Students enrolling on two-year degrees ¡°perform better¡± than those on equivalent three-year courses, according to a study of Staffordshire University graduates.

The study, funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England, found that ¡°fast-track degree¡± students outperformed those on three-year degrees ¡°by an average of two thirds of a degree classification¡±.

It also estimates that two-year students are ?20,000 better off, a calculation based on adding tuition-fee savings to the average new graduate salary over one year.

Despite the findings, the study says university staff ¡°remain anxious about the perceived market value of fast-track degrees¡±.

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Steve Wyn-Williams, director for academic development at Staffordshire, called for universities to be allowed to charge higher tuition fees for fast-track degrees, warning that at present institutions struggled to make them financially viable.

The findings follow a call for more two-year degrees by Lord Mandelson, the First Secretary, in his annual grant letter to Hefce last month.

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Reaffirming government plans for shorter degrees outlined in the recent higher education framework, Lord Mandelson said there should be ¡°more programmes, such as foundation and fast-track degrees, that can be provided full time in two years¡±.

Staffordshire is one of seven universities selected by the Government to pioneer fast-track degrees as part of Hefce¡¯s flexible learning pathfinder programme.

The results of the Staffordshire research, led by Peter Davies, director of the Institute for Education Policy Research, will be presented today at a meeting chaired by the Higher Education Academy and attended by representatives of Hefce and the Government.

Based on student questionnaires and comparisons of degree results, the study says two-year students are ¡°no more likely than those on the three-year degree to adopt a ¡®surface¡¯ or memorising approach to their studies¡±.

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It also finds that ¡°students on fast-track degrees report the same level of part-time work as students on three-year degree programmes during main teaching semesters¡±.

Using a 15-point scale to rate module marks, it found fast-track students outscored their three-year counterparts by 9.8 to 7.6 in year-one modules and 10.2 to 8.3 on year-two modules.

Dr Williams said: ¡°There are a lot of myths around two-year degrees and as a university that prides itself on successfully delivering and growing our fast-track provision, we are delighted to be able to set the record straight.

¡°That said, under the current system of funding and caps on recruitment, universities struggle to make two-year degrees financially viable and this has to be weighed up against the cost benefits to students.

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¡°If universities were allowed to charge a higher annual tuition fee for fast-track degrees, the financial viability of these degrees would be substantially enhanced and they could be marketed as a ¡®premier route¡¯ that would allow students to differentiate themselves by their aptitude and commitment to learning, as well as reducing their costs.¡±

john.morgan@tsleducation.com