Gaining gap year experience can help pay for university

People in higher education may want to follow the example of James Bagshaw and opt for a gap year before going to university.

The 17-year-old A-level student is keen to broaden his knowledge of geography at university in the future, This Is Gloucestershire reported.

However, his decision was made more difficult when news came out that institutes would begin charging higher tuition fees from next year.

As a result, Mr Bagshaw, from Cheltenham, has opted to wait until 2013 to try and apply for a university.

To pass the time efficiently, he said: "I am taking a gap year first to do some travelling but also work to earn some cash to make things a bit easier."

Recently, Ucas admissions service revealed that the number of university applications for 2012 is down nine per cent compared to this year.

Mr Bagshaw acknowledged that "the higher fees are going to make things harder for a lot of students".

See the different gap year destinations on offer.