Universities in England have opposed proposals to limit student numbers and access to credit, describing the plans as likely to dampen aspirations and consolidate the disadvantage.
In response to a consultation with the government, the three main university groups joined forces with the National Students’ Union to oppose plans to curb students attending low-value courses and stop students from receiving state-supported tuition fees and support loans if have no minimum GCSE or A-level scores.
Universities in the United Kingdom (UUK), which represent the leaders of mainstream universities in England, said they were “firmly opposed” to any introduction of number limits, saying it would do the most harm to those at a disadvantage.
“Apart from limiting the choice of students, the number of students reduces the disadvantage, as students who cannot move to attend university have fewer opportunities to apply and be admitted to university, which makes them more tend to choose a path with worse employment results, “UUK said.
Disadvantaged students are also among those most likely to be affected by minimum eligibility requirements for loans. UUK warned that the restrictions would have “significant financial consequences” for universities, “limiting their ability to provide support to their disadvantaged students and to invest locally.”
An analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Research found that limiting loans to students with GCSE math and English cards, as proposed in the government consultation, would have a disproportionate impact on ethnic minority students as well as on students who received free schooling. nutrition.
Larisa Kennedy, president of NUS, said: “This government is repeating the language of ‘leveling up’, but these proposals are classicist, capable and racist: they are brutally targeted at those from marginalized communities and seek to preserve education.”
The University Alliance (UA), representing the UK’s leading vocational and technical universities such as Coventry and Teesside, said the proposals would “only undermine aspirations and exacerbate disadvantages”, threatening the number of graduates in key areas such as social work and computer science.
UA also attacked the proposal to reduce funding for students attending core courses, saying it would make the courses unviable and harm disadvantaged and mature students who use them to enter higher education.
Vanessa Wilson, CEO of UA, said: “The areas that the proposed higher education reforms should focus on are far from the goal and, if implemented, the victims … will be the poorest and most disadvantaged in society.
Rachel Hewitt, chief executive of the MillionPlus group – which represents modern universities such as Bath Spa and the University of Cumbria – said the policies had “profound and far-reaching implications”.
“MillionPlus remains fundamentally opposed to the minimum entry requirements, which are against the basic principles of inclusion, aspiration and strength of education,” Hewitt said.
“Universities are in the best position to decide on the suitability of each candidate according to their own qualities. At a purely practical level, the minimum requirements are likely to be unattainable due to the number of exceptions to be taken into account, for example for students with special educational needs.
In response, a spokesman for the Ministry of Education said: “We have not proposed banning anyone from going to university: rather, we are starting a conversation about the minimum entry requirements and asking if young people should be pushed directly in full without being prepared for this level of training.
“We offer exceptions for mature students, those with a major year or an appropriate certificate or diploma, and we support these alternative routes by advising on cost-cutting advice and our new lifelong loan right, which will provide many different routes to improve. of a person’s career and life opportunities.
“These exceptions would mean that 1% or less of all participants would be affected by any of the proposals for a minimum eligibility requirement.
“Similarly, the government does not propose limiting the total number of people attending universities and recognizes the transformative power of higher education. However, we are consulting on how we can prevent an uncontrollable increase in low-quality courses with poor results. “
However, the DfE’s own assessment of the impact of the equality proposals found that restricting access to credit “would disproportionately affect students who are black and from ethnic minority groups”.
Black students account for 27% of unsuccessful enrollment in the GCSE in English and Mathematics, compared with 8% of students who would be discharged.
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