A new survey of qualified lawyers has found that under half would have gone to university today, when aspiring solicitors can expect to wrack up massive debts.

Legal recruitment firm Laurence Simons found the majority of 224 respondents would have baulked at the total costs of today’s legal studies.

The government’s increase in tuition fees to £9,000 a year, combined with fees, loans and the costs of not being in work, leaves total costs incurred before actually starting a job at an estimated £88,000.

Naveen Tuli, managing director of Laurence Simons said: ‘People considering university should bear in mind not only the price of tuition and the debt they will take on, but also the financial loss from not working for three years.

‘When you do this, the total cost of university begins to look very large indeed.

'The fact that some of the UK’s lawyers don’t think doing a degree is worth the cost shows the UK’s universities have failed to offer value to students and provide a relevant education.’

The recruitment firm wants more universities to show they offer value for money, and said academic AC Grayling’s recent unveiling of an £18,000-a-year institution was a step in the right direction, despite initially seeming to be expensive.

Tuli added: ‘By consulting industry experts in order to ensure students learn skills that will be useful in future, Grayling has ensured students’ money won’t be wasted.

‘To be any more than a pointless exercise, universities must offer skills and training tailored to a career.’