David Willetts, the universities minister, believed there was "a long-term trend for more and more people to aspire to go to university" and for more bosses to employ people with higher education degrees.

He told the Today programme he did not not have a problem with people studying vocational subjects, "as long as it is done with the rigour that means it warrants the title higher education."

"I think there are going to be more graduate jobs," he said, as he urged students not to be "put off by the fees".

More than 300,000 people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland find out on Thursday how they did in their A-levels and whether they have secured the university places they were offered.

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