Could apprenticeships replace them? British universities, once the finest in the world, are now teetering on the brink. Some think we are in need of a radical new way of learning.
Universities face the end of an era
Up and up: Tuition fees were first introduced in England in 1998. Today, there are nearly 1.8 million people who have at least £50,000 of student debt. Glossary
UCAS - Short for the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. Students applying for higher education in the UK apply through UCAS.
Apprenticeship - When someone learns the skills they need for a job whilst working and being paid.
Vocational - When a course or training scheme provides you with the skills you will need for a certain job.
John Major - Major was the British prime minister from 1990 to 1997.
Polytechnics - A term used in the UK before 1992 to describe colleges were students study for degrees in technical subjects or do training for jobs.
Tony Blair - Tony Blair was the leader of the Labour party. He was British prime minister from 1997 to 2007.
David Cameron - The UK's Conservative Party prime minister from 2010 to 2016.
Tuition fees - When students pay universities to study there.
Bankruptcy - When a person or group has no money left and cannot pay off their debts.
Salaries - The money people earn for doing their jobs.
pensions - A regular income paid by a government or a financial organisation to someone who no longer works, usually because of their age or health.
Elite - The richest, most powerful, best-educated or best-trained members of society.