University fees rise 'will deter local students', says senior politician
THE University of Plymouth's decision to raise tuition fees to £9,000 a year would put off many local students, a senior Labour politician claims.
The university announced this week that fees would rise from just over £3,000 a year to £9,000 for students who start their courses from September 2012.
Cllr Nicky Wildy, Labour spokesperson for children and young people on Plymouth City Council, said: "This will deter many local students, particularly those from backgrounds where going to university is not part of the family tradition.
"It's understandable with the Government removing almost 80 per cent of funding for universities that the University of Plymouth would wish to make sure it has sufficient funding to offer high quality education.
"The blame should sit firmly with the Government and not the university."
Bill Rammell, the university's deputy vice-chancellor, said: "I don't think the increase in fees will hit student numbers. Applications this year are ahead of the national average and significantly up.
"We are not complacent. We know we have to go out and explain how the new system will work.
"But the key is getting across the message of the attractiveness of the University of Plymouth and the accessibility.
He insisted that the student loans arrangements would make the fees affordable.
"Even at £9,000, students will repay less than they do at the moment," Mr Rammell said.
Seena Shah, president of the University of Plymouth Students' Union, said: "I am sad at the whole picture and that's aimed more at the Government than the university.
"Students are going to pay more, but universities are not necessarily going to get much more.
"The students' union is going to continue to lead protests against Government cuts, but our fight is not against the university.
"I am not confident that the Government has thought everything through."
STUDENTS' VIEW OF MAXIMUM FEE
Joe Teasdale, 20, a second-year geography student.
"I can see why the university needs the extra money because it can't afford for courses to get worse. But I think some universities are charging more than they have to."
Hayley Savage, 19, studying illustration.
"My parents agreed to pay my fees and then the fees went up and they feel obligated to pay for my sister and brother, who also want to come to the university."
Hannah Grace, 21, studying illustration.
"It's ridiculous. It's hard because the universities are competing against each other, but we students are doing the same, in a way, for places.
"I don't think I would consider coming if I had to pay £9,000.
"This is going to affect the whole city if there are fewer students."
Beth Gunns, 20, studying illustration.
"People are going to go through the back door in courses like ours. You have to get a degree to be a doctor, but you don't necessarily need to study to be an artist.
"It could hit enrolment on courses like ours."
Tracey Wright, studying illustration.
She said her sister was coming to university a year earlier than planned, to escape the increase in fees.
David Breed, 22, from Denver, Colorado, studying international relations.
"It's ridiculous that our fees are being raised to the same level as Oxford and Cambridge.
"I don't understand how it's supposed to lure in students.
"I am already paying more than £9,000 as an international student, but not everyone has the means to fund that level."
18 Comments
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by tim, plymouth
Sunday, May 01 2011, 8:52AM
“About time students paid for there education. Whats wrong with getting a job to pay your way through uni say at night in a bar or on the 2/3 days you don't have lectures. If they worked through they would have the money to pay for a chuck of the course before getting loans thus reducing their debt. But the trouble is they don't want to. Also uni education was free say 15 -20 years ago because not that many people went which meant the country i.e the tax payer could afford to run the costs. But nowadays hell of a lot more people are going uni to do degrees in pointless subjects because they either don't know what to do with their lives or don't want to start working properly for a living. Also i would imagine there is a high number of students who will never pay anything back due to never getting to the £21,000 threshold because of the degree they took.
Free education up to A level I'm happy with that but anything else pay for it yourself.”
by Lee, Plymouth
Saturday, April 30 2011, 7:34PM
“Reference to 4.4% & 9% is the interest payable to the student loans company.”
by Lee, Plymouth
Saturday, April 30 2011, 7:31PM
“So 23% basic tax, 11% National Insurance (next year 12%) 4.4% this year...next year 9%....Um without a degree in maths that will equate to a basic rate of tax equal to 44% tax rate for a student earning 21K in 2012/13....If you then add on pensions etc a graduate pay more tax then those on the higher rate tax....So Plymouth Polytechnic oops sorry University wants to charge 9K, the same as established Uni's is beyond a joke.....setting themselves up to fail....at the same time the government is misleading students as too the true cost of repaying debt to manipulate the un-employment stats?
