New data from the Department for Education showed that 32 per cent of students who finished their 16-to-18 studies in Swindon in 2015/16 went on to study a degree or similar course within two years.

Despite the figure improving to 34 per cent in 2016/17, it still placed Swindon 147 out of 152 local authorities across the country.

Here’s what you said on Facebook:

Phil Paton: “It might be because Swindon has lots of well-paid jobs and people are sensible.

“You would be pretty daft to get loads of debt going to uni to then finish and take a job you could have done without going to uni.”

Jo Wheatley: “Does it matter? Uni doesn’t guarantee you a job, let alone a better one than someone who didn’t go to uni.

“Need to stop pushing that false hope on young people as if university is everything.”

Viv Dudley: “Not including Cirencester College or sixth forms outside of Swindon I’m guessing”

Lisa Rimes: “My daughter is in her first year of uni. If they want to go, they will work hard at school and college to get the grade they require.”

Amjad Qazi: “Swindon students are smart. No point in getting yourself in debt for worthless degrees. Paying £9,000 a year is a waste of money unless you’re going to study a few high Valued courses.”

Jordan Isgin: “It’s almost as if socio-economic backgrounds and level of education are associated with each other.”

Linzi Lawrence: “I went to university and came out with a first class degree about 12 years ago, but would I have gone now, considering the extortionate fees? Highly unlikely.

“What they don’t tell you when you take the student loan is that your monthly repayments you make are accrued in a little side pot by the student loan company over the entire year, rather than being applied to your loan each month.

“Your loan gathers interest, whilst they also cream the interest from your pot of loan payments. At the end of the 12 months, your repayments are then applied.

“I know plenty of people who have been repaying their loan for up to 10 years and the loan is now larger than it was when they graduated.”

Jennie Wolfie: “For some, doing a degree may lead to better career opportunities, but for others it’s just not so.

“I regret doing my degree. After trying to find a job proved more difficult – not enough work experience to get the higher paid/skilled jobs and overqualified for the lower skilled/paid jobs.

“Stuck in a catch 22 situation. Having applied for many jobs just to be turned down made me realise my degree was pointless.”

“Colleges these days are offering apprenticeships, I wouldn’t be surprised if the figures are dropping.”

Sheila Morely: “When we went to view Bournemouth uni they told us that the Swindon postcode is one of the lowest take ups.”

Ruth Kevin: “All three of my daughters went to university from Swindon Academy sixth form, two have graduated from Winchester uni and one is in her second year at Swansea. If they want to go they will work for it.”

Simon Batchelor: “Don’t take it personally people. It’s just a statistic and not going to university doesn’t mean not doing anything of worth.

“With the cost of living and tuition fee debt well into the tens of thousands, choosing to study a trade sounds quite reasonable.”

Char Gunn: “My son has a first-class forensic science degree and a masters degree in drug chemistry and he’s from Swindon. I think apprenticeships can also be very good to get into your chosen career without all the debt, however some careers need you to have a degree so it’s very dependent on the job you want.”