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Insight: University fees for Students in the UK have risen from £3500 per year to either £6000 or a maximum of £9000 while the government has cut funding for te

by sycren 16y ago

Insight: University fees for Students in the UK have risen from £3500 per year to either £6000 or a maximum of £9000 while the government has cut funding for teaching and research. Most universities have opted to charge the maximum £9000 per year to the surprise of the policymakers. These changes will arrive in 2012. The government also behind start up culture with startup Britain: http://www.startupbritain.org/ http://www.startupbritain.org/ But as the OP suggests, although there is a risk forming a startup at any time, education now seems to have the same amount of risk involved as it will settle the student with at least £40,000 of debt (fees 9000, accommodation food etc 3-4000) for 3-4 years. Finding a job straight out of school at 16 will also be quite daunting as the unemployment level is continuously rising so there is no safety net. Although this will not help now, I can only hope that when the country has settled its financial debt, it will make education free or more affordable although this could be wishful thinking..

arctangent 16y ago
Fellow UK resident here. The political reasoning behind the hike in fees is to make young people think harder about whether a university degree is actually going to be useful to them in their career. It's fairly clear that vocational courses would benefit some people a lot more than theoretical/academic courses, and society would benefit from this too. At the moment young people tend to go to university by default, and there were (until recently) frequent stories about universities offering nonsense degrees just so they can claim funding from the government. I can't blame the those students who, in the past, went to university for 3 years just to learn how to be independent, make some friends and party. I don't think they'll do it if the privilege costs them several thousand pounds. However, our current government in the UK has signalled a change - there is a feeling that making university easy to go to has manipulated unemployment figures downwards and has not really had the desired effect that you might expect from higher education. Historically, university attendance was much lower - not because of a lack of "fairness" in society but because society accepted that only the brightest and most motivated went to such a place. I'd prefer it if young people didn't have to pay money to go to university but it's in society's interest that those who do go are recognised as having gone there for the right reasons and are qualified to do something productive. If there's a price attached to a degree then universities will (presumably) try harder to ensure that the value they provide is comparable with the fees charged by other universities. To the original poster I would say this: If you think you're smart then you might as well stick it out and get a degree, especially if you think you have a chance of going to a top UK university. You will find it very difficult to get a degree later in life when you have more responsibilities. Degrees are still cheap in the UK compared to the USA (especially if you think you will one day earn an above-average salary).
- FrojoS 16y ago
  This is certainly a way to see it. Its rational and logic. And of course, I don't think the public shouldn't pay shitty schools were people only party. However, I wonder what the results in reality, where people are usually not acting so rational, will be. If people were that rational in first place, wouldn't they see, that the amount of money they won't earn while they are in college instead of working is way larger than the fees? I don't know the society in the UK very well, but here in Germany I had friends in third grade, who where sent to school that won't lead to degrees that qualify for university! They we're smart and had good grades, but their parents wanted them to earn money once they're 16. I wonder how many parents would have taken them out of school even before the ago of 16 if only it was legal. And that whole system of compulsory education is >100 years old, here! Isn't it a fact, that todays world requires more learning and therefore more time in school? Delayed maturity is a trend as long as homo sapiens sapiens exists.
- sycren 16y ago
  I agree with you, Im at university atm in newcastle. If you can get into a good university, take it. There should be some grants to limit some of debt. Of course you could also apply to a Scottish university like Edinburgh which I think is only £1000 a year
arethuza 16y ago
Scottish students don't pay any fees for attending any UK University. NB I am Scottish, I didn't pay any fees when I went to University in the 80s but I still can't justify this current policy.
tnai 16y ago
Deferred entry to University may be a good option. A (little known) benefit of deferred university education in the UK is that as an 'independent student' (or mature student) you may qualify for full payment of your student fees: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityAndHigherEducation/StudentFinance/Gettingstarted/DG_171579 http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityA... I enrolled as an 'independent student' a few years ago (Male, 25 at the time, British citizen, no dependents, no significant savings) and, with part time jobs and moving back to live with my parents, graduated with very little student debt after 3 years. It's worth considering, of course, that the pace of cuts in the UK may change this between now and when you're 25 (or already has). Just that you know it is an option.

by sycren 16y ago

arctangent 16y ago

Fellow UK resident here. The political reasoning behind the hike in fees is to make young people think harder about whether a university degree is actually going to be useful to them in their career. It's fairly clear that vocational courses would benefit some people a lot more than theoretical/academic courses, and society would benefit from this too. At the moment young people tend to go to university by default, and there were (until recently) frequent stories about universities offering nonsense degrees just so they can claim funding from the government. I can't blame the those students who, in the past, went to university for 3 years just to learn how to be independent, make some friends and party. I don't think they'll do it if the privilege costs them several thousand pounds. However, our current government in the UK has signalled a change - there is a feeling that making university easy to go to has manipulated unemployment figures downwards and has not really had the desired effect that you might expect from higher education. Historically, university attendance was much lower - not because of a lack of "fairness" in society but because society accepted that only the brightest and most motivated went to such a place. I'd prefer it if young people didn't have to pay money to go to university but it's in society's interest that those who do go are recognised as having gone there for the right reasons and are qualified to do something productive. If there's a price attached to a degree then universities will (presumably) try harder to ensure that the value they provide is comparable with the fees charged by other universities. To the original poster I would say this: If you think you're smart then you might as well stick it out and get a degree, especially if you think you have a chance of going to a top UK university. You will find it very difficult to get a degree later in life when you have more responsibilities. Degrees are still cheap in the UK compared to the USA (especially if you think you will one day earn an above-average salary).

FrojoS 16y ago
This is certainly a way to see it. Its rational and logic. And of course, I don't think the public shouldn't pay shitty schools were people only party. However, I wonder what the results in reality, where people are usually not acting so rational, will be. If people were that rational in first place, wouldn't they see, that the amount of money they won't earn while they are in college instead of working is way larger than the fees? I don't know the society in the UK very well, but here in Germany I had friends in third grade, who where sent to school that won't lead to degrees that qualify for university! They we're smart and had good grades, but their parents wanted them to earn money once they're 16. I wonder how many parents would have taken them out of school even before the ago of 16 if only it was legal. And that whole system of compulsory education is >100 years old, here! Isn't it a fact, that todays world requires more learning and therefore more time in school? Delayed maturity is a trend as long as homo sapiens sapiens exists.
sycren 16y ago
I agree with you, Im at university atm in newcastle. If you can get into a good university, take it. There should be some grants to limit some of debt. Of course you could also apply to a Scottish university like Edinburgh which I think is only £1000 a year

arethuza 16y ago

Scottish students don't pay any fees for attending any UK University. NB I am Scottish, I didn't pay any fees when I went to University in the 80s but I still can't justify this current policy.

tnai 16y ago

Deferred entry to University may be a good option. A (little known) benefit of deferred university education in the UK is that as an 'independent student' (or mature student) you may qualify for full payment of your student fees: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityAndHigherEducation/StudentFinance/Gettingstarted/DG_171579 http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityA... I enrolled as an 'independent student' a few years ago (Male, 25 at the time, British citizen, no dependents, no significant savings) and, with part time jobs and moving back to live with my parents, graduated with very little student debt after 3 years. It's worth considering, of course, that the pace of cuts in the UK may change this between now and when you're 25 (or already has). Just that you know it is an option.