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Degree News

Degrees Continue to Pay Off for Graduates

7 February 07

Graduates can expect to earn about £160,000 more over a working lifetime than those with just A-levels, says new research from the vice-chancellors' umbrella group Universities UK.

Diana Warwick, chief executive of UUK, said: "We already know that graduates in the UK enjoy one of the highest financial returns of any OECD country. This report provides evidence that despite the expansion of higher education, the graduate premium has been maintained. Higher edcation is still clearly a worthwhile investment for the individual."

The Guardian - Click to see more

'Stay at Home' Degrees Over the Internet

15 September 06

Traditional three–year residential honours degrees could be replaced by a more flexible, credit-based system, Alan Johnson, the Education Secretary, said yesterday. Students would no longer leave home for three years but would be able to amass credits building up to a qualification through part-time courses and programmes delivered over the internet. Credits would be transferable between universities and students dropping out would no longer leave without any qualification.

The Telegraph - Click to see more

Universities Filling Up In Record Time

21 August 06

Universities were filling up in record time last night, with 35 per cent more vacancies taken during the first 72 hours of clearing compared to last year. The scramble is particularly intense this year as record A-level results mean that many young people will have got better grades than they might have been expecting.

At ICS we have an unlimited number of places on our undergraduate degree programmes and a whole host of subject areas to consider. If you are having concerns over your place at university and unsure what steps to take next, why not call and speak to one of our course advisors on 0500 501 366.

The Independent - Click to see more

Students Face Intense Competition for Fewer Places After Record Exam Passes

17 August 2006

Tens of thousands of students will face a desperate scramble for university places today as increasingly well-qualified school leavers compete for vacancies. Competition for the remaining vacancies is expected to be particularly intense this year as another record year for A-level results will see students compete for slightly fewer places.

With ICS you can enrol on our undergraduate courses at any time of the year and there are an infinite number of places available. So you can avoid the uncertainity of things like clearing and enjoy greater flexibility - something that sets us apart from other learning institutions.

The Independent - Click to see more

Cost of Gaining a Degree Reaches £33,500

15 August 06

Sixth formers starting university this year expect to pay £33,512 for a three-year degree course, a rise of almost £5,000 on last year's projected figure, a survey says today. A large part of the rise was attributed to the increase in tuition fees of up to £3,000 a year from next month.

The survey by NatWest Student Money Matters found that students expected to graduate in 2009 with £14,779 of debt, an increase of £1,099 on last year's projected figure for 2008.

The degree courses offered by ICS, in partnership with the University of East London, allow students the flexibility to study at their own pace whilst continuing in employment - thereby minimising the possibilty of study-associated debt.

The Telegraph - Click to see more

School Leavers Lack the Skills

10 August 06

Young job-seekers lack the real-world experience needed to survive in business, a survey of employers said yesterday. Bosses say school-leavers and graduates are weighed down with what they learn from textbooks and struggle to adapt to work. Too many new staff lack entrepreneurial flair and cannot take criticism or failure, while others cannot think laterally or manage their time properly.

ICS offer courses which are convenient and flexible enough to combine studying with working - allowing you to gain that vital real-world experience. Choosing to study a degree by distance learning demonstrates to employers that you not only have the necessary knowledge, skills and understanding, but that you can also manage time effectively, are self-motivated and already have a good work ethic.

The Daily Mail - Click to see more

Research Finds Degree of Benefit from Vocational Courses

11 July 06

Students who enter university from vocational backgrounds achieve better degrees than those doing A-levels, according to new research.
A study of 216 graduates found that those who entered higher education via the traditional A-level route were more likely to complete degrees. But it also found that students with vocational qualifications, such as NVQs, or those who had studied for access courses, achieved better degree scores than their A-level counterparts.

The research by Lesley Sumner and Richard Ralley, of Edge Hill University, Lancashire, concluded that non-direct entry was three times more important than A-levels in terms of predicting success.

The Guardian - Click to see more

Sixth-Formers Haunted by Debt Fears

03 July 06

Top-up fees begin this autumn but half of would-be undergraduates see them as a deterrent. Fears of debt are threatening to put off half of Britain's sixth-formers from applying to university, according to a study. Commissioned by the Universities Marketing Forum, the national study found that 48 per cent of teenagers considering going to university said they were "very likely" or "quite likely" not to go because they could not afford the cost of living.

The Times - Click to see more

Adult study improves schoolwork, parents report

30 June 06

Mothers who undertake study are likely to see an improvement in their children's education, a new University of Bristol report reveals. Results from a survey for the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) show that parents who did some form of study felt it had a positive impact on their children's schoolwork. Many also reported feeling more confident as a parent, the survey found.

