In each of the last three years, the National Student Survey found that more than 40 per cent of students regretted their choice of course or choice of university.
This is a significant increase since 2014 when around a third of students wished they had made different choices. For students from non-traditional backgrounds, the thought that they have chosen the wrong institution can be even higher.
There are often signs that students are struggling with making choices before they even get to university, and choice deferrals are at their highest for many years.
We have written elsewhere about how the mismatch between the expectations of students and the realities they experience can be debilitating. There is certainly a case to be made for how the gap between the promises of the glossy prospectus and the stresses and challenges of student life can be a factor in buyer’s remorse.
And, of course, the impact of the pandemic and the cost of living crisis cannot be discounted. But is there something else at play here too?
