Fees + Funding = A Crisis for UK Higher Education and Universities?

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Browne view

Mr. Brown's Independent Review called for a radical overhaul of what universities can charge students for their education, among other recommendations (NOTE: so far these are only recommendations, but not yet implemented by the coalition government, although relatively widely accepted .)

Comprehensive Spending Review

As part of the comprehensive spending review, Chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne has announced drastic cuts in the sector - up to one third less for the university over the next four years. Some journalists (I will not name names) make the wrong assumption that the increased fee (from Browne review, above) will be the difference.

issues

There are so many inherent problems to be solved on these two issues, it is difficult to know where to start. So I will attack them, in short, from the perspective I know best:. Promotion

At first glance, allowing universities to charge what they want (to a certain extent, and under certain conditions) creates a more "market" for higher education, more like an American model, which is exactly what the current government after that. Differential fees will create new challenges for the internal marketing teams, and the perceived value of the "Prestige" will probably be an even greater importance.

issues

the essence of things lies in the fact that "students will be required to pay compensation in advance", but instead will extend loans to cover them, and will not be required to return until making £ 21,000 a year.

to his disciples, then, is whether their fees are 5K or 10K per year if May they never have to repay? If the recent attacks us anything, they do not. However, it seems disincentive to work.

will be more scholarships will be required to make the second pillar of the institution to attract the best students? Probably. We have seen a growing interest in fundraising, particularly in 2011 Hefca corresponding program funding approaches.

What happens expansion of participation? Even at the lowest level since the cuts, the university will have to charge at least 6K per year plus expenses. Will this put the neediest students off? Hefca already announced the closure aim high.

How many universities will be closed or merged in order to reduce costs and duplication of services? How will that affect their communities, and again, students who have been physically approach the problem?

Finally, the graduate tax will undoubtedly have a negative effect on fundraising efforts of the former. While most universities will probably have to step up its fundraising efforts to bridge the financing gap, the alumnus or alumna, or want to have the ability to paycheque, but when they are siphoned off to pay their debts?

Answers

UK HE system is without a doubt the system is in crisis, and will soon have the highest tuition fees in any country with a publicly-funded system. Assuming that the government does not take this level of subsidized debt on behalf of students, it is not the solution, not financially. While students may not feel the impact immediately raised the fees, the term carries the level of debt with them throughout their lives will undoubtedly have a huge impact on employment - would surely be "lower ranked" universities, which in most cases still provide the return on investment and quality education . UK alone will probably suffer the most, with reduced long-term competitiveness as less students attending the university. Although the higher fees accepted elsewhere - and to the U.S. - are not brought into the reform has to change, but slowly, allowing for cultural adaptations. Such is not the case in the UK who would like a cultural revolution overnight. But it will not change the fact that parents will have saved enough, students are rarely on a part-time or summer job, or that deep discounts allowed endowments to help the poorest students are simply not available. Universities are not considered worthy charitable cause, but the common good.

Browne, a British government, if you choose to accept its recommendations next week, setting the sector and the UK as a whole for failure if you think that an overnight tripling of tuition fees and cutting 75% of the school budget is the solution.

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