Of the mothers and their partners who took part, 75% had undertaken some form of study - from informal on-the-job tuition to courses at adult education centres, colleges and universities. Some were studying from home or were enrolled in ICT courses.

The Guardian - Click to see more

Students Struggle to Pay Back Debt

28 June 06

Debt collectors are chasing hundreds of thousands of students unable to pay their university costs. Nearly half are also forced to pay an additional £2,000 into the Executive's graduate endowment scheme, which replaced the system of tuition fees. This means that the average student is leaving university with almost £15,000 worth of debt.

Studying for a degree through distance learning can help to remove the worry and burden of student debt, as it allows you to fit your course round your lifestyle and enables you to continue working throughout your studies. ICS's easy payment plans also make the cost of studying more affordable.

The Metro

University Fees Likely to Rise

06 June 06

Chancellor Gordon Brown indicated this week that university tuition fees were likely to rise after the next election. The £3,000-a-year tuition fee is capped until 2009, but Mr Brown suggested that the country would have to increase the proportion of national income spent on higher education from the current 1.1% to nearer the European Union average of 2.2%.

With this in mind, many potential students will be considering their options and wondering how to afford the cost of university. Studying for your degree through distance learning allows you to fit your course round your lifestyle and enables you to continue working throughout your studies. ICS's easy payment plans also make the cost of studying more affordable.

The Telegraph - Click to see more

Do the iPod Shuffle, but don't miss the lecture!

26 May 06

ICS students receiving their free iPod shuffle in June's enrolment offer will find there's more to them than music!

A Bradford University lecturer claims to be the first UK academic to abolish lectures completely in favour of podcasts. First-year students will not have go to a lecture hall to listen to Bill Ashraf, a senior lecturer in microbiology. Instead, those taking his biochemistry course next year will watch or listen to virtual lectures on their MP3 players, phones or computers in their own time.

The Times Higher Education Supplement - Click to see more

Rise in Higher Education Widens Social Divide

12 May 06

The huge expansion of higher education has led to widening inequalities between middle-class pupils and those from poorer backgrounds, research has revealed. Academics at Edinburgh University found that children with richer parents have benefited most from the large increase in university courses since the 1980s.

ICS aims to narrow this divide with our affordable payment plans, across a wide range of courses, allowing you to study in the way that suits you best!

The Scotsman - Click to see more

Graduates Still Reach Higher in Jobs Market

5 May 06

The first major study of graduate employment in Scotland has shown that graduates continue to earn significantly higher salaries than those who do not have degrees and the vast majority of them still work in graduate jobs.

The report, Labour Market for Graduates in Scotland, published by Futureskills Scotland, describes how the labour market in Scotland for graduates has changed in the ten years between 1993 and 2003. It examines the effect the large increase in the supply of graduates in recent years has had on the labour market experience and performance of graduates in Scotland.

The Scotsman - Click to see more

Drop in Applications to English Universities

27 April 06

School leavers and mature students are shunning English universities, according to official figures that reveal fewer students have applied to university compared to last year.

The slump in applications comes as universities across England prepare to introduce tuition fees of up to £3,000 a year in September.

ICS offer an affordable alternative, with access to a variety of courses and easy payment plans.

The Guardian - Click to see more

Graduates worse off until 33

24 April 06

Graduates will have to work well into their thirties before they overtake school-leavers who never went to university, a recent study reveals. Traditional students have been told that getting a degree will improve their job prospects and earning potential. However the spiralling cost of higher education now takes a heavy toll on their bank balances. It is only when the average graduate with a three-year degree turns 33 - after 12 years of full-time work - that their earnings overtake someone who began work at 18.

ICS have the perfect solution to this - our flexible degrees allow you to study at your own pace while remaining in employment.

This is Money - Click to see more

Two-year degrees - Are They Really the Answer?

14 April 06

Two-year degree courses could provide a way of luring more students from poorer backgrounds to university, according to the Higher Education Minister Bill Rammell. His speech, delivered at the annual conference of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, follows a pilot scheme launched in five universities to see if three-year degrees could be compressed into two-year programmes.

The Government's attempts to boost the number of students from low-income families are unlikely to succeed though, according to Bruce Chapman who designed Australia's version of top-up fees. In addition, there are fears that a drop in educational standards will result from this approach.

The Times Higher Education Supplement - Click to see more

Poor Students' University Scheme Lacks Impact

21 September 05

A government scheme to encourage more students from poor backgrounds to go to university has failed to have a significant impact, according to an official report. The evaluation of the Aimhigher: Excellence Challenge programme found no evidence that it had made the poorest teenagers more likely to want to go to university.

By studying a distance learning degree with ICS you can manage your finances effectively by studying at your own pace whilst continuing to work full or part time. We also have a range of easy payment options.

The Guardian - Click to see more