NUS today (21 July 2009) responds to a report by the Panel On Fair Access recommending that the Government should create “fee free” degrees, whereby students who stay at home would not pay tuition fees or receive financial support, NUS Vice President for Higher Education, Aaron Porter, said:
“We welcome the thrust of this report, particularly the recommendations that the funding council should recognise modular degrees and allow part time students to qualify for student loans.
“However, the idea of financial support-free and fee-free degrees is problematic, because it assumes that students living at home do not need financial help. According to the Government’s own figures, students over 25, those with children and those living at home all face higher costs in order to participate in their course, for instance relating to childcare or travel. It is therefore wrong to suggest that these groups will be helped by having their fees and loans scrapped.
“The entire system of higher education funding needs to be reconsidered if we are to improve access for under-represented groups. NUS believes that a university education should be free at the point of use, with graduates contributing to the system according to how much they earn. This would improve funding for the sector without making poorer students choose between paying thousands of pounds in fees or staying at home and giving up the right to receive financial support.”