The Student Room Group

Unfair fees for different regions of the UK is it legal ?

Honestly I can't believe that University fees vary so much from one area to another, I was just looking up Open University fees and there is a HUGE disparity between what English, welsh and Scottish students have to pay. Surely this is completely unfair and totally unacceptable form of discrimination, is it even legal in UK law ?

-edit it's not confined to the OU courses, residential universities are also charging students from different parts of the country differently. I thought this kind of discrimination was abolished years ago ?
(edited 6 years ago)

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IIRC university fees for Scottish and Welsh students are subsidized- their devolved governments set aside more money for funding. I read a guardian article which stated that Welsh students would only take out a loan of about 3 grand, and their government would pay the rest.

I think that's why their fees are different. It's not illegal or discriminatory at all
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/apr/29/welsh-university-students-financial-support
Reply 2
Original post by Stunted Elf
Honestly I can't believe that University fees vary so much from one area to another, I was just looking up Open University fees and there is a HUGE disparity between what English, welsh and Scottish students have to pay. Surely this is completely unfair and totally unacceptable form of discrimination, is it even legal in UK law ?

-edit it's not confined to the OU courses, residential universities are also charging students from different parts of the country differently. I thought this kind of discrimination was abolished years ago ?


It's nothing to do with discrimination; it's due to subsidisation from the respective Governments.
Reply 3
If charging you more money for the exact same thing because of which part of the country that you happen to live in is not discrimination then I don't know what is !
Original post by Stunted Elf
If charging you more money for the exact same thing because of which part of the country that you happen to live in is not discrimination then I don't know what is !


Democracy. Scotland and Wales voted for left-wing governments that opposed tuition fees. England voted for centrist to right-wing governments that supported them.
Did you just ignore the replies?
It's due to subsidisation from the government.
Here in Wales education is devolved. We have a Welsh Labour government who place education as a high priority and advocate lifelong learning too. For disabled students too living in Wales is a blessing. My son with autism sees 3 different learning and social and IT mentors a week: his flatmates with autism from England are not funded and have no support. It’s a complete scandal but the Tories in England advocate cuts and loans.

Here in Wales we have many grants that don’t need repaying. Scotland have free tuition fees. Sadly in England you get what you voted for.
Original post by Stunted Elf
If charging you more money for the exact same thing because of which part of the country that you happen to live in is not discrimination then I don't know what is !


Good point. You could always discriminate yourself and go to Holland where the fees are a few thousand.

I think discrimination is the wrong word here. The cliche you need to be reaching for is 'Postcode lottery'.
Original post by Stunted Elf
Honestly I can't believe that University fees vary so much from one area to another, I was just looking up Open University fees and there is a HUGE disparity between what English, welsh and Scottish students have to pay. Surely this is completely unfair and totally unacceptable form of discrimination, is it even legal in UK law ?

-edit it's not confined to the OU courses, residential universities are also charging students from different parts of the country differently. I thought this kind of discrimination was abolished years ago ?


Ik that the Welsh fee is lower because the Welsh government pay for half.
Reply 9
Original post by IWMTom
It's nothing to do with discrimination; it's due to subsidisation from the respective Governments.


yes, I see what you mean, I guess it's down to the fact that education has been devolved to the regional assemblies, I hadn't thought about it like that. I just assumed that the whole country would have the same rules for something as important as education.

I need to rephrase what I am saying to that 'I think that it is wrong and unacceptable that different regions of the UK have different education systems and tuition fees'.

Does that make more sense ?
Reply 10
Original post by Stunted Elf
yes, I see what you mean, I guess it's down to the fact that education has been devolved to the regional assemblies, I hadn't thought about it like that. I just assumed that the whole country would have the same rules for something as important as education.

I need to rephrase what I am saying to that 'I think that it is wrong and unacceptable that different regions of the UK have different education systems and tuition fees'.

Does that make more sense ?


That's like saying "I think it's unfair that families in the USA have to save all their life to send their kids to college".
Original post by IWMTom
That's like saying "I think it's unfair that families in the USA have to save all their life to send their kids to college".


