Nearly half of students receive money from their parents, with the average amount totalling £64 per week. Almost one third have a part time job, with the average wage coming in at £91 per week and the average number of hours worked sitting at 11.

Students are also spending more than they are earning. The average student income is £9,708 (including tuition fee loans) but overspending amounts to £726 per student each year. The current intake of first-year undergraduates is the first to pay £9,000 tuition fees; other undergraduate years are paying £3,000.

Students are spending one third less on alcohol than one year ago (15 February 2013).

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Readers' comments (4)

  • K | 18-Feb-2013 11:44 pm

    For the vast majority of law students a law degree is not worth the money that they pay for it as the profession is becoming a lot more difficult to enter.

    Competition at the bar is very high, with only those from the top Russell Group universities and who hold high 2:1s getting a look in.

    The same can be said for those looking into getting a TC at a city firm.

    The vast majority of students will not earn anywhere near as much as they assumed when they began their law degree, especially if they choose to go into criminal law.

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  • Anonymous | 19-Feb-2013 10:26 am

    High 2:1's for the City or the Bar? Few years out sadly, you need a solid 1st Class degree from a Russell Group for any hope of either. Though your point is entirely true - there is increasing competition for a shrinking profession.

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  • Chris Williams | 19-Feb-2013 3:36 pm

    @Anonymous (10:26)

    I don't know about the Bar, but you do not need a 1st from a Russell Group uni for the City. A 2:1 overall is a must, though even the odd 2:2 in a module is far from terminal. The rest is down to making your application stand out in other ways and performing well at interview.

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  • Anonymous | 19-Feb-2013 4:36 pm

    @Chris Williams 3.36pm

    Perhaps not a 1st but at least a red brick University. And if you don't you would need so much in extra-curricular, work experience and connections to the firm that you would have no such thing as free time (between said experience and studying) for things such as family or social lives. Okay so I never really had a social life in my undergraduate degree (certainly not on the LPC) but I still had time for family and Christmas. I really wouldn't be taken in by the recruitment packages - at the end of the day there is so much competition if you have two candidates of equal University prestige and work experience vying for a TC in a City firm they will always pick the one with the 1st over the one with the 2:1. Equally if it comes down to University appeal, a Russell Group will open many doors whereas an everyday Uni or a former polytech will see them slammed in your face. Unless you are a token recruit; would that really be worth it?

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