18 September 2008
Million+ supports call for a national bursary scheme.
University think-tank Million+ strongly welcomes the analysis of the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) which identifies the problems with the market in student bursaries introduced in the 2004 HE Act and implemented in England with variable fees in 2006.
The report (Financial support in English universities: a national bursary scheme) highlights the inequity of the current bursary system and confirms Million+ analysis that students and universities with larger numbers of poor students have been disadvantaged.
Professor Les Ebdon, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire said, “This hard-hitting report exposes the perverse nature of the current bursary system. The universities that recruit the most students from poor backgrounds are distributing the largest sums of money in bursary payments far more widely. We have a long held view that the only fair system for students and their universities is a national bursary scheme.”
Pam Tatlow, Chief Executive of Million+ said “In spite of warnings at the time, Government Ministers opted for a market in student bursaries even though Parliament limited the market in fees for full-time student by voting for a cap of £3000. The inevitable consequence has been inequity for students, no significant gains in fairer access to elite institutions and poaching of less-advantaged students by universities which have failed to deepen access by other means. This should serve as a warning about how difficult it is to deliver equity on the back of a market-driven system of tuition fees and student support”.
ENDS
Notes to editors
- Million+ is a leading university think-tank, working to solve the complex problems in higher education. www.millionplus.ac.uk
- The full HEPI report, Financial support in English universities: a national bursary scheme can be found at: www.hepi.ac.uk (from Thursday)
- For more information please contact Gemma Tumelty, Public Affairs Officer on 0207 7171657 or 07900 277819