Theresa May to woo parents with pledge to tackle university fees
Prime Minister Theresa May will today launch a major review of higher education, probing the cost to students and telling parents to shake off the “outdated attitude” that university is the only option after school.
In a speech in Derbyshire, the embattled leader will challenge the belief that vocational training is only “something for other people’s children” and the existence of “false boundaries” between the two types of post-18 education.
As well as considering how to better promote alternative options after school, the review will examine whether university fees are value for money, both for students and taxpayers, and how students and graduates contribute to the cost of their studies.
In England, fees are capped at £9,250 but there is concern that many universities simply charge the maximum regardless of subject or resources. Meanwhile, vice chancellor pay has risen to record highs, with a report last year estimating the average salary for university heads stood at £275,000.
May will today say: “The competitive market between universities which the system of variable tuition fees envisaged has simply not emerged. All but a handful of universities charge the maximum possible fees for undergraduate courses. Three year courses remain the norm. And the level of fees charged do not relate to the cost or quality of the course. We now have one of the most expensive systems of university tuition in the world.”
The goal of making university accessible to young people from every background “is not made easier by a funding system which leaves students from the lowest-income households bearing the highest levels of debt, with many graduates left questioning the return they get for their investment,” May will add.
The review “will examine how we can give people from disadvantaged backgrounds an equal chance to succeed. That includes how disadvantaged students and learners receive maintenance support, both from government and universities and colleges,” she will say.
It comes a day after education secretary Damian Hinds floated the idea that universities could charge fees depending on the earning potential of a given degree, in a bid to lower average tuition fees.
The panel’s report will be published at an interim stage and the review will conclude in early 2019.