English Listening Practice: Has Britain fallen out of love with university?
Are British universities losing their charm? Join me, Hilary, on the Adept English podcast as we explore how rising tuition fees, growing student debt, and a changing job market are reshaping higher education in the UK. You’ll pick up useful vocabulary about university life, careers, and student costs while improving your listening skills with real-world English.
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In this episode, we look at whether traditional university life still holds the same appeal. You’ll learn new words about education and everyday life, helping you improve your English while staying informed. I’ll also share a bit of my own university experience to add a personal touch.
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More About This Lesson
Have we fallen out of love with university? In the past, getting a degree seemed like the best path for young people who enjoyed studying. But with tuition fees rising, student debt soaring, and more job-focused alternatives like apprenticeships gaining popularity, is university still worth it? Would you pay £50,000 for a qualification that might not guarantee a higher salary? Let’s explore why fewer students are choosing university in the UK and what this means for the future of education.
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Skills are the new currency in today’s workforce. It’s not just about degrees anymore—employers want problem-solvers who can adapt and grow.
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This lesson helps you learn key English words about education, work, and money. Plus:
- Expand your vocabulary with key education-related words and phrases.
- Improve your listening skills with natural British English speech.
- Learn real-world context for discussing university education.
- Understand British university costs, student loans, and career impact.
- Hear clear explanations of complex terms like "tuition fees" and "apprenticeships."
- Get exposure to British cultural attitudes toward higher education.
- Practice comprehension with a structured discussion of a current topic.
- Improve pronunciation by listening to a native speaker.
- Gain confidence in discussing education and career choices in English.
- Learn useful question structures for conversations about university.
This topic is not just about education—it’s about making life decisions and understanding the changing job market. By listening, you’ll improve your English with useful vocabulary on university life, student debt, and career choices. Plus, you’ll gain insight into British culture and the challenges students face today. Whether you plan to study in the UK or just want to follow real-world discussions in English, this lesson will help you build your comprehension and confidence.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- How can learning about UK universities help improve your English fluency? Learning about the UK university system exposes you to authentic academic vocabulary, formal language structures, and current British cultural context. You'll pick up essential terms like "tuition fees," "apprenticeships," and "vocational degrees" while developing a deeper understanding of how native speakers discuss education. This immersive approach helps you think in English naturally when discussing academic topics.
- What are the key English vocabulary words about university education from this lesson? This lesson introduces essential academic terminology including: "tuition" (teaching costs), "vocational" (job-related), "apprenticeship" (paid training), "overseas students" (international students), and "grant" (financial aid). Understanding these terms will help you discuss education more confidently in English and sound more natural when speaking about academic topics.
- Why is the UK university system changing and how does this affect English learners? The UK university landscape is shifting due to rising costs, changing visa rules, and evolving student preferences. For English learners, understanding these changes provides real-world context for practising business English, discussing current affairs, and mastering formal vocabulary. This knowledge is particularly valuable if you're planning to study in an English-speaking country.
- How can you use this lesson to improve your English listening comprehension? Focus on the natural flow and intonation of the speaker as they discuss complex topics like education policy and student life. Notice how they transition between ideas and use linking words. Practice shadowing the speaker's pronunciation of key terms like "tuition fees" and "apprenticeships." This authentic content helps train your ear to understand different aspects of British English.
- What English speaking practice opportunities does this topic provide? Use this material to practice expressing opinions about education systems, comparing universities in different countries, and discussing career choices. Try explaining the concepts in your own words, focusing on proper pronunciation of academic terms. Create mini-presentations about education in your country using the vocabulary learned, which will help you develop more natural British English speaking patterns.
Most Unusual Words:
- Axe: To cut, stop, or remove something, like jobs or courses.
- Tuition: The money paid for teaching at a school or university.
- Debt: Money that you borrow and must pay back later.
- Vocational: Related to learning skills for a specific job.
- Apprenticeship: A job with training where you learn while working.
- Grant: Free money given for education or living costs.
- Overseas: From another country, especially across the sea.
- Pragmatic: Making decisions based on practical reasons, not just ideas.
- Aspiration: A strong hope or goal for the future.
- Rite of passage: An event or experience marking an important life change.
