As part of its new collection of essays on the funding of undergraduate degrees in the UK, we were commissioned by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) to assess the implications of five different proposals for reforming the higher education funding system, including four proposals for England and one for Scotland.
Specifically, in addition to the current fees and funding arrangements facing the cohort of students starting undergraduate qualifications in 2023-24, we estimate the impact on the Exchequer, students/graduates, and higher education providers associated with each of five proposed alternative systems, including:
- Scenario 1 (England): Dismantling the marketisation of higher education, by Chloe Field (Vice President Higher Education at the National Union of Students)
- Scenario 2 (England): Increasing tuition fees linked to an institution’s TEF award, by The Right Honourable the Lord Jo Johnson (former Minister of State for Universities and Science (2015), then Minister of State for Universities, Research and Innovation from 2016 to 2018)
- Scenario 3 (England): Fixing higher education funding should start with student loans, by James Purnell (President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Arts, London)
- Scenario 4 (England): Modelling a graduate employer levy, by Johnny Rich (Chief Executive of the Engineering Professors’ Council and Chief Executive of the outreach organisation, Push)
- Scenario 5 (Scotland): A graduate contribution model in Scotland, by Reform Scotland
