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10 February 2010

million+ rejects flawed and simplistic approach to university funding


Commenting on the Policy Exchange report More Fees Please? Professor Les Ebdon, Chair of the university think tank million+ and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire, said: “The simplistic approach of this report, which proposes changes to the contributions made by students whilst at university, could have an immensely damaging impact on participation. Students and their families already make considerable financial sacrifices so the current levels of support, an important feature of the 2004 HE Act, are vital. They have helped ensure record numbers of students at university and have raised the aspirations of millions who would previously not have considered studying for a degree.

“million+’s recent report Fair Funding for All concluded that there was a case to make changes to the contributions made by graduates, but that this should be instead of, rather than as well as, expecting students to pay more before they benefit from the investment they make in higher education.

“By working on very traditional assumptions about who is now going to university, the Policy Exchange report also shows an amazing ignorance of the huge numbers of students now entering university with a variety of qualifications and experience. This is unfortunate timing given that the recent UCAS figures showed a 63.4% increase in applications from people over 25, many of whom did not have the chance to go to university straight from school or college. It’s nonsense to suggest that there aren’t thousands of people from lower and modest incomes being denied places at university. This year alone up to a quarter of a million well-qualified applicants could miss out. This report’s proposals would simply serve to put yet more barriers in their way.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

  1. million+ is a leading university think-tank, working to solve the complex problems in higher education www.millionplus.ac.uk
  2. The million+ report Fair Funding for All can be downloaded here. The report provides a costed model to ends the unfair and differential treatment of part-time students, who still have to pay their fees up-front and who have no access to fee and maintenance loans. It also demonstrates that amendments to graduate contributions could net the Exchequer £1bn for every cohort of students. The report also recommended that, as well as making full-time and part-time support comparable, current levels of student support should be maintained, that the state should remain the loan provider and that there should be no uplift in fees until all political parties make clear their future commitment to funding higher education.
  3. UCAS applications figures for 2010 show very significant increases from 2009 in applications from older applicants: up 44.8% for 21 to 24 year olds, and 63.4% for over 25s.
  4. For more information please contact Victoria Mills on 0207 7171655 or 07900 277819.