Most Frequently Used Words:
| Word | Count |
|---|---|
| University | 20 |
| Students | 15 |
| About | 14 |
| Degree | 12 |
| Think | 10 |
| Would | 9 |
| There | 8 |
| Going | 8 |
Listen To The Audio Lesson Now
Transcript: Listen And Learn English-How Much Does University Cost in the UK
Have we fallen out of love with university?
Hi there and welcome to this latest podcast from Adept English. Education is one of my big interests and I'm a great believer in lifelong education. I don't mean we should all be taking training courses all the time but rather that we should continue to educate ourselves into our old age. One of the reasons why I like doing the Adept English podcast is the research I do for it. It ends up educating me too so I'm learning as you're learning. So an article this week caught my attention. It asked 'Has Britain finally fallen out of love with university?' And there were other articles in the news in the UK this week with headlines like this one from the BBC, 'Cardiff University plans to cut 400 jobs and axe courses'. 'To axe' in this context, A X E means 'to cut, to stop, to close down'. And Cardiff University is not the only one in the UK to be making cuts like this. So what's going on? Given that you are learning English I assume that you're interested in lifelong education as well. So this podcast today is of general interest but you'll get some great vocabulary about education, university education in particular and life in the UK in general. Right at the end I'll talk a little bit about my experience of university. So 'Have we fallen out of love with university?'
Hello, I’m Hilary, and you’re listening to Adept English. We will help you to speak English fluently. All you have to do is listen. So start listening now and find out how it works.
Much more material on Education in our course
Before I do any of that just a thought. If you would like even more input on education then there's a huge section on our course New Activate Your Listening which discusses Education. In there are various conversations including one with my son about GCSEs and school in the UK and another with my daughter about her university experience. So if you'd really like to learn all the words, all the vocabulary and phrases for education, New Activate Your Listening is where to go. Find it on our website adeptenglish.com.
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Is going to university still the best choice?
'Has Britain finally fallen out of love with university?' This was the article by Helen Coffey in The Independent published January 25th this year. It's interesting that the question is even being asked. Not long ago we would just have assumed that anyone 18 or 19 years old who enjoyed studying should just go to university. It would be the best option for them, wouldn't it? Maybe that decision is less clear cut than it used to be.
📷
A student chained to university debt. Think all degrees lead to success? Some will leave you broke and jobless.
University Education is expensive and usually involves debt
A lot has happened in the last 30 years of higher education. One of the biggest changes has been in the number of students. British Prime Minister Tony Blair back in 2012 had the goal that 50% of people would go to university. Literally half the population would be university educated. That was a much higher percentage of people going to university than when I did it and that goal of Tony Blair's was achieved for the first time in 2019 when over 50% of the population it was estimated were university educated. Other changes in the UK meant that tuition fees came in. The word 'tuition' T-U-I-T-I-O-N just means 'teaching'. 'Tuition fees' are the cost of your teaching university. Initially this was £3,000 a year and this rose to £9,000 a year in 2012. Students from other countries wanting to study at UK universities - usually they're called 'overseas students' - generally have to pay more than this and the amount depends on the course and the university. Another change, of course - we have student loans. That's L-O-A-N. That means when you borrow money and you pay it back later. This was a big change and for most students now by the end of university their student loan is probably well over £50,000. That's a lot of money to owe even if you pay it off slowly. That debt D-E-B-T is made up of usually three year's worth of £9,000 of tuition fees plus your living expenses Even so, the number of people going to university continued to rise even after tuition fees and student loans. That is until 2022. Now the number is falling. Why?
Does a degree improve your earning capacity?
A study was done recently by King's College London. That's one of the big London universities and they looked at whether doing a degree is still worthwhile and this is what inspired the article I saw in The Independent. Obviously if you want to do one of the professions - that means becoming a doctor, a lawyer, a dentist, an accountant, an architect, something like that - you have to go to university and it won't be the only training that you receive but actually many other professions demand it as well. You need a degree to work as a nurse and for many other vocational subjects. 'Vocational' means 'to do with the world of work'. So a 'vocational degree' prepares you for a particular job. It's important then to think about what your degree subject is going to be and if you do choose a traditional subject like History, French, Geography or like me something like Latin, you really need to think hard about what you're going to do with it especially given that £51,000 worth of debt that you're going to have at the end of your course.
