We ask the experts: does it still pay to go to university? ‘It’s complex’

The time and money you invest in education should be repaid by a rewarding career, but is that always the case?

Is a university degree still worth it? That question has been asked for decades but with increased frequency over the last 10 years, as the cost of taking a degree has shifted from government to graduates.

The short answer is: yes it is, according to experts such as the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). But as undergraduates in England now finish their courses with tuition and maintenance loans averaging £53,000, the longer answer is that it’s complicated.