The Prime Minister Is Officially Getting Rid Of “Low Value” Degrees — These Degrees Could Be Slashed

The government plans to crack down on which degrees future students can take.

This week Rishi Sunak announced plans to cap the number of “low value” degrees available to students, instead focusing on degrees that will have the biggest positive impact on the economy.

Of course, this has been a controversial decision but it’s not a new idea either. For a while, the government has been discussing plans to introduce some form of limit on which degrees are on offer for students and this new move is set to see caps on the number of applicants to certain courses.

While there has been no official confirmation yet on what counts as a “low value” degree, it’s expected that this cap will be imposed on courses that have a high dropout rate, a low proportion of graduates going into professional jobs, or courses that lead to jobs with lower salaries.

It’s thought that this is expected to encourage young people to choose further education that will actually help them secure a well-paying job post-graduation and to consider apprenticeships instead of occurring student loan debt for a degree that won’t have huge benefits.

Which degrees are the worst value for money in 2023?

While nothing has been confirmed yet, it’s thought that the courses that are the least likely to see you landing in well-paid careers post-uni could be the first at risk.

Research from Adzuna, revealed the degrees that are the worst value for money in 2023 which could be at risk under this new government proposal:

Under the new proposal, universities would have to cap the number of students they accept to the “low value” courses, meaning it could be harder for students to secure a place at university and encourage them against applying.

On the flipside, in 2022, students who took economics, business, medicine, physics, geography, mechanical engineering and marine biology were some of the top earners post-graduation. Students who took these subjects were more likely to land a grad salary of £30k+ off the bat, whereas those in creative degrees often struggle to land well-paying jobs at entry level.

While this decision from the government is controversial, it could be argued that this will help to push young people into making a more informed decision about their future without incurring student loan debt for a degree that doesn’t land them a great job. However, for creatives who have no interest in STEM subjects, this is sure to have a huge impact both on university applications and on their available options after school.

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