Which? to publish advice on where to get a useful degree

THE consumer watchdog Which? is to produce a guide to Britain’s universities for the first time.

It will feature comparative information on locations, teaching standards and the quality of research.

It will also assess degrees to determine how useful they are in getting a job.

The move comes as universities introduce tuition fees of up to £9,000 a year, with the cost of a four-year course at some Scottish institutions set to cost £36,000.

Jenny Allen, Which? head of public services, said: “People do want to go to university to have a great education and a life experience, but they also want some kind of reassurance that at the end of it they will be better placed to get a job to make it worthwhile.”

She said Which? is also looking at other parts of the public sector that are turning into marketplaces.

“The catalyst has been the fees,” she said. “But all of this is in the context of us taking a decision that there is scope for us to play a role in helping people to decide between public services – like educational institutions, like GPs – where perhaps we haven’t done so before.”