Latest news: Students deterred from year abroad

Concern is mounting that fewer UK students will take degree courses involving a year abroad because of the steep change in tuition fees. 27/03/2012

Changes to university funding will deter UK students from taking a year abroad. This is despite new research from the The British Academy  and the University Council of Modern Languages  demonstrating the huge benefits that a year spent studying or working abroad can give graduates.

The British Academy and UCML are calling on government to seek ways of minimising the financial disincentives involved in an extra year’s study. In a joint position statement, Valuing the Year Abroad call on government and universities to recognise the strategic importance of the year abroad - delivering both competitive employability advantages for the students themselves and wider long term benefits for the whole UK economy.

‘Britain desperately needs more well-educated, highly skilled graduates who are capable of living and working effectively in any geographical, cultural and linguistic setting,’ said Professor Nigel Vincent, Vice-President of the British Academy. ‘Positive action is needed to promote its value and ensure students are not discouraged from taking up these courses by the extra costs involved.’

Figures released by UCAS in January this year showed that some of the steepest falls in undergraduate applications for 2012/13 were for modern language degrees: 11.2% for European languages and 21.5% for non-European languages. These are typically four year courses with a year spent abroad.

Business secretary, Vince Cable said earlier this month that ‘we need a generation of people who speak other people’s languages and more British students spending time abroad as part of theirs degrees. To do this we must reduce the financial obstacles.

In the newly released graduate survey - carried out by ThirdYearAbroad.com  - two thirds estimated that their residence abroad was a significant factor in getting their first and subsequent jobs, with no fewer than 86% considering the year abroad to be the most valuable part of their degree.