15 April 2005
Efforts to boost the UK's skills base will be undermined unless the government removes an anomaly that requires part-time students to pay their tuition fees up front, universities are warning.
Under the new regime, which comes into force next year, full-time undergraduates will be able to defer fee payment until after graduation, but those learning on a part-time basis will go on paying up front.
Pam Tatlow, chief executive of Campaigning for Mainstream Universities, which represents the newer universities, many of which have a greater proportion of part-time students, told Public Finance: 'This inequity undermines the skills white paper and government claims that there is a joined-up approach to education and skills.'
She added that increasing numbers of part-time students were likely to drop out of university as they were faced with fee bills.
The government wants to increase higher education participation rates to 50%, while the skills white paper published last month promised a nationwide roll-out of training opportunities to bring about an end to the 'dead-end job'.
Part-time learning has become more popular – increasing by 75% since 1994/95. Up to 41% of undergraduates now study on a part-time basis, often because of family or work responsibilities.
'Fair funding for part-time students is absolutely essential to Britain's economic success,' Tatlow said. 'This also means there should be fair funding for universities that have promoted flexible modes of learning. It makes sense in terms of public finances and there is really no excuse for this issue to be still unresolved.'
Universities UK is also campaigning on the issue. Its higher education manifesto, launched on April 7, included a call for more equal treatment for full- and part-time students.
The Higher Education Funding Council for England has acknowledged that the impact of the new fees regime on student choice is unclear, but said it was too early to review the 10% of extra funding universities receive for each of their part-time students.
An HEFCE spokesman said: 'The board will continue to monitor how part-time provision is affected by the introduction of variable fees for full-time undergraduates in 2006/07, and is committed to taking action when appropriate.'
He added: 'Support for part-time provision will also be considered as part of HEFCE's forthcoming review of its teaching funding method.'
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