17 Appendices Introduction Finance Thematic analysis Applicant Index Report 2026 The value of a degree Applicants remain confident that a degree is a worthwhile investment. They also continue to value the wider university experience, including the residential experience, alongside the expected graduate premium. In a new question for 2026, applicants were asked whether they agreed that “The cost of higher education is a worthwhile investment for me”. Two thirds (65%) agreed and only 10% disagreed. Despite political debate and negative press, most still view higher education as a sound financial investment. Figure 10: The cost of higher education is a worthwhile investment for me Strongly disagree Disagree Neither agree nor disagree Agree Strongly agree Don’t know 3% 7% 23% 40% 25% 2% This is not simply because applicants see few other options: only 19% had not considered an alternative to a degree. The most popular choices were considering a degree apprenticeship rather than a standard degree (40%) and a full ‑ time job (36%). Degree apprenticeships were more likely to have been considered by UK applicants than international applicants (who may not be eligible to apply for a degree apprenticeship). There has also been a significant rise this year in those considering full ‑ time work as an alternative. Figure 11: When applying for university did you seriously consider any of the following options? 2025-26 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% Degree apprenticeship 0% Taking a full-time job Attending university later in life None of the above Other type of apprenticeship or work-related training 40% 41% 45% Distance learning (online degree while working) Other type of full-time education 36% 29% 22% 19% 21% 18% 22% 15% 13% 17% 2026 2025 Belonging, equity and inclusion Back to contents Note: Some response options were not available in last year’s survey