In late July, the Independent Commission on Fees released a report criticising changes in the last parliament to the structure and method of tuition fees. They said that the increase to allow universities to charge a maximum of £9,000 per academic year has led to a significant drop in part time and mature student numbers. To many, this was confirmation of what was already suspected – that the changes wrought under the last government would hurt a significant group of people.
A Problem a Long Time Coming?
Many first noticed the drop in 2012 when parliament removed the tuition fee cap, leading many universities immediately to charging more, with some charging full cost from the start. This is the first time though that a drop in part time and mature student numbers has been officially highlighted by an independent body, and one so important to the tuition fee monitoring process.
Critics have already hit back, demonstrating that the number of bursaries, grants and scholarships set up by universities has allowed more people from lower income families than ever before, the opportunity to study for a degree. However, many also acknowledge that the drop in part time and mature student numbers could prove counterproductive to the government’s desire to improve social mobility amongst people not of conventional university age, or single parents or others with commitments that mean they cannot pursue a degree by conventional methods.
Facts and Figures
The report states that there has been a 10% drop in the number of mature students since 2010 and more alarmingly, a reduction of 48% in the number of part time students. The problem is that mature students and part timers (the latter group especially) are not always entitled to the same bursaries, or they have other financial commitments such as a family to raise or a mortgage to pay which the increased tuition fees are making prohibitively expensive. This, on top of the concern over whether the present loan system offers value for money for both the prospective student and the taxpayer, means more changes to the system may be due in this new parliament.
The Sutton Trust, a public body set up in the wake of the rise in tuition fees (and a major supporter of the ICF) have taken the opportunity to call for the government, the Office for Budget Responsibility and the House of Commons Business Innovation and Skills Select Committee to look further into the matter.
The drop in part time and mature student numbers is concerning for everyone, not least of all those who now feel going to university will be prohibitively expensive.