Vanessa Wilson, CEO of University Alliance, has responded to calls made by the Russell Group to bring in a tiered tuition fee system, which would allow some universities to charge more than others. The Times reported on the proposals that “universities should be allowed to charge different tuition fees according to their reputation and courses” and, this week, endorsed the policy.
Vanessa Wilson said:
“The proposal that universities should be able to charge different tuition fees according to the reputation of each institution risks an existential threat to higher education in this country. At a time when the Government is rightly seeking to create parity of esteem between technical and academic education, this proposal risks pulling in the opposite direction. A fee system based on an undefined measure of institutional “reputation” would hardwire old hierarchies of research-intensive and teaching-focused institutions into the funding system.
“The international evidence for tiered fees is also not reassuring. Countries that use this model still grapple with unsustainable and unstable finances. Additionally, they often experience lower HE participation and degree completion rates than the UK.
“The proposal leaves important questions unanswered: What would the consequences be for the devolved nations and their different fee systems? Who would decide which institutions have an elite enough “reputation” to attract greater funding and using which criteria? Who would foot the bill for this increase in fees; students, taxpayers, or both? These questions are not technical niceties to be worked out later but instrumental to the new system they propose.
“Creating a more stratified system is not the same as creating a better one. At a time when the government is rightly focused on regional growth, we should be extremely wary of reforms that entrench advantage in a few institutions. These proposals fail to recognise the vital work universities like those in the University Alliance do in their regions, for their students and the broader economy, and would hugely exacerbate existing financial pressures that continue threaten that work.
“The Government should keep its focus on high-quality technical education, supporting universities that create an open door to education, rather than funnelling more resources into institutions that seek to build their ivory towers ever higher.”
