One in five students cannot do degree they wanted after selecting incorrect school subjects, poll finds

‘No student should unknowingly close the door to their career aspirations,’ Ucas chief executive says

One in five university students say they were prevented from studying a degree course that interested them before of wrong subjects in new poll (Getty Images)

One in five students have found themselves unable to do a degree that interested them because they did not have the right subjects for it, a new poll has suggested, while an education union leader has criticised “piecemeal” government support on helping students plan for the future.

This was most apparent for courses that require a specific set of qualifications, such as medicine, dentistry, maths and economics, according to Ucas.

Two in five university students said they thought more information and advice would have resulted in them making better choices in a new survey by the university admissions service.