With bumper £3,000 fees hanging over their heads, Britain's hard-pressed students just starting their first term at university could be forgiven for wondering what the true worth of their degree will turn out to be.
In which case, they would do well to look at the Friends Reunited website.
What they will find might surprise them - even perhaps give them a couple of nasty shocks - but will ultimately offer them something to spur them on through those long nights burning midnight-oil.
Throughout the summer, Friends Reunited has been inviting its members to be involved in an original social experiment. It enables everyone who takes part to compare their life experience and statistics with each other.
So far more than 200,000 people have taken part. As the membership of the website reflects the profile of the general British population, the results offer an authoritative snapshot of the true cost of a degree.
The reunion website's research shows the exacting nature of the sacrifices demanded by higher education, particularly in the area of relationships and children.
Perhaps the most shocking revelation to come from the Friends Reunited Life Comparison Table is that those who don't go to university are over 1.5 times more likely to have children.
Just when undergraduates can pride themselves on working late into the night on the next day's calculus tutorial, it turns out their less academic counterparts have clearly been having a lot more fun.
Even those scholars who do have children find it harder to admit to being proud of their offspring than the non-gowned: little more than a third of graduates say their family are the source of their greatest pride, but among non-graduates the figure rises to one half.
The rumour that going to university is just one long series of parties is also scotched by the news that graduates are less successful at finding that special someone. It's not for the want of trying: locating a life partner figures in the top four things that would make graduates most happy - but not in those of non-graduates.
It's not all gloom for graduates, though. The sacrifices look to be worth it, as academia still appears to hold the keys to fulfilment and achievement.
Graduates of the University of Life consistently rank lower when asked how happy they feel, and are more likely to answer that life has been a disappointment than their academic counterparts.
Those without a certificate and mortar board are also more likely to be unhappy with their job and looking for a new one.
Head of Friends Reunited Jon Clark (Economics, Leeds, happy with life) said, "Experts on well-being claim that happiness doesn't depend on how well you're doing in an absolute sense, but only compared to your friends and associates.
"In other words, to feel happy and successful, you don't have to strive to be a millionaire, you just have to be doing a little bit better than your mates.
"So we thought it would be fun to design a really quick and easy way for everyone to test out the hypothesis and compare themselves with the people they went to school or uni with - or even everyone else on Friends Reunited.
"The results show that no matter what path you choose everyone ends up happy in the end - but that happiness doesn't come cheap."
The Friends Reunited Life Comparison Table 2006
* % results shown for all relevant questions| University (%) | Non-Uni (%) | |
| HAVE CHILDREN? | ||
| No | 45 | 27 |
| SPECIAL SOMEONE? | ||
| Found | 79 | 82 |
| CAREER LADDER? | ||
| Top or very top | 19 | 18 |
| JOB SATISFACTION? | ||
| "Love it!" | 39 | 34 |
| "Pays bills but I'm happy" | 37 | 41 |
| "I want something else" | 12 | 15 |
| PROPERTY? | ||
| Own home | 54 | 58 |
| Rent | 21 | 24 |
| CAR? | ||
| Small city run around | 25 | 19 |
| Family saloon | 21 | 26 |
| HAPPINESS? | ||
| (Overall positive) | (96) | (95) |
| Happy or very happy | 77 | 72 |
| Not bad | 19 | 23 |
| Disappointed with life | 3 | 5 |
| WHAT WOULD MAKE YOU HAPPIER? | ||
| Fitness | 26 | 26 |
| Earning more | 15 | 17 |
| More family time | 12 | 12 |
| No goals | 12 | 16 |
| Finding someone special | 11 | - |
| SCHOOL DAYS? | ||
| "Best of my life." | 16 | 19 |
| MOST PROUD OF? | ||
| Family | 36 | 50 |
| Qualifications | 19 | 5 |
| Dream job | 8 | 5 |
Not going to university wins on:
If you went to university to are more likely to:
The Friends Reunited Life Comparison Table is available for you to enter by logging on to www.friendsreunited.co.uk
Friends Reunited was launched in July 2000 as a back bedroom hobby. A combination of word of mouth and immense media attention has propelled the site to phenomenon status, expanding beyond the school friends proposition to include workplaces, teams/clubs and streets. Friends Reunited has touched many thousands of lives, reuniting friends and family around the globe.
For more information contact Victoria Reed on: 01883 717468 / 07739 560830 or email press@friendsreunited.co.uk