Like the United States, England is facing harsh criticism within government and student bodies over higher education policies. Last December British lawmakers announced large tuition increases, which were to go into effect fall 2012. Tuition increases meant students faced tuition costs around $14,000 a year. Last June, the British government also announced a major overhaul to higher education. Per the Chronicle Article, “British Universities Would Compete More for Students—and Funds—Under Proposed Overhaul” these changes included:
- Market-driven higher education atmosphere, with an emphasis on consumer choice, competition, and accountability.
o Students will pay more for their education, but in return, students will receive more institutional accountability and more choices for higher education learning.
o 4 areas are covered in “Students at the Heart of the System” - reforming funding; delivering a better student experience; enabling universities to increase social mobility; and reducing regulation and removing barriers for new providers.
- Universities can freely compete for students who score the top grades in national A-level examinations, upon which university admissions are largely based.
o Under the new proposal, the overall institutional quotas remain in place, but students recruited from among the 65,000 top-achievers on the A-level exams will not be counted toward an institution's total, and financing for those students would follow them to whichever institution they attend.
- Create a more even playing field between public and private colleges and universities.
- Increase open slots at institutions that provide cheaper tuition for students.
The House of Commons Select Committee on Business, Innovation and Skills, recently released a report criticizing the higher education “overhaul” plans. The biggest concerns stem from worries that the government is forcing certain students (who are not part of the top 65,000 ranking students) into lower cost universities. Institutions are now requesting to not have their tuition increased in an effort to gain some of the 20,000 spaces being made available for universities who charge less than £7,500. The committee also questioned whether the tuition increases, in order to help support lower income students, would actually work. The committee instead suggested that the government give a per pupil stipend to any college/university that enrolls a disadvantage student. The committee, along with several others, questions the privatization of higher education and the push for private/for-profit institutions in an effort to give students options.
Overall, it appears that England is on a path to push private colleges and universities in an effort to defund higher education and create a “competitive” market. Students, not happy about the changes, will find these changes difficult to navigate. Unlike the U.S., student loans in England do not go into repayment until the students reach a certain income bracket. However, even with more flexibility in loan repayment, increased tuition costs, and the push for private colleges, student debt is likely to increase.
Like the U.S., England is facing student protests and civil unrest. Students are taking to the streets to voice their displeasure and dissatisfaction. Their government seems to be on a similar path of privatizing, or pushing privatization, of higher education by offering continued incentives to private institutions. It will be interesting to watch how these changes play out in England and what lessons the U.S. can take away from the countries new initiatives.
This was surprising to read-an increase from £3,000 to £9,000! In going back to the original source, the votes were fairly close in passing or not passing the increase. Coming from a country that did not even charge until the late 90’s for tuition it should not be shocking that people are not pleased. In looking at the States with the average of $7,000 a year versus the $14,000 of England, I wonder if more students will make the trek to the States for their education. Will we start to see a trend of international students coming to the State from England? And will this tuition increase impact Northern Ireland as they are tied to the United Kingdom? They mentioned that Scotland will likely not be impacted and N. Ireland may follow. On the flip side will American students not select England as a place to study with the increase? With the pound at a rate of .5 more perhaps a small conversion of the dollar to get a few more pounds, but not nearly enough to cover this increase in intuition.
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