Students hear about University life

"I live in a room equivalent to the size of a box, but apart from that it is going well," he said, "I have made loads of new friends, I've been given extra help to catch up with maths I missed and I've even won an archery competition."

The event was arranged by teacher Darren Thomson: "When I was in the sixth form I didn't know very much about university, so I thought it would be a good idea to invite someone in from a university to talk to our students. It's really important for sixth formers to understand about all the opportunities available to them. "

A show of hands amongst the Year 12 students revealed that 90 per cent are still determined to go to university next year - despite the huge increase in tuition fees.

The 83 Year 12 students will be among the first teenagers to pay higher university tuition bills of up to £9,000 a year when they leave school in 2012, instead of the present £3,290 fee.

But the soaring cost of a university education hasn't deterred them at all says Head of Studio 6 Sarah Forster: "We've talked to students a lot about finances at university. They understand that they will have more to pay but that it won't affect them immediately as they will have a longer to pay loans back."

Francesca Slattery added: "Going to university is an investment in the future. A graduate is likely to earn £100,000 - £200,000 more during their lifetime than a person with just A-levels."