So uni fees are going to increase?

[nearlylovemyusername]

University sector calls on Labour to raise tuition fees to ‘stabilise the ship’ (ft.com)

Given paywall, the essence it this:

"One former university vice-chancellor said the fact that Labour had acknowledged the sector was “in crisis” indicated that Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Phillipson, who have not ruled out a tuition fee increase, were likely to act.

“The short-term pain of putting up fees could be blamed on the Tory inheritance . . . and then traded against a transition to a better deal for young people, which Labour can deliver before next general election,” he said."

So it won't be limited by VAT on PS, uni fees will be up, potentially significantly and repayments for higher earning grads will go up much more - this is what artical says.

Some of the earlier student loans were sold off by the SLC. Plan 1 loans were.

researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8348/CBP-8348.pdf

@Flopsythebunny The UK is 2nd only to the US in terms of earnings from higher education.

Our universities develop some of the best research globally and generate huge amounts of soft power from all the overseas students who study here.

To say nothing of our need for home grown graduates.

Reducing the number of our universities would be a serious mistake.

To those who say we need fewer unis - and more apprenticeships. The point is businesses could already set those up, but mainly aren't interested.

Two things changed since 80s - universities but also our employment model. Gone are large enterprises willing yo invest in people. Gone are assumptions of a job for life within the same employer who is invested in giving you skills. Zero hour contracts are not conducive to apprenticeships.

Universities, students, exist within a wider ecosystem. Changing one without considering is overly simplistic.

Seriously @RoobarbAndMustardDid you read the link you posted? The last sell off was for loans coming into repayment from 2009. No more are planned. I doubt an incoming Labour government will change that. We are now in 2024. What point are you trying to make about recent, current and future undergrads?

Unless you're already wealthy so don't need a student loan - yay Labour for social mobilty 🙈

I've said it before and I'll say it again. My fear is VAT on private education is just the first step. Next is VAT on university fees.

That's exactly my point - if you're really wealthy, VAT on PS won't affect you that much and you don't need a loan. But if you're aspiring - you're kicked off PS even if on bursary (some schools already started withdrawing).

Then you go to Uni on a loan and if you do better, then you're paying for all those loans who never reach threshold. If god forbid you accumulate any savings/pension/investments it's taxed to the eyeballs as well.
It's basically uber rich are still untouchable ( and highly mobile), but middle/higher earners are fair game

....that should be available to everyone, regardless of their background or income.

There, finished it off for you.
Some of the comments on this thread are advocating for seriously retrograde steps that will lead to only the most disadvantaged in society losing out. As usual. Social mobility indeed. I find it incredible that, amongst my peers born in the 1970s and from working class backgrounds (and some outright poverty), so many of us are watching our children achieve their degrees as the first people in our families' history to attend university. Yes, the university business model is broken, but if the next government doesn't do something sensible to address it, our children may also be the last people in our families to attend university.

Teaching staff are only half the people in work at universities.

Librarians, IT staff, disability support, Money Support, Fees teams, counsellors, mental health nurses, administrators, lawyers, immigration advisers.... The list is endless

How is any of this Labour’s fault when it was the Tory/Lib Dem coalition who introduced student loans? Raise foreign student fees and bring back government funding of university places (like Scotland or Wales).

I work at a uni, as currently lose about £3.5k a year on every home UG student. Fees need to go up.

The reality is that our uni is turning to overseas students more and more, online learning (primarily for overseas audiences) and executive training.

I’ve been to a few uni open days recently and what’s struck me was the relatively poor A level results some required.
Is it really the right route for most unless they’re A grade students wanting to study medicine or similar?

Far fewer students.

That isn't correct. The coalition government raised the cap on tuition fees from 3.5k to 9k.

It was Tony Blair's government who introduced them in the first place.

Assuming the govt funded it? Less students then

Labour will totally raise taxes/prices for everything.

There were far fewer universities and far fewer students attending Uni, so the costs were less of a burden to the state.

Right but typically people that live in rural areas do move. DP is Italian and the nearest university was 2 hours away so he moved, same with my cousins in rural Ireland. People who live in towns and cities (which is most people) can stay local which means more funding for people who have to move.

That might well mean saying no to funding accommodation for a psychology degree for a C level student 200 miles away but more funding for medical or engineering students for students from poor backgrounds who need to move.

@nearlylovemyusername

Don't forget too anyone with savings isn't considered a normal working person 🙈

You're so right!

@Cluborange666

"That isn't correct. The coalition government raised the cap on tuition fees from 3.5k to 9k.

It was Tony Blair's government who introduced them in the first place."

It is interesting though that your initial reaction is to blame the Tories/ Lib Dems rather than look at the facts.

Whilst the Tories have been completely crap for the last 14 years, I think you will be finding yourself frustrated, angry and looking for a different political perspective at the next election if you think that Labour are suddenly right all the Tory wrongs.

From personal experience the % of international students varies from course to course. Stem and finance type courses can have >50% international students. A friend was the only one of 5 UK student on an accounting/DP course which had over 80 students in total. Humanities on the whole tend to attract much less international students.

There is also a big difference between undergrad and postgraduate courses. Many unis make a lot of cash from their MA international students

Humanities on the whole tend to attract much less international students.

And just think about the effect on humanities depts of that - they're closing left right and centre as a result. So if you want your kids to be able to study History, English etc (and in turn your grandkids to be taught GCSEs in English or History by someone with a degree in those subjects) - fees need to rise - and either the graduate or the tax payer has to fund it.

Only around 15% of undergrads are overseas - just to quell the 'a foreigner took my Jonny's uni place' nonsense. At PG it's more like half. Thank god cos we'd all have gone bankrupt years ago otherwise!