The vast majority of English and Welsh students sign up for undergraduate degrees that take three years, are spread across 30 weeks a year and punctuated by a long summer vacation.

That could change if a new government proposal for two-year degrees becomes reality. According to former Universities Minister Jo Johnson, who has been pushing the idea, accelerated degrees could drive a “transformation” in higher education. They could save students £5,500 in tuition fees and break the mould of a system in which three-year degrees have crowded out more flexible ways of studying.