£6,000+ fees
LSE reveals fees hike plan, IC sure to follow
Sir Howard Davies, Director of London School of Economics, has made clear plans to substantially increase tuition fees if upcoming government legislation is passed. Given the Rector's vehement push for the introduction of top-up fees since 2001, we can only expect a similar rise here at Imperial. During a speech at LSE Union's General Meeting last week, students questioned Davies directly about the government's approaching bill. The Director remained guarded but confirmed that home students' fees could increase to at least £5,000:
"My prejudice would be in favour of lifting it a bit because at the moment, UK undergraduates still cost more to teach than we get... Assuming that we gave a third back in the form of scholarships, which is what we're currently doing, the break even would be somewhere between £5-6,000."
Davies' words echo those of Imperial College's Rector, Sir Richard Sykes, who has been a staunch supporter of top-up fees since the bill's proposal in 2001. He also publicly declared his wish to introduce fees of up to £15,000 a year. Sykes argues that the current Higher Education system "makes it impossible for any government to fund elite institutions at the rate required" and as such, topup fees will increasingly be needed to finance the estimated £10,500 required to educate each student annually.
Davies and Sykes share more than just political views, both taking over prestigious London universities after high profile careers in the public and private sectors. Since his appointment at the LSE, Howard Davies, who was previously head of the Financial Services Authority, has been accused of running the university more like a business and has come under severe criticism from the student body.
Sir Richard Sykes, who notoriously spearheaded the Russell Group's campaign to increase tuition fees, has met similar condemnation in the past. In October 2002 the Rector's proposal to increase fees above £10,000 provoked anger amongst students and resulted in several demonstrations outside Sir Richard's 170 Queens Gate home. Sykes also received widespread criticism in the media. Sally Hunt, General Secretary of the Association of University Teachers, accused him of "playing politics with students lives". Hunt was quick to separate Syke's comments from those of the educational sector as a whole and forcibly dismissed the need for increased fees: "He is deluded if he thinks he is talking on behalf of the higher education sector. We are fundamentally opposed to top-up fees as students are already massively in debt, top-up fees would simply make matters worse...They would do absolutely nothing to solve the chronic underfunding problem in higher education." A view supported by Mandy Telford, former President of the NUS, who warned "the increased fees would result in an elitist system where a student's wealth, rather than intellect, would determine their success."
The Rector has hit back hard after such comments, citing the upcoming bill as universities' only option and stating, "this is the only thing on the table... the government has no plan B". Sir Richard has suggested that unless the tuition fees are increased, Imperial College may be forced to abolish the current undergraduate teaching programme altogether due to the apparently "unsustainable" levels of funding.
A recent report by The Guardian indicated that the government's new bill has seriously affected the number of applicants applying for Higher Education courses. Figures due to be published by UCAS later this week show an overall 4 per cent decrease in applicants this year in contrast to last years rise of 8 per cent. These figures are more than double the governments predicted 2 per cent fall and it is feared that ever increasing tuition costs are putting many students off applying, a theory supported by the steady level of applicants to institutes in Scotland and Wales where tuition fees have remained unaffected.
Tallulah Bygraves, Senior Reporter
Felix's View:
The government have clearly indicated that when the current law comes up for review, they are likely to allow universities greater autonomy. Howard Davies' has already revealed his plans for the LSE - raising home students' fees to make them more comparable to international students. His annoucement is likely to be the first in a series from leading UK universities; Sir Richard Sykes is sure to be at the front of the pack.
Next year's £3,000 top-up fees have already caused a 4 per cent decline in university applications; further increases will only make the situation worse. No matter how much the government and universities assure us of the contrary, increased fees will cause a decline in applications from poorer students. These are the people we should really be directing all of our efforts to help.
It's hard to fathom why the Rector has such a bee in his bonnet over top-up fees. Imperial hardly seems strapped for cash, with new Norman Foster designed buildings popping up all over the place. College could save a load of cash if they stopped wasting our money sticking glass facades on perfectly sound buildings.
If there is a limited pot of money available for universities, and it appears there most definitely is, the government should think how best to direct resources. Do we really need hundreds of Surf Science graduates?
`Mickey Mouse' courses are of no benefit to anyone and it is unlikely that the country will collapse if we stop training people in Golf Management. The government's arbitrary target of getting 50% of school leavers to attend University is deeply misguided.
Training more people only leads to degree-inflation. Jobs that a few years back required a Bachelors now demand a Masters as standard, and wouldn't say no to a PhD.
