Student fees rise dismay in Sussex (From The Argus)
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Student fees rise dismay in Sussex
9:00am Saturday 4th July 2009 in
Universities in Sussex have expressed their “disappointment” after the Government announced a freeze in student loans but a rise in fees.
Those starting higher education in September 2010 will see their tuition costs increase by 2.04% to £3,290 a year.
But grants for poorer students and universal loans for living costs will remain stagnant for the first time since the system was introduced.
The news follows reports in The Argus this week that students in Sussex could be forced to drop out of university due to a lack of summer work.
A University of Brighton spokeswoman said: “We are disappointed by this announcement as we are keen that the best and most able students can attend university regardless of their financial situation.”
A Sussex University spokeswoman said they hoped the Government would reconsider the decision.
The move has also been criticised by the National Union of Students.
Wes Streeting, president of the NUS, said: "Students are already racking up thousands of pounds of debt. It appears that the inflation rate is being applied where it suits universities, but not where it will improve student support.
"In the context of the current recession, these real-terms cuts in student support will be felt in students' pockets."
The government made the announcement to Parliament on Wednesday, saying it “reflected the current low inflationary environment”.
While tuition fees rise, grants for students from families earning £25,000 or less will be capped at £2,906.
Students with a household income of less than £50,020 will be eligible only for a partial grant.
David Lammy, the universities minister, also said that while loans awarded to cover fees will increase to meet the rise, those for living costs will stay the same.
The maximum loan for living expenses will remain unchanged at £4,950 a year.
Both universities said it was too early to comment on the effect the changes would have on students.
The University of Brighton said they had a wide range of advice available on money-matters for under and postgraduates.
The University of Sussex said it had a number of financial packages, including bursaries and scholarships, to help students meet the cost of studying.
Will this decision affect the type of student going to university? Tell us what you think below.
Comments(10)
TheInsider
says...
10:13am Sat 4 Jul 09
The recession is global and there is hardly a country which has escaped it.
And Maxiboy you got fees paid because higher education was once for the best only, but once Labour opened it up for everyone no matter what their ability, there was not enough money to go around.
Labour turned higher education into an industry ...a purchase and kids are being asked to buy something which often has little real value.
Students are being ripped off with terrible courses costing thousands of pounds for a few contact hours thrown in.
Education is a purchase and apart from a mortgage will be the biggest financial commitment one will make, yet few research the real value of it.
blockhead
says...
10:28am Sat 4 Jul 09
Sussex relies heavily on rich foreign students and rich kids from Surrey. Unfortunately these are not always the brightest students so are bringing the quality of their graduates down. I can see why they need extra funding to attract poorer cleverer students, but most of them see through the picturesque scenery and go to a better uni.
There were serious staffing issues when I was on my course, with 30 hrs of lecture being cancelled in one term. There is nobody outside of the uni to complain to, in no other walk of life would you pay fees for a service and not be able to complain.
TheInsider
says...
10:41am Sat 4 Jul 09
For years people got fed up with spending thousands on holidays and getting ripped off and so Tripadvisor.co.uk evolved giving independent sensible reviews of locations and there should be one for uni courses which would easily find backing from advertisers.
This would perhaps make some universities deal more professionally with the standard of education, the services it offers and the relationship it has with the communities they are within as the relationship with the unis and the residents in Brighton is atrocious yet they don't seem to care.
Chicken and Beans
says...
11:09am Sat 4 Jul 09
TheInsider wrote:You might have to pay for private healthcare in the US and Canada, but how is that different to us paying a tax for the NHS? The only difference is in the US you have a choice whether to get Health Insurance or not. And the healthcare is about 8397183 times better over there.
Canada. You are joking aren't you. Nice country, but economically that country is in a terrible state too and their economy is based on the US model so you have to pay for private health and only get two weeks paid holiday per year and education is not free there either.
The recession is global and there is hardly a country which has escaped it.
And Maxiboy you got fees paid because higher education was once for the best only, but once Labour opened it up for everyone no matter what their ability, there was not enough money to go around.
Labour turned higher education into an industry ...a purchase and kids are being asked to buy something which often has little real value.
