The Autumn Statement Widening Participation’s Winners & Losers Will Cooling – University of Leicester, Senior WP Policy and Partnerships Officer www.le.ac.uk wic1@le.ac.uk
What’s In A Name • .
The Big Winner – Mature Students • Age threshold for PGT loans now raised to 60 years old and is available for distance learning • Students can now access the maintenance loan for part-time study. • ELQ scrapped for STEM subjects • Don’t forget about Nursing though!
PGT Loans – A Sector Triumph • Age Threshold Lower • Distance Learning Courses Covered • Loans Can Be Used In All UK Institutions • • Repayment Rate Lowered To 6% • PhD Loans System to complement Research Council Funding
PGT Loans – Warning From History? • Are PGT Loans for EU Students to next Tuition Fee Loans for New Providers?
The Big Loser – Post ‘92 Universities • High-cost subjects to be protected as HEFCE Teaching Grant is cut • Increased support for part-time study likely to increase College Higher Education • Threat to Nursing Student Recruitment • Student Opportunity Funding to be cut in half – Universities to have less freedom on how to spend it
End of the Maintenance Grant • End of the Maintenance Grant was announced in the previous budget • Contrary to expectations this was included in the BIS Departmental Cuts • Is it right to increase poor students’ graduate debt to provide more people with support? – Remember only those who earn to have paid all their loan back under the old system will pay more.
Danger for the Future • The Government took the decision to freeze the repayment threshold at £21,000 • This goes against the previous commitment to let it increase in line with inflation • Whatever the merits of this change the Government has shown a worrying nonchalance about retrospective changes
• How meaningful are our promises to disadvantages students about degree terms and conditions?
Green Paper • Time of change for higher education • Merger between OFFA and HEFCE is less meaningful than it sounds – they already work extremely closely together • Key battleground will be protecting the role of the Director of Fair Access • Government shows genuine ambition for widening participation but the lack of interest in disabled student outreach is deeply concerning
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