Universities have been told by the government that they must be honest with students about dropout and graduate employment rates when advertising courses.
Michelle Donelan announced that she has produced guidance to ensure that ‘just as every advert for a loan or credit card must include basic information like the APR, every university advert should include comparable data on dropout rates and the progression rate of students into graduate jobs or further study.’
Explaining that prospective students deserve ‘clarity and honesty’ Donelan said that this guidance ‘will help students to make the right decision for themselves and for their future.’
The guidance will apply to all forms of advertising, and the information on dropout rates should be noticeable, including the opening lines of an online advert or quoted in a TV or radio advert.
Wouldn’t make the same choice
According to the government, latest data showed that fewer than six in 10 students would make the same choice of university or course if they were able to make the decision again. The new guidance is ‘about giving students the information to make informed choices.’
On July 5th 2022, Donelan, the former higher education minister, was appointed as Secretary of State for Education, after Nadhim Zahawi replaced Rishi Sunak as Chancellor of the Exchequer. However, less than 36 hours later, Donelan joined the large number of ministers resigning from their roles.
She posted her resignation letter to Boris Johnson online, in which she wrote: ‘I will continue to champion opportunity for our brilliantly talented and inspiring young people from the backbenches.’
The current Secretary of State for Education is James Cleverly.