Each student costs England’s leading universities almost £ 2,000, as tuition fees and scholarships fail to fully fund a degree and are likely to double soon unless the government takes action to fill the gap.
A presentation by Russell’s group of intensive research universities – including the University of Manchester and University College London – for a consultation on higher education funding revealed that the average cost per student is £ 1,750 more than tuition fees and scholarships.
The government’s plans include freezing bachelor’s tuition fees to £ 9,250 by 2024-2025, which will increase the student deficit to £ 4,000, according to a group of 24 universities. The fee for English language students is fixed at £ 9,250 from 2016.
Tim Bradshaw, CEO of Russell Group, said the long-term cut in funding would inevitably affect the UK’s skills pipeline.
“We understand the challenges the government faces in balancing public finances, so we welcome the recent investment in expensive topics and capital financing. However, as tuition fees are frozen for another two years and costs and demand for students increase, the pressure on teaching funding will grow, “Bradshaw said.
Universities will continue to work hard and find ways to reduce this pressure so that they can provide the best possible student experience, but if not addressed in the long term, this will inevitably affect the scope and quality of the courses that can be offered to students at a time when we need a wide range of high-level skills to stimulate sustainable recovery. “
The group also said plans to cut fees for key years – pre-entry courses taken by very mature or disadvantaged students – could reduce the number of science and technology courses. “Core courses are vital to help disadvantaged students, or those who may have just missed the entry requirements, enter high-quality courses and move on to highly qualified jobs,” the group said.
The government is proposing to reduce tuition fees for major years provided by universities to around £ 5,500, the same level as tuition fees for college access. Russell Group said the lower fee would not come close to covering costs, especially in expensive courses such as engineering and medicine, with students having access to university-level facilities, teaching and support services, and pastoral care.
In one example, the year of the founding of science and engineering at the University of Sheffield is one of the largest in the country with more than 200 students, 95% of whom continue to graduate.
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