The Higher Education Policy Institute (www.hepi.ac.uk) today publishes a new report entitled How Should Undergraduate Degrees be Funded? – a compendium of essays edited by Rose Stephenson, Director of Policy and Advocacy at HEPI.
The report explores a range of potential funding models for undergraduate education, against a backdrop of financial sustainability concerns for higher education institutions.
Key findings:
- Abolishing tuition fees would cost the public purse £10.5 billion per cohort and sees only a tiny rise in the percentage of potential students who would be likely to apply to university.
- The most popular proposed alternative model with potential students is the graduate levy – where employers pay a small percentage of graduate salaries to fund higher education.
- Potential students are already carefully considering the cost implications of living in different university towns when making their application choices.
- Half of potential students say they won’t apply to university if fees rise with inflation.
Ahead of the upcoming general election, HEPI is focussing on the significant policy questions about the future of higher education. This report arrives at a crucial juncture, as the sector seeks to adapt to a challenging economic environment while still meeting the expectations of students and society.
