UK universities advise graduates to seek welfare support amid weak jobs market
King’s College London, Loughborough University and the University of Stirling have advised departing students to consider welfare claims while they look for work. The guidance has drawn criticism from Conservative education spokesperson Laura Trott, while higher-education policy expert Nick Hillman defended benefits as a temporary safety net for graduates.
Several UK universities are advising students to consider claiming welfare benefits after completing their courses, including graduates who have jobs arranged or are living with their parents. King’s College London, Loughborough University and the University of Stirling are among institutions that have published guidance on support available after graduation, according to GB News. King’s guidance said graduates should not feel embarrassed about claiming Universal Credit or Jobseeker’s Allowance while moving from full-time study into work.
The university said benefits could provide a safety net even when a graduate was living at home or due to begin a job within weeks, because circumstances could change. Stirling told students that claims could be submitted from the day after their official course end date. Loughborough advised departing students not to delay making a benefits claim.
The advice comes as concerns grow about the graduate jobs market and youth unemployment. GB News cited an unemployment rate of 16.4% among 16-to-24-year-olds in the three months to July, described as the highest level in more than a decade. Recruitment platform Adzuna recorded 8,383 vacancies aimed at university leavers in July, down 45% from the previous year.
Laura Trott, the shadow education secretary, criticised the guidance as “madness”. She said universities should prepare young people for employment rather than encourage them towards benefits, arguing that direct movement into welfare could increase pressure on taxpayers. Nick Hillman of the Higher Education Policy Institute defended graduates’ access to support.
He said not every graduate could move immediately into well-paid work and that final-year maintenance loans could leave some students without enough money between finishing university and starting employment. King’s College London said 86% of its graduates were in highly skilled employment or study 15 months after graduation. A spokeswoman said the university offered assistance advice to a small number of students without savings or other support while they searched for work.
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