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Is undergraduate debt an impediment to postgraduate enrolment in England?
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 07:08 authored by Paul Wakeling, Gillian Hampden-Thompson, Sally HancockChanges to undergraduate student funding arrangements in England have prompted concerns that increased indebtedness will deter graduates from postgraduate study. While it is clear that student debt has increased substantially in recent years, international evidence is equivocal on whether such debt is a deterrent to further study and there is hardly any prior research on this topic in the UK context. Using a large-scale survey of 2009 and 2012 graduates from six selective English universities, we investigate the association between undergraduate debt, other graduate characteristics and progression to postgraduate study. We find some association of higher debt levels with lower rates of progression to postgraduate study, although this reduces when controlling for other factors, such as degree-level attainment and subject discipline. Within a multivariate logistic regression model predicting progression to postgraduate study we find that debt is not a statistically significant predictor, although other characteristics are important. This indicates, we suggest, that underlying financial resources, rather than debt per se are critical in enabling access to postgraduate study. We consider the implications of recently-announced loans for postgraduate study in England given these findings.
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Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Accepted version
Journal
British Educational Research JournalISSN
0141-1926Publisher
Taylor & FrancisExternal DOI
Issue
6Volume
43Page range
1149-1167Department affiliated with
- Education Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2017-07-12First Open Access (FOA) Date
2019-10-16First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2017-07-12Usage metrics
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