The main focus of this article is the economic benefits of higher education (HE) to individuals and how they are perceived by potential HE entrants. It highlights issues relating to just one aspect of the economic benefits of learning, but it is an important one in the current debate on higher education funding systems and also the current aims of Government to widen participation in HE study. It is based on a paper presented to the 4th Scottish Forum on Lifelong Learning 29 January 2001 (slightly revised and updated, but not altered in any major way from the original presentation).
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