Commenting on the government’s announcement of an increase to university tuition fees and maintenance loans, Robbie Cruikshanks, Senior Researcher for Higher Education at the Education Policy Institute (EPI) said:
“The government’s decision to raise tuition fees in line with inflation may offer some much-needed reassurance to the higher education sector, with research showing that the freeze in fees was the main factor behind the sector’s recent declining financial health.
The uplift to maintenance loans is also a positive step. However, the government must go further to ensure the student maintenance support and loan repayment schemes work to increase access for disadvantaged students, especially given these students are now becoming even less likely to participate in higher education than their better-off peers. The government must ensure greater equity in student loan repayments, as under the current repayment system, lower- to middle-earning graduates are likely to bear a greater share of their lifetime income toward repaying these loans than their higher-earning peers. Furthermore, the government should consider the reintroduction of maintenance grants to further bolster the package of student support.
These changes should be part of a broader, long-term reform to the higher education system that works toward a fair settlement for all students, regardless of their future earnings, while also fostering high-quality, well-supported alternatives to traditional degrees, including level 4 and 5 provision.”