Its a sad day when lies perminate education and mislead all whom read such articles. Consequence falling standards, loss of jobs, and vocations become dreams.....seems everything this new crop of politicians touch is cursed. Worst still is all those advocating the new loans and grants had a free education?”
by ed, laira
Saturday, April 30 2011, 7:11PM
“you cant just choose you have to be accepted so all those say they would go to a better uni how ever much they charge you still have to have the brains to get in”
by uncle knobby, mutley
Saturday, April 30 2011, 4:07PM
“as an ex plymouth uni student, i can wholeheartedly say that £9000 a year for two bit phd student/lecturers regurgitating the same old lecture notes year after year, thats when there not cancelling lectures, is a complete joke!
NOT WORTH £3000/year.
my advice to those facing these fees is go to a decent uni or better still, do an apprenticeship and get paid to learn.”
by DD, Plymouth
Saturday, April 30 2011, 4:07PM
“I'm not wishing to insult the majority of students who are genuine and hard-working but perhaps University of Plymouth are to charge £9000 p.a. to attract unmotivated students who do not expect to earn enough money to have to repay their loans. Those who are ¿only here for the beer¿. It seems to amount to a £27,000 gift, keeps university lecturers in a job and at the same time, reduces the dole queue figures.”
by Education should be free, Plymouth
Saturday, April 30 2011, 3:43PM
“As soon as a cap was announced for fees there was bound to be either a scramble for the top or bottom, and the cap simply isn't high enough for it to trigger Market forces to push suppliers to go for the low end.
The LibDems (rightly?) wanted a cap to protect students from the worst excesses which would have otherwise certainly put Oxford/Cambridge out of reach of most (as comparing with similar institutions in the US, they could have ended up charging £30,000 or more a year), but as a consequence, the cap imposed means that all but the worst institutions have to be seen to be competing at the upper end of the fees.
That said, the higher fees will allow institutions (including Plymouth) to offer more assistance for those otherwise unable to afford to attend uni as well as continue to invest in improving, which in the circumstances and artificial Market introduced first by labour and now extended by the coalition, is the best we can hope for.
The question really is should all education be provided 'free' and paid for by us all, or should there be some form of market force introduced to drive students towards choosing certain subjects and for those who benefit from education to pay for it? I'd rather it were free, but that either needs higher taxes for us all or less places for students so that fewer could benefit from it.”
by Dave, plymouth
Saturday, April 30 2011, 2:18PM
“Studying illustration says it all really. Is it a worth while course?? No. if you want to be a teacher, doctor, nurse, ect ect then yeas £9000 is a lot but you don't start paying back til you earn £21,000 and even then its only around £60ish a month. This will maybe persuade people to look at uni as a place to get worth while degrees rather than going just because you can't be bothered to work.
my Sister is a classic example shes 28 has a degree in art and another in music. Does she have a job in either sector .... No. Does she plan to work in either sector ...No. Is she in loads of debt ....Yes.”
by David, St Austell
Saturday, April 30 2011, 2:15PM
“These are not fees in the strictest sense they are loans which do not have to be repaid until a good wage is coming in. As the aim of a university education is to get a well paid job what is the problem? With the shortage of jobs of any kind out there a lot of these "fees" will never be repaid. My nephew got his degree many years ago now and still cannot get a suitable job. He is working, albeit for a low wage, not sitting back whinging like so many of the graduates who think a low paid job beneath them.”
by Andy, Uptheroadabit
Saturday, April 30 2011, 12:30PM
“Universities up and down the country are saying that they will charge the top whack of £9k.
Plymouth Uni is mid-table as far as things go, so why would anyone apply to Plymouth if better offers at the same price are available in better accessible areas of the country?
Who is going to cough up for all the recent campus expansions when it all goes belly up?”