White Working Class Males in British Higher Education
2000 ). Focus group participants shared the concerns they had whilst they considered whether or not to pursue a university degree , providing insights into the ways higher education may be seen as a risk for them .
Financial concerns were at the forefront of discussions with participants , including : understanding and taking on student debt ; whether or not they could afford basic living expenses during their three years at university ( even if they receive the maximum amount of student loans ); and the fear that they might not find gainful employment upon graduation . This echoes findings from UCAS ( 2016 , p . 23 ):
“ For me [ a major concern ] was going there , not liking it and still having to have the debt . I didn ’ t mind the debt per se , but it was more getting there , not appreciating the experience and having to go through it still accumulating all the debt .”
--focus group participant
Financial issues were a recurrent theme and it was clear that cost and fear of debt are perceived to be deterrents to HE progression . This view comes not just from the most disadvantaged groups , but also from a ‘ squeezed middle ’ who do not qualify for any financial aid . Some talked about worrying that their parents would struggle to support them financially , and / or about paying back loans . There was a lot of feedback about debt . If debt was the reality , they questioned if it would be worthwhile .
From the post-entry focus groups , these quotes highlight a few examples of financial concerns :
I know a few people who don ’ t come uni because their student loan [ would be ] just minimal and it just wouldn ’ t be affordable … So I think that ’ s another thing that either puts people off … is the money situation , especially with student loans .
A lot of my friends from college , they were always saying , ‘ Can ’ t go to university ‘ cause we can ’ t afford it ’ and in some cases that was very real . … At an open evening for universities , where a parent put up their hand and said , ‘ The maintenance grant alone that they get isn ’ t going to cover their first year . Could we possibly get some more ‘ cause we just can ’ t afford it ’ and the guy just said , ‘ Unfortunately not .’
It ’ s not that parents don ’ t want them to go uni , it ’ s the practicalities of they literally can ’ t afford it . … So [ some students ] will have to work during university . I didn ’ t personally want to work during term time . … I try to be really frugal , like don ’ t spend a lot of money . … People who are on that … minimum [ loan ] and their parents can ’ t support them , they ’ re going to have to work at uni , which is gonna put extra stress on or just they will be too put off the idea [ of going to uni ].
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For me [ a major concern ] was going there , not liking it and still having to have the debt . I didn ’ t mind the debt per se , but it was more getting there , not appreciating the experience and having to go through it still accumulating all the debt .
In addition to the financial risks , some participants felt that it was risky to commit three years of their life to a university and / or to a degree programme that they may not enjoy or where they may not fit in , as highlighted by these quotes :
Like first day of moving it was like so scary , like I was ‘ Oh , what if I hate my flatmates ? What if they don ’ t like me ? What if I can ’ t live by myself ?’ But then you think ‘ I can do