Accessible Higher Education, Not Vice-Chancellors Greed

This week has seen the release of a document from the organisation Universities UK detailing the options for the future of tuition fees – the cost for a student to get a degree.

Originally coming to university cost nothing, then it cost around £1,000 a year and now it costs around £3, 000 a year.

UUK have recommended that the cost now be from £5, 000 to £7, 000 a year whilst a BBC poll of Vice Chancellors showed that 2/3 wanted it to be from £5, 000 to £20, 000 a year!!

This is just outrageous, this government set out in 1997 that up to 50% of people should experience Higher Education and that university should be accessible to all, irrespective of background.

These changes, if implemented, could mean an average debt of £32,000 and possibly anywhere up to over £60, 000 for an undergraduate degree – the entry point for many careers.

This is not accessible. Consider the 18 year old with the potential of Higher Education but with no family financial support – would they really want to pay £60, 000 for a degree? I certainly wouldn’t.

Universities need to consider the impact fees will have on accessibility to higher education – an education that is and should be a right and not a privilege – and think of other ways to innovate income streams to keep the bottom line happy.