The official student newspaper of the University of East Anglia | Established 1992 | Issue 396 | 17th October 2023
The Haunting of UEA:
Interview with Benjamina Efua Dadzie
pg. 8
pg. 12-13
Venue:
Can we have a nice story, please?
pg. 7
UEA postgraduate scholarship reduction sparks open letter Matthew Stothard
Co-Editor-in-Chief
UEA’s Final Year Undergraduate Continuation Scholarship, a tuition fee discount on postgraduate courses awarded to students who achieve a First in their UEA undergraduate degree, has been reduced from 50% to 30% off the full price. The scholarship is available to students who begin the majority of postgraduate taught and research courses at the university, if they begin studying within six months of graduating from UEA with a First Class undergraduate degree. In 2022, the scholarship was awarded to 211 students, costing UEA £851,459. There has been no change to UEA’s 10% Alumni Tuition Fee Discount Scheme, available to all UEA alumni, and awarded to 350 students in 2022 at the cost of £248,177.55. The 50% discount has been available at UEA for a number of years. The 30% discount remains the most competitive across the top 25 universities in the Complete University Guide, whilst locally Essex offers a similar 33% discount to First Class Essex graduates. The change had been made on the UEA website with no widespread announcement, and has been brought to wider attention by Harriet Foote, a Third Year Undergraduate in the School of International Development, who has written an open letter against the reduction to Vice-Chancellor Professor David Maguire and Chief Resource Officer and University Secretary Ian Callaghan. The letter calls for a “productive conversation on the issue.” Speaking to Concrete on what she hoped to achieve, she said, “On the
level of collective political action, I want the 50% back; I want the decision to decrease the scholarship reversed. The difference between 50% and 30% is the difference between doing a Masters or not for so many students, and I think it's heartbreaking how many students will not be able to do a Masters anymore. “However, at the very least, I want to make as many people aware of the decrease as possible. Given UEA made no attempt to inform students of the decrease, I feel it's important that people know that their financial position and future options have changed. A Masters is undoubtedly a huge opportunity and people should be aware of the fact that they might not be able to afford it anymore as far in advance as possible. People might not find out about the decrease until they are on the website to apply for their Masters in the Spring of 2024, and that would be a disaster, as it’s too late to plan their career/other options by then.” She added that, “The most disappointing part of this issue is that UEA didn't officially inform us of the decrease, I would at least expect an email making us aware.” On why she decided to write the letter, Foote said that “I was sat in a meeting with my personal advisor discussing my future career, we opened the UEA website as I wanted to show her the 50% scholarship. However, when she opened the site, it said 30%. I'm not one to show my emotions openly, but I couldn't hold back my tears as I looked at her screen in disbelief. For myself and many other students, a Masters is not a possibility anymore. This anger, sadness and confusion is what originally motivated me to write the open letter.” “Many of my coursemates and friends now feel rushed and underprepared as we are suddenly faced with
changing our plans for the future. In a cost-of-living crisis, this reduction has brought the close reality of the cost of tuition close to home, and so the inability to fund further education is such a huge concern for me.” The letter also points to the potential impact of the change on UEA, with Foote suggesting the situation had created “a lack of certainty, trust and respect,” and that “UEA’s student retention rate may decrease.” She told Concrete that “From the people I've spoken to, the popular opinion of UEA will sour. When a lot of students feel let down and de-valued, they will rate UEA lower in public polls such as the National Student Survey and Graduate Outcomes Survey. These are both surveys sent to all graduates that rank each University on student
opinion and success. A lot of students feel that they can't trust UEA, and aren't being respected anymore.” Nathan Wyatt, UEA SU’s Welfare, Community and Diversity Officer, told Concrete that "It is shocking that the university has decided to change its Undergraduate Continuation Scholarship without notifying students. Many choose to study at UEA because they will have the opportunity to do a masters affordably - taking this option away from current students, without notice, is wrong. I'll be working with the Undergraduate Education officer to make sure that this year’s students are still afforded this opportunity." A UEA spokesperson said: “All UEA scholarships and bursaries
Image: Concrete/Innes Henry
are regularly reviewed. Students graduating with a first class degree can progress to a post graduate course with a 30% fee reduction scholarship. All other alumni are eligible for a 10% tuition fee discount. “We believe that this remains an attractive offer for students wishing to progress their studies at UEA and offers valuable financial support, while still being a competitive discount when compared to many other universities. “This scholarship opportunity is actively promoted to final year students from the autumn semester as it would only automatically apply to anyone graduating with a first class degree."