Tuition fees

[Thor]

It’s being reported that 47% of student debt will be wiped out after 30 years as figures released by the department of education yesterday show.

Isn’t it time that all education for people who reside here is free? I’ve never agreed that students have to pay to go to university. Let’s face it most if not all will end up as higher paying tax people and thus make a higher contribution to society.

What’s your view?

[Lucky7]

After research from my folks I was sent off to university in Utrecht NL fees where a third cheaper as was the accommodation cost of living etc

My Dad went to Stratford Poly now University of East London and he didn’t have to pay a penny in fees and was given a grant each year not a loan

[Thor]

It’s a scandal how kids are walking away with up to 100k in debt.

[Lucky7]

It’s a scandal how kids are walking away with up to 100k in debt.

I agree

[CreamofSumYungGai]

I take it you’ve got kids of or approaching university age?

Of course education should be free for all. But they don’t want that, it’s too dangerous.

[Top of the JES]

My daughter goes to uni next year, she'll have a loan which is fine but I would say with the way repayments are structured unlikely she will ever pay it all back. I agree Thor make it free for UK residents and add a Small levy on corporate tax levels and higher income tax payers to fund it.

[Thor]

I take it you’ve got kids of or approaching university age?

Of course education should be free for all. But they don’t want that, it’s too dangerous.

Not yet no, but I’ve never agreed with it. I’m yet to see an argument where we should apply a fee that says yeah I agree with that idea.

Why do you think it’s dangerous? Most Americans have degrees and they are as thick as two short planks the majority of the time.

[Thor]

My daughter goes to uni next year, she'll have a loan which is fine but I would say with the way repayments are structured unlikely she will ever pay it all back. I agree Thor make it free for UK residents and add a Small levy on corporate tax levels and higher income tax payers to fund it.

That would work as in time the people going through it would contribute back to the next generation going through uni.

[Lucky7]

My daughter goes to uni next year, she'll have a loan which is fine but I would say with the way repayments are structured unlikely she will ever pay it all back. I agree Thor make it free for UK residents and add a Small levy on corporate tax levels and higher income tax payers to fund it.

Honestly TOTW if your Daughter is not scared of a new adventure try uni in Europe it’s so much cheaper than this rip off country

Saying that I believe it’s a lot cheaper to study in Scotland these days I think you have to have lived there for at least 3 years though

[Mr. Peanutbutter]

I take it you’ve got kids of or approaching university age?

Of course education should be free for all. But they don’t want that, it’s too dangerous.

Not yet no, but I’ve never agreed with it. I’m yet to see an argument where we should apply a fee that says yeah I agree with that idea.

Why do you think it’s dangerous? Most Americans have degrees and they are as thick as two short planks the majority of the time.

How about that tuition fees increase inter generational social mobility.

Tuition fees increase university capacity, thus there is more room for people from poor backgrounds. Proportion of people from poor parts of the country (not sure how that is quantified) attending university has risen from one in ten to one in three after the introduction of student fees.

[Thor]

The local pharmacy where I live his boy went to the same private school as my eldest son and I asked how his son was getting on and he replied he’s at uni in Bulgaria as he wants to be a doctor and despite top marks could not get a place over here to study. He finds him a place at half the cost in Bulgaria and he won’t be held to work there once he finishes.

To me that’s madness, a good young lad wants to be a doctor can’t get a place here, ends up in Bulgaria and his dad will have paid out only £45k covering everything (house etc,) instead of about £90k here.

We are getting shafted.

[Thor]

I take it you’ve got kids of or approaching university age?

Of course education should be free for all. But they don’t want that, it’s too dangerous.

Not yet no, but I’ve never agreed with it. I’m yet to see an argument where we should apply a fee that says yeah I agree with that idea.

Why do you think it’s dangerous? Most Americans have degrees and they are as thick as two short planks the majority of the time.

How about that tuition fees increase inter generational social mobility.

Tuition fees increase university capacity, thus there is more room for people from poor backgrounds. Proportion of people from poor parts of the country (not sure how that is quantified) attending university has risen from one in ten to one in three after the introduction of student fees.

I’m not an expert on this so please help me out here.

How is it more people from poor backgrounds go to uni when fees are charged as against hardly anyone when it’s free? I don’t get it.

Plus I’ve not read or seen any massive increase in building works at universities, although it may of course be happening, just not reported.

[Top of the JES]

Looking at the possibilities of doing a split course Lucky, with some of the five years doing her masters abroad she's more than up for it.

She's also found a course that will guarantee a years work placement in either Germany or the U.S. which will contribute to her degree in Pharmacology.

The Netherlands is a great country I bet you had a great time there.

[Lucky7]

Ok I studied a while back but my fees for the 3 years where approx in £s 2600

I also had a job right through my uni at TNT working nights in the warehouse

I left with no debt and a not to bad healthy bank balance
Shame the majority of kids can’t do that here in the UK

[Lucky7]

Looking at the possibilities of doing a split course Lucky, with some of the five years doing her masters abroad she's more than up for it.

She's also found a course that will guarantee a years work placement in either Germany or the U.S. which will contribute to her degree in Pharmacology.

The Netherlands is a great country I bet you had a great time there.

Utrecht is such a friendly City all my lessons etc where in English which was a bonus

[Thor]

Your daughters got her head screwed on, good luck to her hope she passes with flying colours and goes on to be a success in the field she wants to work in.

[Top of the JES]

Not yet no, but I’ve never agreed with it. I’m yet to see an argument where we should apply a fee that says yeah I agree with that idea.