Its not the same thing at all. Firstly the USA is a completely Different country and I was talking about the UK. Besides its not unfair as long as ALL Americans are living with the same rules and have to save and pay, thats not what is happening here in the UK, its a postcode lottery where depending on which region you live you get very different treatment.

Second if we do use the USA as an analogy then it would be like saying that Californians can get free education but people who come from Texas cannot which imo would be unfair.

Anyway America is America and Britain is Britain, we have a different economic setup to America and all that I am saying is that everyone who lives in our country should have the same rules and treatment regardless of their postcode, surely that is only right and fair ?
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by Stunted Elf
Its not the same thing at all. Firstly the USA is a completely Different country and I was talking about the UK.

Second if we do use the USA as an analogy then it would be like saying that Californians can get free education but people who come from Texas cannot which imo would be unfair.

Anyway America is America and Britain is Britain, we have a different economic setup to America and all that I am saying is that everyone who lives in our country should have the same rules and treatment regardless of their postcode, surely that is only right and fair ?


The UC system is one of the most expensive state college systems in the country, which is in large part due to the Republicans repeatedly trying to destroy it.

Ironically the quite good UTs and Texas A&M are cheaper.

Spoiler

Thanks to the Chavs in England that voted Tory. "toss tha uni fees m8, emmagrants are takun oover muh cuntry, cant be avin dat innit".
Yeah, thanks very much you selfish degenerates. Just because you're content with claiming benefits while fapping to Nigel Farage, doesn't mean the rest of us are.
I can see why you are stunted.

People have already explained its down to regional funding. If you are unhappy then either complain to your own regional government or go and take up residence in the other area.
Reply 15
Original post by Stunted Elf
Its not the same thing at all. Firstly the USA is a completely Different country and I was talking about the UK. Besides its not unfair as long as ALL Americans are living with the same rules and have to save and pay, thats not what is happening here in the UK, its a postcode lottery where depending on which region you live you get very different treatment.

Second if we do use the USA as an analogy then it would be like saying that Californians can get free education but people who come from Texas cannot which imo would be unfair.

Anyway America is America and Britain is Britain, we have a different economic setup to America and all that I am saying is that everyone who lives in our country should have the same rules and treatment regardless of their postcode, surely that is only right and fair ?


Wales and Scotland are different countries to England... it's the same principle...
Original post by 999tigger
I can see why you are stunted.

People have already explained its down to regional funding.


No-one is really arguing about the reason behind it (regional funding).
I am arguing the point that I just feel that it is just not right to do it that way in our country and would rather see a coherent national education policy applied equally across the whole country.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by Stunted Elf
No-one is really arguing about the reason behind it (regional funding).
I am arguing the point that I just feel that it is just not right to do it that way in our country and would rather see a coherent national education policy applied equally across the whole country.


Well the people of Wales, Scotland and N Ireland disagree with you.

It is a coherent policy as far as they are concerned plus they get a better deal for themselves as thats where their government chooses to spend its money.
Original post by 999tigger
Well the people of Wales, Scotland and N Ireland disagree with you.


And all of those people gave you authority to speak for them when exactly ?

Original post by 999tigger
It is a coherent policy as far as they are concerned plus they get a better deal for themselves as that's where their government chooses to spend its money.


Yes, but you are still failing to address the core of the issue I raised, which is about fairness, we all know that the regions have different funding structures. But is it actually right to treat our students differently from one region to another when at the end of the day they are all going to be entering the same jobs market (unless they emigrate).

As a Unionist I simply believe that all students across the United Kingdom should have a level playing field.
Original post by Stunted Elf
And all of those people gave you authority to speak for them when exactly ?



Yes, but you are still failing to address the core of the issue I raised, which is about fairness, we all know that the regions have different funding structures. But is it actually right to treat our students differently from one region to another when at the end of the day they are all going to be entering the same jobs market (unless they emigrate).

As a Unionist I simply believe that all students across the United Kingdom should have a level playing field.


As a Unionist you should bear in mind that if Scotland had no devolution and £9,000 tuition fees, there probably wouldn't be a union any more. It's all about compromise. And in this case the people of Scotland wanted devolution, and the people of the UK as a whole elected a party who was happy to give it to them.

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