So the study and the article looked at the value of a degree in terms of what you earn. The estimate here is that degrees are worth on average £280,000 for men across their lifetime and £190,000 for women across their lifetime. That sounds like a big difference doesn't it? That's compared with people who don't have a degree and that's having taken away tax and student loan costs. But if you look at what the average graduate earns when they come out of university compared to a non-graduate, it's only £5,000 more. So it takes quite a while for that advantage to work through and there is of course again that £51,000 debt.
‘Education broadens the mind’ and its effects are lifelong
Both the study and the article talk about longer term benefits including the fact that graduates remain in the workforce for longer. They spend more of their lives working and they enjoy earnings increases, increases in what they earn well into middle age which is not the case so much for non-graduates. So I think you have to see the benefits as lifelong rather than short term. It's said that 'Education broadens the mind' and I think the experience of going to university especially when you're young 18 or 19 it means leaving your home town, going somewhere completely different and getting to know an entirely different set of people. It's also an experience of independence. All of this probably changes you and gives you greater aspiration than you had before. Subtle benefits but they probably still hold true for many.
Overseas student numbers are dropping and it’s easy to see why
More recently it's been overseas students in the UK that have maintained the numbers but this has started to fall as well. There are greater costs for overseas students but there are now also changes to the visa system from 2024. A 'visa', VISA, is the document that allows you to remain in a country. Previously overseas students who graduated in the UK who got a degree were able to bring family members to the UK to live with them. This is now much more difficult since the rules changed. Now it's only students with a PhD, a much higher level of qualification than a degree, who are permitted to bring family members to the UK. Overseas students can still stay in the UK for up to two years after they've qualified but as I say the rules are much stricter which is putting overseas students off quite understandably. The reduction in the number of students is affecting some universities more than others. The Russell Group of Universities which is rather like the Ivy League universities in the US - these are the top universities, the most prestigious ones - these ones are OK but other universities are really seeing a drop in student numbers.
Is an apprenticeship a better choice?
And training programs called 'apprenticeships'. That's A-P-P-R-E-N-T-I-C-E-S-H-I-P. Apprenticeships are becoming more popular. This is where a company employs you and pays for your training. Understandably this is more appealing. You can earn a salary while doing your degree rather than running up a big debt. And arguably you're perhaps more prepared for work at the end of it. You're just not getting the full university experience away from home. That's the main drawback.
The cost of living means students also have jobs
But what else is affecting university entry? It's also the cost of living. Life in general in the UK is much more expensive so students have less money. More students are having to work at the same time as doing their degree. The latest numbers 57% of students in the UK have a job as well. Life is more difficult then. And the traditional picture of a university student - which was certainly the case when I went to university - of students who drink quite a lot of alcohol, perhaps don't work that hard, lie in bed a lot, miss lectures. Increasingly that's a thing of the past. GenZ students just don't live in the same way. They're too anxious about their job prospects and they're mindful about the amount of money they're having to borrow to study. And they've probably got to hold down a job while studying at the same time. It's a different life at university these days. University is not the 'rite of passage' that it once was.
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What was university like long ago?!
My experience of university? Well, it was all paid for when I went. Your tuition fees were paid by the UK government and they also gave you a 'grant', G-R-A-N-T, money to live on, free of charge. And you were more free to choose your degree subject. When you graduated, employers would take you on without really caring too much what type of degree you had. It was just seen as a general qualification and the employer would give you the training that you needed for the specific job. So I emerged with a Latin degree from Nottingham University and pretty quickly I was working in an IT department learning to do computer coding, learning to program. There is a link between computer code and Latin! But the point was I hadn't really thought about what I wanted to do with my degree. There are few students these days who have that luxury. Now you have to think really carefully about what you do your degree in because it determines whether or not you find employment afterwards.
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Do you still think university is worthwhile?
So what do you think of all this? Did you go to university or would you like to? Are you planning to go to university? Maybe you're planning to go a second time perhaps to do a Master's degree? Does cost influence your decision? And would you like to study in the UK? We'd be really interested to hear from you. What do you think as well? Do you think people need to be pragmatic about their degree subject? Or do you think it's a shame that perhaps fewer people study subjects like History or languages because they need to think about the job afterwards? Let us know. We're always interested to hear.
Goodbye
Enough for now. Have a lovely day. Speak to you again soon. Goodbye.
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