Ed Miliband has said he hopes to cut tuition fees to £6,000 but Labour is yet to give details of how this would be funded. Some vice-chancellors argue that it could mean damaging cuts to universities.
Prof Martin McQuillan, pro-vice chancellor, dean of arts and social sciences at Kingston University
There are a lot more people who will vote for lower fees than there are members on the board of Universities UK [who objected to the idea]. It’s all about appealing to student voters who have the ability to swing marginal seats in university constituencies. In some ways, it’s surprising the policy hasn’t been properly formulated yet.
There’s a psychological difference between £9,000 and £6,000 fees. And, if you carry on with the current arrangement, the pressures within the system will result in raising the figure above £9,000. Once you’re into £10,000 tuition fees, that’s a big difference for people.
Michael Segalov, Sussex University Students’ Union
It wouldn’t get my vote. Changing fees to £6,000 isn’t dealing with the problem. The introduction of top-up fees was part of a broader change where students were told to approach their time in education as a customer.
Reducing fees won’t eradicate this. Nor will it stop the reductions we’ve seen in mature and part-time students. People talk about scrapping fees as if it’s a really abstract concept but we’ve seen it in Germany, and in the UK in the past. The Green party is doing better and better among students every day: they would pay for higher education through a fairer taxation system.
Ruth de Fraga Gomes, Brockham, Surrey, parent of Rachel, 20, a second-year university student, and George, 17, at sixth-form college
It’s the upfront living costs students need more support with. We have to substantially top up our daughter’s maintenance because the funding she gets doesn’t even cover her rent – this is probably why so many young people choose to study at home. The situation is terribly unfair because it leaves children from wealthier families in a much better position.
The difference between £6,000 and £9,000 isn’t very significant. Young people are going to end up with such an enormous amount of debt, I don’t think it would make a huge difference to how they would vote.
Keith Burnett, vice-chancellor, University of Sheffield
It will have very strong appeal to people who are thinking about what they will have to pay back. When we went to a fees system we transferred an enormous amount of the burden on to the individual.
That was a missed opportunity – we should have looked at vocational training and solidified links with further education. I don’t think we’re getting the balance right between the generations. But if fees were reduced and that was the only thing that happened, it would be very difficult and you would have a huge diminution of universities.
Carl Lygo, vice-chancellor, BPP University
Labour’s thinking is that we should bring down fees from £9,000 to £6,000 and replace lost revenue with government subsidy. Why does undergraduate education have to cost so much? Everyone assumes that if you pour more money in, then you must be getting increasing quality – that’s not necessarily the case. At the moment, there is an escalating university arms race around the quality of infrastructure and accommodation. Students are saying their number-one issue is reducing fees; they don’t want universities spending loads on new accommodation blocks.
