The Student Room Group

UK domestic fees - will they go up next year?

Do you guys think they will/won't, especially after the Conservatives have threatened us with £15,000/yr.

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Original post by WishIHadRevised
Do you guys think they will/won't, especially after the Conservatives have threatened us with £15,000/yr.


I don't think they'll go up for 2016 entry. I don't think there's enough time to get the bill through parliament and organise things before the next application cycle begins, and last time, the fees increase was announced prior to the relevant application cycle beginning.

I think it's certainly possible fees will go up during the next parliament, although I think an increase to £15000 a year would be stupid. Under the current system, almost no-one would pay that amount of debt back, and the current student finance system is already an unsustainable mess.

The real worry for future students is not that fees will increase but that the way student loans work will be changed.
[QUOTE=SlowlorisIncognito;56303955]I don't think they'll go up for 2016 entry. I don't think there's enough time to get the bill through parliament and organise things before the next application cycle begins, and last time, the fees increase was announced prior to the relevant application cycle beginning.

I think it's certainly possible fees will go up during the next parliament, although I think an increase to £15000 a year would be stupid. Under the current system, almost no-one would pay that amount of debt back, and the current student finance system is already an unsustainable mess.

The real worry for future students is not that fees will increase but that the way student loans work will be changed.

Those who have the massive debts like medics in London can rack up debts of £80k in the current system. If tuition fees go up to £15k Theyll be in debt of £100k+ and they will never be able to pay all that back. The Debt will just get wiped.

If fees increase even more, I would not be surprised if the repayment either increases from what it is now, or they lower the minimum salary you need to earn before you start repaying.
At some point the fees will have to rise in line with inflation. I believe no new legislation would be needed for this to happen. The pre-2012 fee system had tuition fees increasing year on year.

That might happen in 2016/17 - we don't know - but I wouldn't let it affect your decision making process, as it will have no real impact on you.

Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by Nucleotide
Those who have the massive debts like medics in London can rack up debts of £80k in the current system. If tuition fees go up to £15k Theyll be in debt of £100k+ and they will never be able to pay all that back. The Debt will just get wiped.

If fees increase even more, I would not be surprised if the repayment either increases from what it is now, or they lower the minimum salary you need to earn before you start repaying.


Realistically, people like medics who studied in London and rack up lots of debt are outliers, and if some of them don't pay all their debt back, that's not such a big deal. Doctors also have high earning potentially, meaning they're more likely to repay a reasonable chunk of money, even if they don't repay everything they've borrowed.

However, lots of people won't pay back what they borrow under the current system, and as you say, that's fine for them because the debt gets wiped and the majority of people will probably pay back a reasonable proportion of what they owe.

If fees increased to £15,000 you'd have to see changes in the system- in 4 years, including living costs, people could be getting into over £70K debt, which almost no-one would pay off. There would have to be changes to the system to cope with this, even if they didn't come in as fee rises came in.
Reply 5
The major impact of increasing tuition fees, is that tuition fee loans will increase. Pretty much nobody pays their fees themselves apart from International students. As has been said above, Student Finance is already pretty much at the tipping point of non-repayment. Increasing fees would only make that worse.

I suspect we're looking at a combination of fee increases, plus less favourable repayment terms e.g. lower earnings threshold to trigger repayments, higher interest rates, and no automatic cancellation if it isn't repaid by a certain point. My feeling is that student finance debt could potentially be something that you end up saddled with for your entire life.

In addition, social policy over the past few years has been to use uni as a holding pen for the 18-21 year olds, for whom there was insufficient paid work. The aim was to get as many school leavers into uni as possible. With the school leaving age now raised to 18 for everyone, I think the focus will change to getting more people into vocational training. Uni will again become something for a minority of people, sharply dropping the overall levels of student lending and debt.
Original post by SlowlorisIncognito
I don't think they'll go up for 2016 entry. I don't think there's enough time to get the bill through parliament and organise things before the next application cycle begins, and last time, the fees increase was announced prior to the relevant application cycle beginning.

I think it's certainly possible fees will go up during the next parliament, although I think an increase to £15000 a year would be stupid. Under the current system, almost no-one would pay that amount of debt back, and the current student finance system is already an unsustainable mess.

The real worry for future students is not that fees will increase but that the way student loans work will be changed.


There going to have to raise the black hole one way or another
Original post by Origami Bullets
At some point the fees will have to rise in line with inflation. I believe no new legislation would be needed for this to happen. The pre-2012 fee system had tuition fees increasing year on year.

That might happen in 2016/17 - we don't know - but I wouldn't let it affect your decision making process, as it will have no real impact on you.

Posted from TSR Mobile


I'm pretty sure the OP isn't talking about increases in line with inflation. I also think it's naive to suggest that large fee rises won't have an impact on students given that if this were the case, the repayment system would also have to change.

