Adverts for university courses must include further information to avoid students being trapped on “dead-end courses”, the Government has said.

Information on dropout rates and the proportion of students who go on to graduate jobs or further study will need to be included under new guidance published on Friday (July 1).

Higher and further education minister Michelle Donelan said the move would give students clarity about what universities are offering them, especially for pupils who are the “first-in-family” to do a degree.

“I know from the community I grew up in that choosing where and what to study can be difficult – especially for first-in-family students,” she said.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Information on the proportion of students who go onto graduate jobs will also need to be included in course adverts (PA)Information on the proportion of students who go onto graduate jobs will also need to be included in course adverts (PA)

Donelan made the point that “bold university advertising”, which often promised students a “high-quality experience even when the statistics suggest they will be stuck on a dead-end course”, did not make it easier for students to make a decision about where to apply.

Speaking to the PA news agency, she added: “This is about giving students the information to make informed choices, and two of the key things that students always say to me is that they expect to get the support to be able to stand a really good chance to complete their degree and get that qualification, and secondly that they expect that degree will get them somewhere that they wouldn’t have got without it.

“That’s why it’s really important that the transparency is there and that the information is there so that students can see that."

The Government said that the latest data showed that fewer than six in 10 students would make the same choice of university or course if they could make the decision again.