When I was at school, our careers advisor used to ask, ‘Are you sure you want to go to university?’ Most of us answered yes almost automatically. Yet by the first Christmas after leaving school, I was hearing old classmates mutter about dropping out, hating their new town or switching courses. It was obvious that some of them should have thought a little harder before accepting their place.
Today, the decision is even more complex if you want to build entrepreneurial skills while you study. Undergraduate tuition fees in England are capped, with the 2025/26 maximum set at £9,535, according to gov.uk. Most students also take out maintenance loans: the maximum for 2025/26 is £10,544 if you live away from home outside London and £13,762 if you live in London, Student Finance England confirms. With that level of investment, it is reasonable to ask whether a degree still pays off, especially if you plan to start a business rather than climb a conventional career ladder.
For aspiring business owners, the ‘University of Life’ argument can sound persuasive: why spend three or four years in lectures when you could be building a company? I would still argue that higher education and entrepreneurship can be complementary. A degree is evidence that you can commit to a long-term project, manage deadlines and think critically, qualities that translate directly into running a business. Universities are also increasingly focused on employability and enterprise, offering placements, start-up modules, incubators and accelerator support to help students build entrepreneurial skills alongside academic study.
Here are four practical ways to use a higher education course to build entrepreneurial skills while you study.
Four ways to build entrepreneurial skills at university
1. Make the most of spare time
It is common to hear students insist they ‘do not have time’ to look for work, develop a business idea, cook a proper meal or do their washing. Some courses, nursing or engineering for example, can demand 30 or more contact hours a week. Others may require only a handful of lectures and seminars. Once full-time work, and perhaps a family, take over, many graduates realise they never had as much free time as they did at university.
So do not spend all of it socialising, although rest matters. Use it to research your market and build transferable skills. Most universities advise limiting part-time work to around 16 to 20 hours a week, but those hours do not have to be spent behind a shop counter. You could allocate them to market research, approaching potential investors or drafting a business plan. Even an hour or two a week adds up. Watch for niches and opportunities as you move around campus and talk to other students.
2. Fit your course around your business ideas
If you already have a business idea, look for a course with flexible hours. Distance learning, part-time degrees and degree apprenticeships have expanded enormously over the last decade. They let you prioritise work and business commitments and fit study around them.
I studied with The Open University while working full time, and the flexibility was invaluable. Modular degrees allow you to transfer credits, take a break or step down to a Higher National Certificate or Diploma if your business needs attention. That kind of adaptability makes part-time study a strong option for anyone trying to keep several plates spinning.
Distance learning does demand self-discipline. Because you must manage your own schedule and motivate yourself to meet deadlines, you are practising exactly the skills you need as a founder.
3. Learn from other academics and professionals
Students often underestimate the value of collaboration and networking, beyond posting on social media. At university you are surrounded by people with knowledge across dozens of disciplines, so do not be afraid to learn from those outside your subject.
Final-year research projects usually involve interviews, surveys and data analysis. If you are interested in a particular sector, approach an academic or student in a relevant department and exchange ideas.
I am a firm believer in peer learning and mentoring, which is why I have worked with business mentors at challenging stages of my own company. The contacts you make at university can become customers, collaborators or advisers. For structured support after you graduate, look at women in business networks and mentoring programmes that continue that peer learning.
4. Use budgeting experience to your advantage
Anybody who has managed a student loan, rent, utility bills and a food budget has already had a crash course in cash flow. The jump from living with parents to paying your own way is steep, and it forces you to track income and outgoings carefully.
That budgeting experience is excellent preparation for business ownership. You can treat your personal finances as a bookkeeping exercise: record what comes in, note where it goes and spot areas where you could be more prudent. Before you invest in accounting software, it is worth taking a basic bookkeeping course or working through a cashflow forecast template so you understand the principles. That foundation will serve you well when you later hire a bookkeeper or accountant.
What the numbers say about women, degrees and business
Women continue to thrive in higher education. HESA data for 2023/24 shows that 78.4% of female graduates in the UK achieved a first or upper second-class degree, compared with 74.1% of male graduates. The picture for female entrepreneurship is also encouraging. The 2024 Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship Progress Report found that 164,000 all-female-founded companies were created in 2023, up from 145,000 in 2022, and that women now account for 32% of UK entrepreneurs.
Those figures matter because they show a pipeline of educated women who are increasingly likely to start businesses. Yet funding gaps persist. If you are preparing to launch, it is worth exploring the Start Up Loans female founders route and checking whether your university has its own seed fund or enterprise competition. For broader context on the state of women-led enterprise, see our women in business key facts page.
Action steps: make university work for your business
- Check your course’s enterprise offer before you apply. Look for start-up modules, incubators, competitions and alumni mentoring.
- Build a simple cashflow forecast from your termly budget so you understand business finance basics early.
- Set aside 5 to 10 hours a week for market research, networking or product development, even if your business is still an idea.
- Investigate flexible study options, including part-time degrees, distance learning and degree apprenticeships, if you need to earn while you learn.
- Connect with women in business networks before you graduate so your support system is already in place.
Education and business acumen should not be seen as opposing forces. With women excelling in both, higher education can help you build entrepreneurial skills and serve as a practical launchpad for the next generation of women founders and senior business leaders.
