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Does Student Loan Debt Deter Higher Education Participation? New Evidence from England

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  • Claire Callender
  • Geoff Mason

Abstract

Research among prospective UK undergraduates in 2002 found that some students, especially from low social classes, were deterred from applying to university because of fear of debt. This article investigates whether this is still the case today in England despite the changing higher education landscape since 2002. The article describes findings from a 2015 survey of prospective undergraduates and compares them with those from the 2002 study. We find that students’ attitudes to taking on student loan debt are more favorable in 2015 than in 2002. Debt-averse attitudes remain much stronger among lower-class students than among upper-class students, and more so than in 2002. However, lower-class students in 2015 do not have stronger debt-averse attitudes than do middle-class students. Finally, debt-averse attitudes seem more likely to deter planning for higher education among lower-class students in 2015 than in 2002.

Suggested Citation

  • Claire Callender & Geoff Mason, 2017. "Does Student Loan Debt Deter Higher Education Participation? New Evidence from England," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 671(1), pages 20-48, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:anname:v:671:y:2017:i:1:p:20-48
    DOI: 10.1177/0002716217696041
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    2. Kanabar, Ricky, 2024. "Assortative mating and wealth inequality in Great Britain: evidence from the baby boomer and Gen X cohorts," ISER Working Paper Series 2024-04, Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    3. Ricky Kanabar, 2024. "Assortative mating and wealth inequality in Great Britain: evidence from the baby boomer and Gen X cohorts," CEPEO Working Paper Series 24-07, UCL Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities, revised Nov 2024.
    4. Mehmet Pinar, 2023. "Do research performances of universities and disciplines in England converge or diverge? An assessment of the progress between research excellence frameworks in 2014 and 2021," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 128(10), pages 5731-5766, October.

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