Why do you think it’s dangerous? Most Americans have degrees and they are as thick as two short planks the majority of the time.

How about that tuition fees increase inter generational social mobility.

Tuition fees increase university capacity, thus there is more room for people from poor backgrounds. Proportion of people from poor parts of the country (not sure how that is quantified) attending university has risen from one in ten to one in three after the introduction of student fees.

I’m not an expert on this so please help me out here.

How is it more people from poor backgrounds go to uni when fees are charged as against hardly anyone when it’s free? I don’t get it.

Plus I’ve not read or seen any massive increase in building works at universities, although it may of course be happening, just not reported.

On your last point Thor ,in the Unis we have so far visited on open days, they all have a major amount of building work going on, we visited Reading last weeend on they have a new library building and new micro sciences labs and in the process of building two more faculties one on campus and one in the centre of Reading. Bristol also were improving facilities, there doesn't seem to be a lack of funding!

[Top of the JES]

Your daughters got her head screwed on, good luck to her hope she passes with flying colours and goes on to be a success in the field she wants to work in.

Thank you Thor, that's kind of you.

[RientO]

It’s a scandal how kids are walking away with up to 100k in debt.

Not really debt. More like a 9% tax on earnings if you earn over £25/annum for next 30 years after graduating. Can be avoided by putting money into pension, or not working (time off having children). Son likely to have £70k balance when he graduates, but won't reduce the capital on that until he earns at least £70k/annum. If he ever does.

[Mr. Peanutbutter]

Not yet no, but I’ve never agreed with it. I’m yet to see an argument where we should apply a fee that says yeah I agree with that idea.

Why do you think it’s dangerous? Most Americans have degrees and they are as thick as two short planks the majority of the time.

How about that tuition fees increase inter generational social mobility.

Tuition fees increase university capacity, thus there is more room for people from poor backgrounds. Proportion of people from poor parts of the country (not sure how that is quantified) attending university has risen from one in ten to one in three after the introduction of student fees.

I’m not an expert on this so please help me out here.

How is it more people from poor backgrounds go to uni when fees are charged as against hardly anyone when it’s free? I don’t get it.

Plus I’ve not read or seen any massive increase in building works at universities, although it may of course be happening, just not reported.

Certainly my undergraduate university (Leicester) had significant and major building works undertaken, extra student accommodation and a new library for example. I believe that it is not alone in this regard.

It's a very counter intuitive argument that an increase in fees sees better participation. However the premise is that pre tuition fees universities had access to less money, this meant there was a smaller pool of places available. These tended to go to people from better off backgrounds and essentially created a cap on the number of poorer students who could get a university education.

Post tuition fees, universities have more money, which in turn increases overall capacity. This allows a larger pool of students overall to be taken and achieve a university education, of which a significant number come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

By having student loan structured so that it is only repayable after earning £xx,000 per year, it isn't an immediate barrier to going to university as it is dependent on post university achievements rather than having to pay the amount upfront.

Of course, there are issues with it. For example higher tuition fees haven't driven up standards as hoped. Also universities are looking to milk the cash cow which means that a course in football studies from Bedfordshire and a course in economics from Cambridge will charge exactly the same amount (which I believe wasn't intended, but was obvious) despite one clearly being of better value than the other.

[Red_Army]

Tuition fees were bought in to cover the shortfall in funding- there's a reason they exist. Govt could cover this cost tomorrow if they liked, but it would involve raising taxes or cutting elsewhere to the tune of about £8bn. This would mean that middle class and rich kids would essentially have their education subsidised by the rest of the country's taxpayers, which isn't particularly progressive.

Tuition fees should never be a barrier to poor kids wanting to study. You don't start paying it back until you are earing £25K and if you don't its essentially free- so you're either earning enough that it isn't an issue, or you're not paying.

I would be in favour of changing to a graduate tax, which would have the same effect, but would be a lot simpler.

The real disgrace, and is something that does put poorer students off, is the cuts to maintenance grants that the govt bought in.

[o-no]

Plus I’ve not read or seen any massive increase in building works at universities, although it may of course be happening, just not reported.

All the uni's I went round this year had new buildings or new ones in progress, there's clearly no shortage of money washing about. Some of the buildings look like NASA designed them.

I would say that if a substantial proportion of fees are never being paid off then this seems to indicate that the current system isn't working - wasn't the whole point to take the burden off the taxpayer (not saying I agree with that)

Also, don't forget about the maintenance loan which is a pittance for all but the poorest students, and parents are basically expected to make up the difference. This is a big cost which gets a lot less attention.

[CreamofSumYungGai]

The local pharmacy where I live his boy went to the same private school as my eldest son and I asked how his son was getting on and he replied he’s at uni in Bulgaria as he wants to be a doctor and despite top marks could not get a place over here to study. He finds him a place at half the cost in Bulgaria and he won’t be held to work there once he finishes.

To me that’s madness, a good young lad wants to be a doctor can’t get a place here, ends up in Bulgaria and his dad will have paid out only £45k covering everything (house etc,) instead of about £90k here.

We are getting shafted.

So happy to pay for education 5 - 18 but you want the tax payer to pick up the tab thereafter?

Agree with free university education for all, other than those who have been to private schools - they should have to pay.

[o-no]

So the children who got sent to private schools by their parents should have to pay for uni once they're 18?

[CreamofSumYungGai]

So the children who got sent to private schools by their parents should have to pay for uni once they're 18?

Agreed mate.