University fees plan to rise once again

I think education in general is a basic right. There are loans to cover everyone's fees, but not enough to cover living costs and accommodation. That definitely needs reworking. Quite a lot of people will get enough to cover accommodation but then have nothing left to cover living costs. Its such a costly thing. I just think its unfair. There are so many other areas that the government could have chosen to raise money from, yet they chose education. After all, the youth is the future of this country and if the government aren't careful, they won't have enough graduates who are willing to support them.

As far as I know, they raise with inflation. So the basic amount is £9,000 but it'll have inflation added to it. Its ridiculous. God knows how much debt people will have in 5 or 10 years time...why should we have to pay an obscene amount just because we want an education?

Are people really this ignorant? Irrespective of the loaning system and the other meagre tokens put in place, the raising of tuition fees from £3000 to £9000 will categorically affect the poor more than it will the rich. There is no dispute about that. £9000 to someone who doesn't have family members earning that much is gonna be pretty daunting, whilst to a rich person this is less of a big deal.

Even if the loans are in place, poor people are now even more less likely to attend university, relative to their affluent counterparts. This is unfair, and, as a civilised, 'liberal' society we should hang our heads in shame at this.

I completely agree.. I only get £20 a week from my loan after accommodation costs, which is meant to pay for books, stationary, food, toiletries, utility bills..basically everything except accommodation. Luckily my course hours allow me to have a part time job, so I make enough to support myself, and my family help when possible. But I'm not looking forward to going into third year and having to juggle a dissertation and a job!

I suppose it could be worse though, obviously if I had medic course hours I wouldn't even be able to have a job

Nobody is priced out, the loan is available for everyone to cover tuition. I hate it when people talk about people not being able to afford to go, because there is so much financial help out there that I just don't believe it. And it's not "debt" as in the traditional sense, if you don't earn enough you don't pay it back, and if you do earn enough then the repayments are reasonable.

I think calling HE a "basic right" is a bit silly, considering there are so many people in this world who don't even have clean water.

As far as I know, they raise with inflation. So the basic amount is £9,000 but it'll have inflation added to it. Its ridiculous. God knows how much debt people will have in 5 or 10 years time...why should we have to pay an obscene amount just because we want an education?

If you compare fees to the cost of private schools, it does put the amount into some perspective. And if we did this, it would also shift the mindset away from being disgruntled, to an understanding of the cost of education.
Once you have established that Unis will take the major element of funding from fees charged, hiking the fees in line with inflation is inevitable.
When you apply, are you applying for a cost over 3-4 years or does the amount change yearly. So you might start at £9,000 and it could be £13,000 at the end. or if you apply at £9000 does this cost apply for the course duration?

I think education in general is a basic right. There are loans to cover everyone's fees, but not enough to cover living costs and accommodation. That definitely needs reworking. Quite a lot of people will get enough to cover accommodation but then have nothing left to cover living costs. Its such a costly thing. I just think its unfair. There are so many other areas that the government could have chosen to raise money from, yet they chose education. After all, the youth is the future of this country and if the government aren't careful, they won't have enough graduates who are willing to support them.

Next year I will be living in Leamington Spa, I go to Warwick uni, so not the most expensive place ever. After all my bills are paid I will be getting £36 a week to live on.

My parents earn £18k and £22k, however they are still together so I get a total loan and grant of around £5900.

I have a friend in uni, who I will be living with next year whose mum chooses not to work, she gets the full loan and grant from student finance and then a further 2.5k grant from Warwick even though her dad earns (slightly) more than either one of my parents, and this works out to just over £9000 per year maintenance with only £1.75k to pay back.

This is where I feel the system is ****ed up. Her mum chooses not to work, not to contribute to society, and in return my friend gets free money, whereas both of my parents who choose to work and I get much less.

Now this choice brings such a vast difference in money that it actually works out more cost effective if my parents rent a small flat and make this one of their main living addresses, so "technically" they don't count towards to "household income". Both me and my brother then get about £9k - £10k maintenance where only £1.75k is a loan, so minimum £7.25k free money, which combined between us is less than the cost of renting a small flat for the year.

Of course that is fraud, so would perhaps not be worth doing, but it does make you think.

The only possible ways you have £20 a week to live on is either because you are living somewhere too expensive or your parents earn too much money for you to be entitled to the full loan/grant. Neither situation I have much sympathy with.

The figures for what your friend will get as a loan and a grant are wrong, there will be much more than £1,750 in loan form, but more pertinently you are advocating penalising your friend because of her Mum's decision not to work.

Yes I am, her mum does not work, does not pay taxes, and hence she gets the taxes from others who do work. So not only are they supporting her, they are then expected to support their own children.

Are people really this ignorant? Irrespective of the loaning system and the other meagre tokens put in place, the raising of tuition fees from £3000 to £9000 will categorically affect the poor more than it will the rich. There is no dispute about that. £9000 to someone who doesn't have family members earning that much is gonna be pretty daunting, whilst to a rich person this is less of a big deal.

Even if the loans are in place, poor people are now even more less likely to attend university, relative to their affluent counterparts. This is unfair, and, as a civilised, 'liberal' society we should hang our heads in shame at this.

Interesting views, personally I would treat all children separately from their parents, but what you are saying is that you deserve to be treated independently from your parents and your friend should be treated worse because their Mum chooses not to work.

I've been reading through various university prospectuses and it seems the fees are going to rise again. One phrase particularly caught my attention which was:
"2014 fees are subject to government approval"
To further back this up on the bursary page of York's prospectus the phrase 'increased number available in 2014' appeared through various bursaries.

Are they really going to put them up AGAIN but have shied away from publicising it?

I've been reading through various university prospectuses and it seems the fees are going to rise again. One phrase particularly caught my attention which was:
"2014 fees are subject to government approval"
To further back this up on the bursary page of York's prospectus the phrase 'increased number available in 2014' appeared through various bursaries.

Are they really going to put them up AGAIN but have shied away from publicising it?