Original post by Klix88
The major impact of increasing tuition fees, is that tuition fee loans will increase. Pretty much nobody pays their fees themselves apart from International students. As has been said above, Student Finance is already pretty much at the tipping point of non-repayment. Increasing fees would only make that worse.

I suspect we're looking at a combination of fee increases, plus less favourable repayment terms e.g. lower earnings threshold to trigger repayments, higher interest rates, and no automatic cancellation if it isn't repaid by a certain point. My feeling is that student finance debt could potentially be something that you end up saddled with for your entire life.

In addition, social policy over the past few years has been to use uni as a holding pen for the 18-21 year olds, for whom there was insufficient paid work. The aim was to get as many school leavers into uni as possible. With the school leaving age now raised to 18 for everyone, I think the focus will change to getting more people into vocational training. Uni will again become something for a minority of people, sharply dropping the overall levels of student lending and debt.


PRSOM.
Original post by ridwan12
There going to have to raise the black hole one way or another


Which black hole are you talking about? The black hole in university funding, or the black hole in the current student finance system?
Original post by SlowlorisIncognito
Which black hole are you talking about? The black hole in university funding, or the black hole in the current student finance system?


student finance system.
Original post by ridwan12
student finance system.


Yes, they are, and if there is an increase fees, this will become an even more serious problem.
Original post by SlowlorisIncognito

If fees increased to £15,000 you'd have to see changes in the system- in 4 years, including living costs, people could be getting into over £70K debt, which almost no-one would pay off. There would have to be changes to the system to cope with this, even if they didn't come in as fee rises came in.


I'm already in £30k of debt after 2 years. I'm doing a four year course so I expect to leave with £60k debt. :cry:
Original post by rayquaza17
I'm already in £30k of debt after 2 years. I'm doing a four year course so I expect to leave with £60k debt. :cry:


I know the big figures sound super depressing, but if it's all student loan style debt, it really isn't a big deal for you individually. The amount that will come out of your pay each month will be tiny in comparison to the amount you're getting paid (and in comparison to the tax you're paying).

Commercial debt is a bigger problem, though, so you should figure out a plan for dealing with this ASAP.
Original post by SlowlorisIncognito
I know the big figures sound super depressing, but if it's all student loan style debt, it really isn't a big deal for you individually. The amount that will come out of your pay each month will be tiny in comparison to the amount you're getting paid (and in comparison to the tax you're paying).

Commercial debt is a bigger problem, though, so you should figure out a plan for dealing with this ASAP.


Don't worry, it's just my student finance debt. :tongue:
Original post by SlowlorisIncognito
I'm pretty sure the OP isn't talking about increases in line with inflation. I also think it's naive to suggest that large fee rises won't have an impact on students given that if this were the case, the repayment system would also have to change.


They've not got enough time to implement £15k fees by 2016, which would make inflation based rises the only realistic sort of rises.

The idea that fee increases would have no real impact on students was only meant in relation to rises that are in line with inflation.

Posted from TSR Mobile
It's just I was considering taking a gap year but obviously I wouldn't do it if the yearly fees were to increase for the 2016/2017 cycle.

There's so much crap on the Internet 'Tories said this' and 'Labour said this' I just wanted a straight answer. £9,000/yr is absolutely ridiculous never mind the £15,000 I've seen mentioned on the Internet. Then again, I don't know if that's just the tabloids trying to stir things up.
Reply 16
Original post by SlowlorisIncognito
although I think an increase to £15000 a year would be stupid. Under the current system, almost no-one would pay that amount of debt back, and the current student finance system is already an unsustainable mess.


Doesn't really matter, as long as someone pays some more back the Government is up.
Reply 17
Original post by WishIHadRevised
It's just I was considering taking a gap year but obviously I wouldn't do it if the yearly fees were to increase for the 2016/2017 cycle.

There's so much crap on the Internet 'Tories said this' and 'Labour said this' I just wanted a straight answer. £9,000/yr is absolutely ridiculous never mind the £15,000 I've seen mentioned on the Internet. Then again, I don't know if that's just the tabloids trying to stir things up.


If £9k is 'absolutely ridiculous' then whats the issue if they go up? You're not going to uni anyway.
Reply 18
Original post by ridwan12
student finance system.


Original post by SlowlorisIncognito
Yes, they are, and if there is an increase fees, this will become an even more serious problem.


What 'black hole'?

Its a sunk cost, it doesn't really matter if the 'loans' aren't 'repaid'. Just like when income tax misses target as it has the last few years.
Original post by Quady
What 'black hole'?

Its a sunk cost, it doesn't really matter if the 'loans' aren't 'repaid'. Just like when income tax misses target as it has the last few years.


It does because it has to be paid by the tax payer. Having such a large unfunded gap would need either more domestic spending or tax increase or cuts. It's not sustainable and the notion that "oh well it's gonna be covered" is silly at what got us in this mess.

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