“Higher Education moves pretty fast”, as Ferris Bueller once (sort of) said. “If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it”. Well, we might not be right smack bang back in the 1980s (although when you look at the news, you start to wonder…), but one thing’s for certain: changes are coming our way left, right and centre in Higher Education and, red Ferrari or not, it’s hard to keep up.
These changes aren’t small and will have a huge impact on current and future students, both at Birmingham and across the country. In a period of post-Brexit uncertainty, the future of universities is changing. Here are just some of the changes that have happened, are happening, or are soon to happen.
1. Tuition Fees to increase
Though the Higher Education Bill has yet to be passed into law, Universities Minister Jo Johnson announced that the cap on tuition fees will be lifted for 2017/18 to £9,250 for all Universities who receive a “Meets Expectation” score on the Teaching Excellence Framework. (You can read more about our thoughts on the TEF here.) As Birmingham performed really strongly in our recent QAA assessment, it’s pretty much guaranteed that we’ll “Meet Expectations” in 2017. Fees will then be able to rise each year in line with inflation, meaning that we’ll see £10k+ fees in the very near future!
As you may have seen in the press, other Universities have chosen to increase fees not just for new students, but for those currently studying with them. We’ve been in touch with the University regarding what’s their stance will be on this issue – we’ll bring you news on this as soon as we have it!
2. NHS Bursary to be scrapped
The government has also confirmed that NHS bursaries for student nurses, midwives & allied health professions will be scrapped from 2017, sparking anger across the sector. Concerns have been raised that, at a time when the NHS is already struggling to fill vacancies, the prospect of graduating with more than £50,000 of debt will discourage many from entering the profession. Many recipients of the Bursary are student parents, mature students or those returning to study, and we are concerned that this move will have a disproportionate impact on these groups.
3. Erasmus may be going
Whilst nothing has been confirmed, there are growing concerns that British students may be excluded from the Erasmus Scheme. Each year, thousands of students benefit from a year abroad in Europe – and the Erasmus grant is crucial to making sure that studying in Europe is accessible to students from a wide variety of backgrounds. From the response on social media, we know that Erasmus is incredibly important to a large number of you, and that it’s been the highlight of your time at University. The head of Erasmus has even said that “98% of students report having hugely benefitted from their time in Europe”, whether that’s through experiencing a new culture, meeting new people or developing their language skills. Whilst the negotiations are ongoing, we’ll be working hard to find out more about any changes to our access to Erasmus and we’ll keep you updated any news.
Despite the fact that we’re living in a time of such incredible upheaval and uncertainty, new policy seems to be rushing through Parliament like no tomorrow at the moment. Now really isn’t the time to be introducing some of the biggest changes the sector will see in a generation, but the government seem determined to push on regardless to the detriment of current and future students!
Accessing higher education is only getting tougher for students – we’ll have to pay more for education, our support has been reduced, and our broadened horizons are getting narrower by the day. This is deeply unfair and we believe that the Higher Education Bill in particular will lead to a less accessible, less affordable and less sustainable higher education system. Access to higher education should be based on student’s talent, ability and desire to learn – not the size of their bank accounts.
With the landscape changing every day, please do not hesitate to get in touch! If you have any concerns about your degree or what these changes could mean for you, you can drop me a line via education@guild.bham.ac.uk or pop in to see me on the top floor of the Guild.