POLL OF THE DAY: Is university a waste of money?

Published: 12:17, 9 June 2026 | Updated: 12:17, 9 June 2026 Half of graduates in Britain earn less than the average national wage five years after leaving university, a damning report revealed today. Analysis by the Policy Exchange think-tank found that more than 150,000 students a year struggled to reach the median full-time worker's salary of £35,000. Some 11 per cent of graduates failed to land a job that paid them £24,000 over the same period. The study also found that only 57 per cent were in full-time work 15 months after leaving university. It is the latest evidence of a collapse in the 'university premium', the additional lifetime income graduates earn compared to non-graduates. Critics have said it is time to stop 'luring' young people into 'debt-trap degrees', with the typical student amassing debts of £50,000 a year to study. It follows a damning poll in which a third of Brits said going to university is no longer worth the time and cost – more than double the amount who said so 20 years ago. Now you can have your say in the Mail's latest poll – is university a waste of money? In yesterday's poll, Mail readers were asked: 'Should parents be banned from buying a smartphone for children aged under 11?' Out of more than 2,000 votes, 86 per cent of you said 'yes' and 14 per cent said 'no'.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.