The Student Room Group

Why has the Government stopped funding for second degrees?

Last month TSR members were asked to submit questions about university to Yoosk who were then going to ask them to Government Ministers along with other questions from the Yoosk website.

The questions have now been asked and the video responses recorded with David Lammy (the Higher Education Minister) and Lord Young (the Minister for Higher Education Students).

Question from Robinson999:
Why has the government stopped funding for 2nd degrees, like for those that want to go into medicine, main to do with the 5 years, not the grad 4 years, as I think 4 years you only pay for the first year?

If you'd rather read it, than watch the video, here's what Lord Young says:

"Well I think the first point I want to make about university funding is that we're spending more money than we've ever spent before - you know a huge amount, I think something like a 37% increase in real terms and we decided that our priority ought to be students going for their first degrees.

But we haven't stopped funding, actually still 2/3rds of graduates are getting funded, but they are in what we see as strategically important subjects, or vulnerable subjects, so there's still a significant number, but not all of them. It was a choice that we felt that was the right choice in the current economic circumstances."




You can find more questions and replies in the Have your say forum, click on the green threads.
Sorry, current economic circumstances? These decisions were made during boom years.

MB
I'd be interested to know what these subjects are which you can still get funding for second degrees for. What are classed as 'strategically important' subjects or 'vulnerable subjects'. More importantly, who decides what these are.

I'd also be interested to know how you go about funding for these subjects for a second degree, what is being done to promote this and why more is not being done to promote this as I'm sure there are lots of people who'd want to study for a second degree to benefit their career options that don't as they don't think they can afford it.

I'd also be interested to know what impact the stopping of this funding has had - surely all it does is disadvantage those who have less money as the richer people will still be able to study for as many degrees as they wish without any cares of funding.
cheesecake.
I'd be interested to know what these subjects are which you can still get funding for second degrees for. What are classed as 'strategically important' subjects or 'vulnerable subjects'. More importantly, who decides what these are.

I'd also be interested to know how you go about funding for these subjects for a second degree, what is being done to promote this and why more is not being done to promote this as I'm sure there are lots of people who'd want to study for a second degree to benefit their career options that don't as they don't think they can afford it.

I'd also be interested to know what impact the stopping of this funding has had - surely all it does is disadvantage those who have less money as the richer people will still be able to study for as many degrees as they wish without any cares of funding.

dentistryand med 4 years grad programme are the only ones i can think of
a lot of people do just look at medicine, grads go into 5 year programme
cheesecake.
I'd be interested to know what these subjects are which you can still get funding for second degrees for. What are classed as 'strategically important' subjects or 'vulnerable subjects'. More importantly, who decides what these are.

I'd also be interested to know how you go about funding for these subjects for a second degree, what is being done to promote this and why more is not being done to promote this as I'm sure there are lots of people who'd want to study for a second degree to benefit their career options that don't as they don't think they can afford it.

I'd also be interested to know what impact the stopping of this funding has had - surely all it does is disadvantage those who have less money as the richer people will still be able to study for as many degrees as they wish without any cares of funding.

http://www.hefce.ac.uk/aboutus/sis/ <= those are the SIVS

They've also exempted a bunch of other courses and students from the restrictions on funding for second degrees - listed here: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/learning/funding/elq/SIVS_HEIs.pdf

Even for students on these "exempt" courses they aren't eligible to a second student loan/tuition fee loan - the difference between these students and other students is that the university recieves funding from HEFCE for them. Without HEFCE funding then most universities either chose to teach students for half the money or to charge international fees to cover the full costs of the course.
Lord Young
"Well I think the first point I want to make about university funding is that we're spending more money than we've ever spent before - you know a huge amount, I think something like a 37% increase in real terms

And because I'm nosy I had to check that out

1997/98 recurrent funding via HEFCE £3,209,483,752 http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/1997/c16_97.htm

2009/10 recurrent funding via HEFCE £7,994 million
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2009/09_08/

Blimey - you know what for once I think they're underselling themselves - that's got to be more than a 37% increase even if you factor in inflation...and the Scottish/Wales spending has gone up even more

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