Fewer than a third of the brightest sixth-formers understand the “confusing” tuition fees system, graduate employers said today.

This may deter teenagers from applying to university, particularly as some believe they must pay fees up front before starting their course. Researchers found that almost half rated their school’s careers advice service as poor or very poor, and three-fifths had received no information from their school on coping financially as a student.

Experts said there was an “alarming level of confusion” among even the most high-achieving sixth-formers about how they would be able to pay their way through university.

The survey of 3,000 teenagers with predicted top grades at A-level was conducted by Pure Potential, an independent body which aims to raise aspirations among state school pupils. It organises events on behalf of universities and 40 of the most high-profile graduate employers.
It found that two-fifths of the most high-achieving Year 12 state school pupils felt their school had not prepared them for university entry.
The Government will lift the current cap on the top-up fees after a review which is due to begin next year.

More than half said they would be seriously deterred from going to university if tuition fees rose from £3,000 to £7,500 a year. Even raising the cap to £5,000 would put off one in seven potential students, who universities can ill afford to lose.

A fifth of teenagers said they were more likely to live at home than study in a different town, because of tuition fees. Almost half felt pupils from independent school had a better chance of getting into the most competitive universities.

Marc Zao-Sanders, the managing director of Pure Potential, said ignorance amongst school leavers about the support available to them could mean huge numbers missed out on university.

He said: “Despite the wide range of resources available for young people, our survey shows that an alarming level of confusion persists.
“With such a lack of basic knowledge about student finance, we can only expect that a huge number of students will limit themselves to cheaper local university options or reject higher education altogether.

“The Government, schools, the higher education sector and employers all have an important role to play in intervening early to bridge the information gap.”

The organisation’s free events, which aim to explain topics such as student finance to pupils.

They are backed by companies including PricewaterhouseCoopers, Barclays Capital, Morgan Stanley, Cancer Research UK, Ernst & Young and Goldman Sachs.

Sonnia Thomas, regional head of diversity recruitment for Goldman Sachs, said it was concerning that teenagers were being put off university by fears about the expense.

She said: “I think we all have a responsibility to make sure students are educated about what opportunities are available to them, such as sponsorship.
“We’re looking for as diverse a range of graduates as possible, and to increase our pool of candidates we need to dispel misconceptions and demystify the industry.”

“Collaboration between graduate recruiters, universities and schools is key.” Ms Thomas said this year’s intake at Goldman Sachs was more diverse than the average graduate pool, but that the company sought to improve this year on year.