theguardian.com
English Undergraduate Education: A Hot Mess
Critique of the English undergraduate education system, highlighting issues with tuition fees, student debt, degree quality, and university accountability.
English
United Kingdom
Labour MarketUkFinanceEducationPolicyAccountabilityReform
Policy Exchange
Bridget PhillipsonIain Mansfield
- How does the current loan system impact graduates financially?
- The current system shifts the cost of university expansion from taxpayers to graduates, leading to high lifetime loan repayments. Graduates face repaying around \u00a345,600 (2024 starters), essentially an extra 9p income tax on income above the repayment threshold.
- What is the author's call to action for the Labour government?
- The author argues that the current system fails young people by prioritizing university interests over student needs, mis-selling poor-quality degrees. They call for accountability and better quality control within universities.
- What are the concerns regarding the value and quality of university degrees?
- The value of a university degree is questionable; while a graduate premium exists, it varies greatly, and it's unclear how much is due to the degree itself versus acquired skills. A third of graduates don't work in graduate jobs, and quality control of degrees is lacking.
- What issues exist regarding the transparency and efficiency of university spending?
- Universities lack transparency in their spending of student fees. There is no independent quality control, and the efficiency of how funds are spent is unknown, with cheaper courses potentially subsidizing more expensive ones.
- What is the author's main critique of the current English undergraduate education system?
- The tuition fee increase from \u00a39,250 to \u00a39,535 is a small patch in a system needing fundamental reform. The increase will only add a few hundred pounds to the typical graduate's lifetime repayment and minimal extra funding for universities.