I truly think Uni fees should be scrapped.....

[debbs77]

....for certain subjects.

Such as education, health and welfare degrees.

Surely the cost of University (I know of the loans etc) and family income tested funding is the reason so many people DON'T go to university any more?

Or, that fees get refunded if the graduate DOES go in to the field they qualified for.

I graduated in 2000.....no Uni fees, I got a student loan, and a grant (lived with my mum and step Dad and his income wasn't taken into account).

My son wants to go to Uni and due to low household income he would get the full loan amount I believe, but if that wasn't the case, then he couldn't afford to go and move away (he is planning to go to a local Uni anyway). And as a single parent with other children, I couldn't help him financially either way!

Of course it should. For all in my opinion, as the arts are important too.

Especially when all the decisions about Uni are made by people who got grants to go!!

How much extra tax are YOU willing to pay to make that happen, PP?

imho, having to pay for one's degree sharpens the mind to make a success of it.

How will it be funded then? I don't want to be paying any more tax for others to go to university quite frankly, especially if they have wealthy parents who can afford the fees.

I think we need to focus resource and funding on apprenticeships- we need skills in this country. I’d far rather my children went on to be plumbers or electricians than went to uni to get a near useless degree and a load of debt. And if it was free it would just be another way of putting off joining the real world- delayed adolescence

Except it's not true that people aren't going to uni any more - each year more and more and more 18 year olds go. Admittedly it's plateaued in the last couple of years, but the demand is way higher than it was in 2012 when £9k fees were introduced.

In any case it's the maintenance that puts people off - including you! Not the fees!

If you're going to argue for fees to be reduced, it has to be across all subjects. Not just a hallowed few. The History grad who goes on to teach History in an inner city school is as deserving of a free uni education as the Nursing grad who never works for the NHS.

Completely agree with you.

Society shouldn’t be relying on peoples personal budgets to create the doctors, nurses, teachers, etc that we need to function.

If people don’t want their taxes to provide education and healthcare what do they want them to pay for?

I'm not so sure about that. Those on an extremely low income don't have to make any repayments. I don't know if it's still the case but it was calculated when the scheme was first introduced that most graduates would never repay the full amount. Might as well call it a graduate tax and be done with it.

I do think it's idiotic to make people pay fees for degrees in medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, dentistry and other essential professions the NHS is crying out for. There should be a scheme to fund those students as long as they commit to working in the NHS for a certain amount of time after graduating.

It’s the maintenance that should be a grant and not a loan. The poorest end up
owing the most.

Back in my day we didn't have to pay fees, and we got a (small) maintenance grant

Yes absolutely! My daughter is going to end up in circa £60k debt for a degree in education, it’s one of the worse things Labour bought in which was further exploited by the Conservatives.

Yes this!

Graduates will earn on average 20% more over their working life than those who did not go to university; Their gains are £240k per male graduate and £130k per female graduate on average over a lifetime.

The 35% that do go to Uni are from the wealthier end of the spectrum generally and so I think that it is not fair for the poorer 65% to pay for the richer 35%.

I think there should be more help for those at the bottom of the income scale though. My child did computing at Southampton and 90% of the students in his class were from public school.

How was it funded previously when it was free to go?

I see posts on here daily about people not becoming teachers, not enough GPs etc etc etc.

I'd love to go to Uni to be a midwife, but simply cannot afford to.

I do agree apprenticeships are great too, and have a child doing one currently. Straight into a job earning a grand a month at 16.

I have a son doing 4 A levels, definitely looking to go to Uni for an integrated Masters, will leave owing thousands

I’d go about it a different way- I’d offer major tax breaks if you go on to work in education or the nhs, or a scheme that sees the government pay back your loan in instalments for your years of service.

That's a great idea. There really needs to be an incentive to go into these careers

It was funded by the tax payer but the number of places was limited, capping the total cost to the taxpayer.

Less HE funding means a smaller number of places available. That doesn't play well with young people and their parents.

No uni fees in Scotland for Scottish students. With 2 young children, I couldn't have graduated in the 90's and completed more Post grad training without that scheme. Now work to improve the lives of others so it's an investment in society really.

Sure, the magical money tree will pay for all that.

I agree OP along fwith free prescriptions for all and free parking at hosptials

I’d like to know where the increase in uni fees has gone to.
all you see is Uni’s building new buildings. A lot student accommodation they make millions from. The quality of the teaching hasn’t improved.

it should be not for profit

A fairer maintenance loan would be better than cutting costs by abolishing fees. You pay it back depending on what your not what you borrowed. DS will get the minimum so we are looking at 5-6k a year minimum potentially for 5 years to fund his dream.

Seems to pay for plenty else.

My local hospital just built a massive new car park. Yet didn't increase beds, or nurses, or doctors etc etc. That money came from a money tree too.

Fees haven't increase since 2012 (well apart from £250). In 2012 money, the £9250 is worth £5,900.

What do you think has happened to costs, particularly staffing as they make up the largest cost. Do you think they have decreased as well?

I think that would be better.

My local hospital just built a massive new car park. Yet didn't increase beds, or nurses, or doctors etc etc. That money came from a money tree too

Likely paid for by a private company who will keep the parking revenue to pay for it.