Tuition fees increase ‘had little impact on student numbers’

7 Aug 14
The government’s controversial decision in 2011 to increase tuition fees had little impact on the number of young people becoming full-time undergraduates, Universities UK has said.

By Mark Smulian | 7 August 2014

The government’s controversial decision in 2011 to increase tuition fees had little impact on the number of young people becoming full-time undergraduates, Universities UK has said.

In a report Trends in Undergraduate Recruitment, the sector’s trade association found that between 2010-11 and 2013-14 academic years, the number of new undergraduates from the UK and EU decreased by 21.7%. However, this though was largely accounted for by a 47.8% decrease in part-timers – equivalent to 118,500 students.

However, recruitment of young people to full-time courses rose by 3.1% between 2010 and 2014, returning recruitment of 18- and 19-year-olds this year to levels last seen before the tuition fee reforms that increased the maximum course charges to £9,000.

‘There were no significant impacts [from fee reforms] on participation among disadvantaged and underrepresented groups of young students,’ the report noted.

But it warned that financial outcomes for institutions were ‘likely to vary significantly’ according to levels of recruitment and provision.

Greater competition among universities to recruit students was also likely to increase uncertainties in financial planning, it noted, and the government’s relaxation of controls of the numbers of students recruited – ahead of their planned abolition in 2015 – had led to greater than expected increases in competition between higher education providers.

Vice-chancellors also expressed concern about the erosion in value of the £9,000 maximum fee for undergraduate courses.

Universities UK said this would in real terms are worth £8,200 by next year and only £7,700 in 2017.

‘Many institutions noted that this may have implications for the potential for growth, and the type of growth, that may occur following the lifting of student number controls,’ the report said.

Responding to the report, Les Ebdon, the director of fair access to higher education at the Office for Fair Access, said there had been a long-term improvement in the rates of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds entering full-time higher education.

‘Universities and colleges are working hard to raise aspirations and attainment among those from disadvantaged backgrounds who have the talent to benefit from higher education,’ he said.

‘However, the report notes that there has been a further 10.8% decline in the number of part-time students beginning undergraduate degrees in 2013-14. Since 2010-11 there has been a calamitous reduction of 47.8% in part-time students. This continued and worrying decline is especially concerning as part-time students are more likely to come from groups under-represented in higher education.’

He said that recently-agreed access agreements committed universities and colleges to a range of programmes to support part-time students.

‘Part-time courses offer a vital opportunity for people to combine study with work and caring commitments, and the work that is done to encourage and support part-time students is more important now than ever before.'

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