Debt fears 'stopping boys from going to university'

Anxiety about student debt is deterring increasing numbers of boys from going to university, new research reveals.

Although enthusiasm for a degree has risen among girls, a significant drop in interest among their male counterparts was discovered in a survey of secondary school pupils.

Conducted at the height of controversy over government plans to boost tuition fees to £3,000 a year in 2006, the study found 66 per cent of boys thought they would go on to university - compared with 70 per cent of those asked a year ago. In contrast, the proportion of girls who expected to go went up one per cent to 74 per cent.

Of those who said they were not likely to go to university, almost 20 per cent voiced concern about getting into debt. In cases where neither parent had a job, this figure increased to 30 per cent. These pupils were also least likely to aim for a degree, with only 60 per cent revealing a desire to go to university - compared with 73 per cent in homes where both parents worked.

Mori, which conducted the Schools Omnibus survey, said the finding appeared to reinforce fears that the topup fee proposals would deter economically disadvantaged young people from entering higher education.

The eight per cent gender gap among pupils questioned is the widest since university surveying began two years ago. The study for educational charity the Sutton Trust, which was published yesterday, surveyed 2,300 pupils aged 11 to 16.