Which? survey finds one third of young people miss out on one-to-one advice

The Which? research found that 39 per cent of prospective students had no access to one-to-one advice, whilst a further 43 per cent of young people would have liked more information, particularly about their employment prospects and the types of courses available to them.

Extrapolated based on the number of under 19-year-olds who go to university annually, Which? estimated that more than 150,000 prospective students each year are making one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives without vital information.

Peter Vicary-Smith, chief executive of Which?, described the number of young people missing out on information, advice and guidance as “worrying”.

“This has huge implications for their future and finances, so it’s vital that they choose the right course and university for them,” he said.

“Young people are taking out huge loans to pay for university, so they should seek independent advice as anyone would when making such an important financial decision, especially in the current financial climate.

“As the government devolves responsibility for careers advice to schools, head teachers must ensure that young people are getting the advice they need.”

The consumer rights group is launching a free website in partnership with the National Union of Students (NUS) this September, which will provide information on university options to teachers, careers advisers, parents and young people.

Liam Burns, NUS president, said the website would attempt to provide both comprehensive and easy to access information.

He explained: “As universities are increasingly competing with each other in a market and therefore cannot provide the impartial resources prospective applicants need, and as the government will not do so, we look forward to working with Which?.”