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13 Jan 2010 08:54:42
Leading university think-tank million+ have today called for a single fees system for full-time and part-time students in Higher Education.
The Fair Funding for All report, which will be launched today in the House of Commons, recommends that university should be free at the point of study and sets out a unified package of student support for all undergraduates.
The report, developed with London Economics, highlights the "inequality" of treatment for part-time students in the current fees system:
· Part-time students are required to pay all fees upfront whilst full-time students do not pay anything until completion of their degree.
· Unlike full-time students, part-time students do not have access to any student loans.
Speaking as chair of the think tank million+ University of Bedfordshire Vice Chancellor Professor Les Ebdon, said: "The 2004 Higher Education Act was not even-handed in its treatment of students.
“In spite of the long tradition of British universities offering flexible and part-time routes to study, the current differential treatment of full-time and part-time students limits the development of flexible options to study, undermines widening participation and creates inequity in institutional income."
Ending the unfair treatment of part-time students, abolishing upfront fees and offering all students a support package will leave students £67 million better off and universities £91 million better off each year, the report said.
The £158 million cost to the Exchequer of introducing the model can be eliminated with only a 0.5 per cent increase in the rate levied on student loans.
The million+ report also proposes tightening the repayment criteria for student loans with an end to the graduate repayment ‘holiday’ and an extension of the repayment period from 25 years to 35 years, bringing the English system in line with the Scottish system.
Fair Funding For All recommends that the extra £1 billion generated for the Exchequer should be invested by government to address the under-funding of teaching and to deliver expansion, increased participation and a highest quality, higher education system that can compete in the international market.
Latest news» 2010» January» Report calls for "equality" in funding for part-time students
