Education bosses call for crackdown on ‘Mickey Mouse’ university courses by telling students how many graduates get a decent job after qualifying
- Adverts for universities should show data on how many graduates get decent job
- Dept for Education has said it will help students spot ‘Mickey Mouse’ courses
- However the guidance is not mandatory and there are no plans to make it so
- Concerns that students are being duped into undertaking low-quality courses
All adverts for universities should include data on how many graduates get a decent job – to help students spot ‘Mickey Mouse’ courses, the Department for Education has urged.
It also wants vice chancellors to include the proportion of those finishing courses.
The information should be displayed on course homepages, TV, radio and all social media adverts as well as being conveyed by any paid online ‘influencers’.
The guidance is not mandatory, and there are no plans to make it so. However, it is hoped students – who face tuition fees of £9,250 a year – will be able to pinpoint courses with good outcomes.
All adverts for universities should include data on how many graduates get a decent job. It is hoped students – who face tuition fees of £9,250 a year – will be able to pinpoint courses with good outcomes
It is understood the DfE will consider further options if universities are slow to take up the plan, which was first broadly outlined by universities minister Michelle Donelan in February.
The guidance comes in response to concerns that students are being duped into undertaking low-quality courses by flashy marketing materials.
Many promise glamourous or fulfilling careers, but do not provide any data to back this up.
In many cases, the drop-out rate can be high, and employment outcomes are poor.
Universities have been accused of having a vested interest in running these ‘Mickey Mouse’ courses because they are cheap to lay on and students still pay £9,250 a year in tuition fees.
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