Students are being ripped off with terrible courses costing thousands of pounds for a few contact hours thrown in.
Education is a purchase and apart from a mortgage will be the biggest financial commitment one will make, yet few research the real value of it.
Canada is the best option. Safe, clean, friendly; so much nicer than the UK. Given the chance, I would be out of here and over there so fast you wouldn't see me for dust.
TheInsider
says...
11:28am Sat 4 Jul 09
Take a trip into New York and walk just a few miles out of the wealth of the centre. I lived on Long Island for a year and was given a car to drive with a gun in the glove box because of the fear of robbery as the poor are treated appallingly and the mentally ill get zero support. In the 80s the poor would sleep on 5th Avenue with their belongings in shopping trolleys. Hundreds of them as you can never imagine unless you see it for yourself. The mayor has moved them to the outskirts now as they didn't want tourists seeing them, but I took photos as I was horrified.
The Yanks shipped out the poor during the Olympics in Atlanta too as they didn't want the world to see the real America. Take a trip and walk out of the sanitised tourist malls and sites and you will see the real America which is generally very poor.
With regards to Canada, my friend has a terminally ill child in Canada and they get very little support and their insurance rates are so high they are coming here in August for the NHS to give him some vital medical care. Thank the lord for dual citizenship.
The grass is always greener, but the US is not what you see on tv shows.
MarcoPolo
says...
11:50am Sat 4 Jul 09
Chicken and Beans
says...
12:29pm Sat 4 Jul 09
The governments drive to give EVERYONE access to Uni is a complete joke. What happens when everyone has a degree? How can we tell who really is the best for the job?
No, university should be reserved for those with a REAL talent for their chosen subject. More scholarships should be awarded. A grant system for those who show extreme talent in their subject.
The rest can forget it. I wouldn't want to go to Uni with a bunch of chavs from a council estate who are awful at everything they do, just because the Government says so.
Osama bin there
says...
1:03pm Sat 4 Jul 09
Chicken and Beans wrote:You couldn't be more right.
I actually hope this discourages all and sundry from going to Uni. The governments drive to give EVERYONE access to Uni is a complete joke. What happens when everyone has a degree? How can we tell who really is the best for the job? No, university should be reserved for those with a REAL talent for their chosen subject. More scholarships should be awarded. A grant system for those who show extreme talent in their subject. The rest can forget it. I wouldn't want to go to Uni with a bunch of chavs from a council estate who are awful at everything they do, just because the Government says so.
20 or 30 years ago, if you had a degree you were one of the elite. Because it was impossible for the 'average' student to get the A levels necessary to gain entry to the university system.
Now the A Levels are so dumbed down anyone with half a brain and a little application can pass them.
As Insider says - it's a business now. The government want as many people to get in as possible to keep the 'business' going. Never mind that half the so called graduates still can't read or write properly.
30 years ago you wouldn't have passed your A Levels without decent grammar and spelling. Now you aren't even marked down for it - unless you are doing English.
So don't tell me the whole system hasn't been dumbed down.
I wish it would go back to being free - but with the same difficulty of entry that we had 30 years ago.
It's never going to happen, and that is why we are such an ill educated nation compared with say, the French and Germans.
stan bailey
says...
6:26pm Sat 4 Jul 09
Chicken and Beans wrote:Dead right, it is very cruel all it does is keep people out of the job market a few more years. If they are lucky they end up with a job they could have got before they went to uni, but might have been promoted further, they are stuck with paying off the debt. Or they cannot get a job and have debts that are accruing interest. Disgusting con by a labour government.
I actually hope this discourages all and sundry from going to Uni.
The governments drive to give EVERYONE access to Uni is a complete joke. What happens when everyone has a degree? How can we tell who really is the best for the job?
No, university should be reserved for those with a REAL talent for their chosen subject. More scholarships should be awarded. A grant system for those who show extreme talent in their subject.
The rest can forget it. I wouldn't want to go to Uni with a bunch of chavs from a council estate who are awful at everything they do, just because the Government says so.
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maxiboy says...
9:58am Sat 4 Jul 09