Does Student Loan Debt Deter Higher Education Participation? New Evidence from England. Issue 1 (May 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Callender, Claire; Mason, Geoff
• Other Names: Perna Laura W. guest-editor.; Hillman Nicholas guest-editor.
• Is Part Of: Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. Volume 671:Issue 1(2017:May)
• Page Start: 20
• Page End: 48
• Publication Date: 2017-05
• Subjects: student debt -- debt aversion -- loan aversion -- higher education -- student funding; Social sciences -- Periodicals; Social sciences -- United States -- Periodicals; Political science -- Periodicals; United States -- Politics and government -- Periodicals; 300
• DOI: 10.1177/0002716217696041
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0002-7162

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.