Student Loans 2012

setmefree2

Dizzie that was a great post by the way.....:T

setmefree2

You have to laugh at this bit

He also hopes that the scheme will improve social mobility because it should mean the total number of students winning places at the most popular universities was higher.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/top-university-places-on-offer-for-students-with-wealthy-parents-2281697.html

setmefree2

..... and the BBC have finally picked up on the story

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13343824

setmefree2

Surely attempting to charge home students more than £9k is against the law

From September 2012, universities in England will be allowed to raise tuition fees to up to £9,000 per year.

The law doesn't allow the govt to charge home students more than £9k does it?

kayr_2

setmefree2 wrote: »

I'm wondering if this means that if students/parents attempt to pay the tuiton fees up front that they will have to pay overseas students rates? One fee if a student is part of the student government quota and one fee if you are not?

I don't think so - here is a quote from an email my MP sent me:
I met today with the minister, David Willets, to discuss your email and in particular your concern about possible penalties for parents who want to help their children with tuition fees. He has assured me that parents who pay fees upfront without taking a loan will not pay any penalties at all.
Of course if the fees are paid up front because the student is outside the quota (and has lower academic qualifications) then maybe there will be a different rate. I can't really see Oxford and Cambridge going for that one!

I also had some communication from the Department for Business... etc whom I emailed to ask about penalties for early repayment/paying fees up front:

I can confirm that students are not obliged to take out a loan to pay for their tuition, and are free to finance their studies by alternative means, whether drawing on family resources or other means.
Depending on the outcome of the Government's forthcoming consultation, a charge may be applied to any additional payments to repay part of all of a loan early. Please note that this applies only to students who have taken out a loan, not those who have chosen to pay for their tuition by alternative means.

setmefree2

Thanks soooo much Kayr that is worth knowing

PaulW1965

The coalition can't favour the richest students over the rest

http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2011/05/student-places-higher

Proposals to let universities charge wealthy students much higher tuition fees risk turning the clock back to when "breeding not brains" mattered, ministers were warned today.
Students from the richest families should not be able to "buy" higher education places, the University and College Union (UCU) insisted.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/warning-over-paying-for-places-tuition-plans-2281806.html

UCU general secretary Sally Hunt said the proposals highlighted the problems with the Government's tuition fees policy, and were particularly embarrassing for the Lib Dems, who campaigned against higher fees in the run up to the general election.
"I am amazed that such plans are under consideration," she said.
"We have seen considerable changes made to Government policy recently and it is clear these plans need an urgent rethink.
"Far from increasing social mobility, it is hard to see how this is anything other than the Government entrenching privilege for the wealthy in response to its failing university fees policy. We risk turning the clock back to a time when breeding rather than brains were required to get on in life.
"The news is particularly embarrassing for the Liberal Democrats as all their MPs pledged to vote, and campaign, against higher fees.
"Increasing fees for wealthy students to ensure them access to our most prestigious universities goes even further than their original breaking of the pledge and sends an extraordinary message to students from less wealthy backgrounds."
Mr Willetts said that if the scheme was adopted, it would have to meet the Government's objectives of improving social mobility, although he offered no suggestion as to how this could be achieved.

melancholly

as much as i detest what they're doing, i want to just add again that the loan repayments will be a proportion of income. there will be no crippling repayments - if someone loses their job, the repayments will automatically stop. no other loan works like that. (if they change that aspect, i think i'll just give up! it's the only thing that makes the situation bearable as opposed to an unmitigated disaster...)

i bet top unis would happily get full fees from those prepared to pay unfront - if the predicted drop in student numbers happens, they'll want the extra income (factor in the reduction in the number of full fee paying foreign students that they'll be allowed and they're losing on two fronts!). university entrance policy should not be on finances, but they won't survive if they don't do something to claw the money back. i bet there is absolute panic in university finance departments..... if they can't predict student numbers/fees etc, they can't plan.... getting it wrong would be disastrous for them.

just out of interest, at what point would the government need to go back to parliament about this? what they're saying now isn't what they said in December (even if a lot of people saw this ridiculous situation coming). is there any comeback for them to get approval and then completely shift the goal posts?

Taiko

I would imagine, given that the regs need to be made in time for next September, and to allow assessments to be processed by the SLC, no later than October.

kayr_2

melancholly wrote: »

just out of interest, at what point would the government need to go back to parliament about this? what they're saying now isn't what they said in December (even if a lot of people saw this ridiculous situation coming). is there any comeback for them to get approval and then completely shift the goal posts?

That's a very interesting point. I feel a letter to my MP coming on!

"i bet top unis would happily get full fees from those prepared to pay unfront"

I'm not so sure - about the happily bit anyway. What I have heard in the last year from eg Cambridge admissions tutors is that they are genuinely committed to recruiting the most able students, whatever their background. In fact I was pleasantly surprised by how much effort they put into reaching out to students from all backgrounds. They reckon it costs them £1000 to recruit an undergraduate. I think they would fight against admitting students who weren't up to standard. OK there are students who don't get an offer who could cope with the courses so maybe this will happen but I think most colleges would fear for their position in the colleges league table if they had to admit less than the best for financial reasons and it would go against their principles. That's not to say it won't happen if they need to survive. This government's policy is getting worse and worse.