THREE-QUARTERS of students want their ­universities to give out more information on how their tuition fees are spent, a new poll showed ­yesterday.

A study of over 15,000 undergraduates conducted by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) and the Higher Education Academy (HEA) found that only 18 per cent were happy in their knowledge of how fees are spent.

The question was put for the first time as part of the annual Student Academic Experience Survey.

Almost half of those quizzed on whether the current information was enough responded “definitely not.”

“Providing this (information) is coming to look like an inevitable consequence of relying so heavily on student loans,” said Hepi director Nick Hillman.

“If it doesn’t happen soon, it could be forced on universities by policy-makers.”

The survey also found that 34 per cent of students felt they chose the wrong course, with one third of those completing independent study complaining of poor support.

Free education campaigners argued that more was needed to address how universities and courses are structured.

National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts spokeswoman Hannah Sketchley told the Star that it was “entirely unsurprising that students do not feel that £9,000 fees were worth their while.

“What this report highlights as a whole is our growing conception of higher education as part of the market — something defined by a student’s monetary relation to it rather than their experience.

“This is neoliberalism of the highest order and speaks to the marketisation of our education system.”

She added that if lecturers were not so “tied up” with performance assessments linked to profitability and universities’ prestige “they would have more time to actually teach.”

Universities think tank Million+ chief executive Pam Tatlow echoed these concerns, arguing that the government needed to “be cautious” about further cuts to student support.

“This survey confirms that there is a clear link between higher education funding systems and student perceptions about value for money,” she said.

“It is hardly surprising that university students in England feel that they have received less value for money than their counterparts in Scotland bearing in mind the differences in fee regimes.”