Fee Rises

With the recent announcement that the cap on fees in English universities will be lifted, massive outrage and debate has reverberated throughout students, it has certainly been a hot topic for fellow students and myself. For now, Scottish students can sigh with relief that Lord Browne’s review of costs in higher education systems only applies to England. However, it naturally causes concern for us on the other side of the border as we wonder if and when these policies will be brought in to Scottish universities.

The new plans essentially suggest that the best universities in England should be allowed to charge unlimited fees, ending the £3,290 cap and some degrees will set you back up to £12,000 a year leaving many students graduation with debts of up to £50,000. There are already a large number of English students moving to Scotland to enjoy the cheaper tuition fees, and for the native Scots, tuition is free, with only living costs to be covered. With these living costs alone, debts creep to over £10,000 over the length of a degree yet this is obviously significantly more appealing than what top English universities may be charging. We have to wonder if Scottish universities will soon be seeing a massive influx of students from out with Scotland, hoping for financial relief. Surely this is bad news for prestigious English universities who may lose out on valuable students.

Although we students typically do not have to worry about paying back our loans until the end of the degree, the additional threat of an interest rise on these loans means yet more financial concern for the future. Despite not having to pay off our debts until we earn the suitable income there is still worry, now especially for students who come from middle-income families. Those who are in the lower band of income should still receive adequate funding and obviously those who are richer can afford it. Unfortunately, some students have parents who earn enough to support themselves but not their child, so will be without the extra help and cannot afford to pay off the debt as the richer do. Knowing some people at university in this position, I see them taking up jobs that lead them to neglect their studies and their wages only just keep them afloat; a hike in interest and higher tuition fees only increases this unnecessary financial pressure.

When I’m not adding to my own several thousand pound debt, I work for Edinburgh University calling up alumni and asking if they could donate to the Edinburgh Fund. One reply that I hear time and time again is I can’t afford it, I’m putting my x-amount of children through university’ so it’s not only the students who are going to feel the pain, the bank of Mum and Dad is going to be breaking to make up for where the government fails to fund new students. The looming cuts in funding for higher education offers a gloomy prospect for aspiring students but cracks are beginning to appear in the relatively new coalition government where many Lib Dems have said the fee rises and funding costs to be a disaster. Here’s hoping there will be avid opposition to Lord Browne’s reviews and that students and universities alike will be able to stay afloat, creating graduates with the skills to acquire jobs to pay off the ridiculous debts.

Laura Jones