Fresh November 2009
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Could You Afford £7,000 each Year on Fees alone? By Josh Paterson
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Graduation: Will the build up to the big day at Guildford Cathedral really be worth it?
n the middle of the biggest economic downturn of the last decade, It’s highly likely that you have all heard the rumours circulating of student tuition fees being increased to a phenomenal projected figure of over £7000 in some institutions.
they could charge top up fees, they were also told that in return they would have to significantly improve their bursaries for poorer students. This didn’t happen. Last year, universities spent £19 million less than they had promised. They clearly cannot be relied upon to provide for poorer students.
The Government have stated that throughout 2009, a review of student finance is required by the same legislation that brought in variable tuition fees five years ago.
“Higher fees would lead to a disastrous market in higher education, which would inevitably price poorer students out of our most prestigious institutions. We cannot fall for vice chancellors’ promises that poorer students would be provided for.”
Higher fees mean higher student loans! If student fees increase to the £7,000 level, that some feel is now necessary, then it would mean that some current & prospective university students would come out of University with a shiny new degree in hand, but also with massive amounts of debt looming over their heads, up to 3 times bigger than that of previous years in the worst case!
NUS’ Blueprint proposes an alternative to the current loan repayment scheme, whereby students only contribute to the costs of their degree once they have graduated. Under this system, those who benefit most from university by earning more will contribute more.
If the caps were to raise, it would also lead to the marketisation of education, making affordability a barrier for potential students. This would mean people would only be able to take up courses that they could afford, rather than having a free choice over their study and in turn, the class gap would only continue to grow, with inevitable retention rates from those of less fortunate socioeconomic background. To put it bleakly, students would become marginalised. It could be argued that with the changes, the Government would most probably create more scholarships for students with exceptional circumstances. However as NUS President Wes Streeting stated in October of this year, you cannot take promises at face value. “When universities were told that
Launching the Blueprint, Wes Streeting said “NUS’ proposals would give universities double the amount of funding they currently receive, while allowing the children of poorer families to go to university without the fear of debt. They would also prevent the emergence of a market in higher education, where only the rich could afford to attend our most prestigious universities.” The silver lining is that this legislation has not yet been passed. However, it is time to take action, and get involved in putting an end to any more talk of raising the cap. It’s time to take the message about unfair fees out into the community, and the RSU and NUS needs your support... >Story continues on Page 10
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