Report | The value of higher education

_{3 May 2023}

Summary

To better understand the various benefits of higher education, TASO commissioned State of Life and Mime to research whether higher education addresses existing quality gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged students.

This research involved: 

• an initial rapid evidence review to expose the gaps in the existing literature 
• analysis of publicly available UK Households Survey data to fill some of those gaps
• a proposal for further research to be carried out, through an application to the Longitudinal Education Outcomes dataset.

A total of 78 papers were included in the evidence review and it took a broad definition of disadvantage to include any measure of economic disadvantage, for example, eligibility for free school meals or certain socioeconomic categorisations.

Data from the UK Household Longitudinal Survey – Understanding Society was analysed to address the identified gaps around softer outcomes, such as wellbeing, mental health and social capital.

The report reveals that higher education is linked to clear economic benefits for disadvantaged students, however they consistently earn less than graduates from more advantaged backgrounds – even after considering the university attended or subject choice.

The report also reveals that university graduates from low socioeconomic backgrounds appear to benefit from higher levels of measures linked to wellbeing, such as perceived financial prosperity.There is also evidence that higher education can increase social and geographical mobility for disadvantaged students.

Following the findings of this report, TASO has commissioned a further investigation of the Longitudinal Education Outcomes dataset for a more detailed analysis of long-term economic outcomes.

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