Universities transform people’s lives

Through outreach work with schools and parents, universities are helping young people from underrepresented backgrounds to access higher education – and all of the benefits that follow – more than ever before.

Universities are also committed to providing ongoing training and development for people of all ages: there are now 521,000 mature students at UK universities, as well as 540,285 people studying part time.

Many who go to university now are those who never got the chance when they were younger or because they want to create new opportunities for themselves later on in life.

A university education has been shown to be a good route to both wealth and health. Graduates can expect to earn more, be significantly more employable, and have better access to high-skill, professional occupations than non-graduates. On average, they enjoy better health, wellbeing and life satisfaction, are more politically engaged and more likely to vote​.