Most UK school leavers prefer ‘earn and learn’ over university, ACCA finds

Most UK school leavers prefer ‘earn and learn’ over university, ACCA finds

Ellichipuram Umesh

Mon, August 3, 2026 at 1:59 PM GMT+3 2 min read

Most young people leaving school in the UK plan to "earn and learn" rather than follow a traditional university route, according to new research from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).

The ACCA gathered responses from nearly 300 pupils aged 14–18 across the UK using the Unifrog platform.

The findings suggest employers that do not offer structured work-and-study options could lose out on future recruits to those that do.

Four in five respondents (80%) in the survey said they were very or somewhat likely to start a degree apprenticeship after leaving school.

By contrast, 37% intended to go to university and only 2% planned to move straight into full-time work.

The ACCA said that the results indicate an "emerging generation of pragmatists". They demand clear professional development, avoid large debts and carefully filter potential employers, it added.

Demand is particularly strong for so-called "triple pathway" roles, which provide a salary, a professional qualification and a degree at the same time.

Almost all respondents (94%) said this option was very or quite attractive and 44% said they were very likely to pursue it.

Two thirds (67%) indicated they would choose a lesser-known employer offering a job that includes both a qualification and a degree over a more famous brand that did not provide such a route.

ACCA early careers manager George Tsounias said: "It is very encouraging to see that the young people we spoke to for this research have a real desire for genuine, hands-on experience.

"Among those drawn to combined pathways, earning money while studying was cited by a quarter (24%) as their primary motivation – that is equal to the proportion (24%) who said gaining real-world work experience was the deciding factor.

"And only 16% said avoiding student debt was their main driver, suggesting financial pragmatism is only part of the picture."

However, the study also showed that many young people see potential drawbacks.

Almost a quarter (23%) said their biggest concern was the challenge of balancing work with study.

Around 19% were worried about missing out on the traditional university experience including social life, independence and a strong peer community.

"Most UK school leavers prefer 'earn and learn' over university, ACCA finds" was originally created and published by The Accountant, a GlobalData owned brand.