UK cost of learning crisis: New threats to students' futures?

Education is the key to a better future - at least that's what we've always been told. The cost of getting a degree is on the rise in the UK, saddling graduates with massive debts.
So is going to university still a good investment?

Guests:

Colin Alexander
Senior Lecturer in Political Communications at Nottingham Trent University

Rose Stephenson
Director of Policy and Advocacy at Higher Education Policy Institute

Tia O’Donnell
Campaigner for Tuition Fees Refund

Graeme Atherton
Head of the Centre for Inequality and Levelling Up at the University of West London

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[teamcopro]

She's right to ask for a refund for the part of education she didn't receive! Since one has to pay to go to uni, it's only fair to expect the service to be comprehensive.

[twisted_void]

My degree fee were less than 10k for three years. I graduated in 2011. If I graduated 3 years later I would pay around 30k for the exactly the same degree. So, triple the cost for exactly the same degree. I don’t see how that’s fair.

[polinamaximova]

Studying in the UK for one year was such a bad experience for me. I did the rest of my studies in Denmark and the quality of education is simply incomparable, not mentioning it was free! Seeing all the young people in the UK already being in debt from the age of 18 is simply sad and you can feel how skeptical and disappointed they are about their life from such a young age.

[elizabethd]

The issue is with the Student Loans Company which runs the lending programmes. They are free to increase the interest rates at any time, even if you have signed fixed rate contract. Last year my rates were changed without a letter and added 5 years to my repayments. This is a government organisation so it’s any easy way to generate extra taxes.

[Mantou-lt]

As an international student, I studied in both Belgium (KUL) and the UK (KCL) for the last few years. UK universities charge a high amount of tuition, and the living cost is also staggering, while in Belgium I enjoy the really low pay as same as the locals (<1000 euros per year). Apart from the huge cost gap, more importantly, what disappoints me is the quality of the education and the supporting services. I would say that in the continental, you will enjoy much more responsible and dedicated teaching.

[houseadj]

To be fair, refund is a good start to make a good impression not only for national students but also for the international students since uk gets huge numbers of students every year. Like he said north of england is just reliant on students for their livings.

[Shyndree]

Honestly, universities should be state funded in the UK, and unis/courses that are not delivering quality degrees and don't improve should be shut down. Education is an investment in our people, and shouldn't be locking anyone in a lifetime of debt. I only support fee charging in unis that can actually differentiate themselves from the rest, top 5 at most, and even there it should at most be supplementary. It's nonsense to be charging these fees from people who can't ever even repay them. I say this as someone who has repaid their student fees, but mine were under £15k for 4 years! Having £80-90k is a whole mortgage in some parts of the country, and it makes no sense to saddle people with that if they will never have the income to pay it.

[ellensamir]

The tuition fees went up and never came back down.

I studied at a UK university (MSc) from 2013 to 2017, and the total tuition was around 20k. Now, it’s more than twice as expensive.

Ask them how many more staff they hired during the lockdown; that’s why the costs increased drastically, along with greed.

[syedadeelhussain]

Nordic, German and French universities usually don't charge fees. In such a case studying is an enjoyable and less risky experience. But, where students invest thousands of dollars/pounds, then the financial burden is carried forward.
Also, apart from the top 5 or 7 UK Universities, others don't actually help students develop skills.
What is the point of getting a degree if there is zero skill development and skill deficits in the economy persist?
Not worth investing time or money!!
Better opt for a polytechnic.

[caz]

It's better to do practical work, to help save up and allow one to to also earn whilst you learn.
E.g. working a part 3 day a week job whilst doing a Bachlors or Masters.
I saved up the past five years to enable me to pay for a Masters degree tuition.
The bonus is also working in a role relevant to degree programme.

We live in a world pushing young people to do everything in a shortspace of time instead of pacing oneself.

[SW-fypq]

My son is a British student but he rejected offers from UCL and Manchester for universities in Hong Kong. It is too expensive to study in the UK.

[HunterBloodborne]

In my country Education is totally free + the government pay money for all the students monthly 200$ even In holidays to help them with expenses.
Idk why the UK (and other countries) making it so hard for its people to be Educated.
If you think of it those students will help the country by working and earning money, they will help the growth of the country.
Yet they are making it easy for the children to ruin their lives and do illegal activities.

[Abdullah]

I graduated last year in Financial Sciences and got an upper second class honours 67% and have been unable to find a job and now stuck with £80K in debt.

[emilieshin]

University does not teach practical skills but it was not a total waste of money... My perspective has widened and the depth of my thinking has been developed. University should be a place for learning and growth. The extortionate fee only divides people and unequal access to a better education for a wider population.

[MessiLeo]

The issue here is that they are running an education business. To attract more students, they lower the entry requirements for English language certificates. Meanwhile, lenders might increase interest rates, which can disadvantage students. Additionally, international students face difficulties with restrictions on part-time work and the high cost of living in major cities due to rising inflation. To alleviate financial burdens, students can seek scholarships, grants, and suitable part-time jobs

[_amos]

A degree is not a guarantee of your career success, you couldn’t ask for refund once you can’t find a good job after your study.

[PhoebeKarterr]

We cannot all study in London and we cannot all be artists

[Ddddddddd-ji]

Where I am, the issue isn't just the cost, it's what's available. It's an almost 4 hour round trip by car to the closest place to do my business degree. It's 6hr round trip by public transport. There's a lot of poverty where I am in the UK as there's so few educational opportunities.

[notknown]

Getting a degree is not solely about employability. Education is good simply for its own sake and A-levels are insufficient.

[PhoebeKarterr]

I finished my master degree when Covid was well over and we were allowed to meet. My uni decided to keep all lectures online.

I feel scammed because I didn’t get the chance to meet my peers and network. What’s the benefit of going if you can’t get good lectures and make friends?