Tuition Fees
- No limit on fees charged by universities
-
Universities would be subject to a levy on all fees charged above £6,000
(40% of the first £1,000, 45% of the second, 50% of the third etc) -
The levy begins at £6,000 to instil "a focus on efficiency" in
the system -
Some funding for certain courses (STEM & "strategically
important" language courses) - No minimum bursary requirement
Student Funding
- Students should not have to pay any tuition fees up front
-
Repayments commence at £21,000.
Until that point outstanding debt would rise in line with
inflation. After that point,
interest charged at cost of Govt borrowing - Changes to maintenance loans and maintenance grants
- Unpaid student debt written off after 30 years, rather than 25 years
- Part-time students eligible for loans for fees
Higher Education and Regulation
-
Higher Education Funding Council for England, Quality Assurance Agency,
Office for Fair Access, and the Office of the Independent Adjudicator abolished
and replaced by a single Higher Education Council -
All new academics with teaching responsibilities should undertake a
teaching qualification -
The HE Council should have the power to bail out struggling institutions
and could explore options such as
mergers and takeovers if institutions are facing financial failure - More scrutiny re student access if HEI charges more than £7,000 pa
- New providers will be allowed to offer higher education teaching
- 10% increase allowed for overall university places over three years
-
Govt will set a minimum
entry standard, in terms of UCAS points, each year, below these grades,
students would not be eligible for financial support