As 45 before POL has suggested, probably a majority of people entering the profession these days have degrees. There are a few old salts around who complain about graduates having no common sense, but that is really just a crass generalisation with no basis in fact. Admittedly, a degree has no direct bearing on your prospects with NATS or any other ATC provider if you plan to remain operational throughout your career. Right now, it's probably fair to say that most ATC managers in NATS, Serco and elsewhere are not university graduates, BUT, and that's a big but for good reason, I would seriously doubt that that will be the case in 20 years, when you'll only be 36! The upshot of what I've just written is that it may well be worth taking the long-term view and getting a degree under your belt. Quite apart from giving you something to fall back on if you don't get selected for ATC, and opening up positions which in the future may only be open to graduates, it's also a little insurance in the event of losing your medical or simply deciding on a change of career at some point. As an aside, my Facebook friends are a mixture of work friends from various locales and university friends. If you move around much, or even if you only move once and it takes you away from home, school friends can be hard to keep. University friendships are made in a different environment and can be more enduring. My degree has done absolutely nothing for my career, but I'm still damn glad to have it and to have spent those years as a fashion disaster in the campus bars.
Having said all that, if you're selected without getting as far as university, all power to you. Don't assume for one second though that you can stop learning when you leave school. Plan for the future, but don't necessarily be in such a hurry for the future to happen that you miss out on the qualifications, the learning experiences and the fun that can help you on your way.