NUS COMMENTS AS UNIVERSITY APPLICATIONS FALL IN ENGLAND AFTER TUITION FEE HIKE

Signs are emerging that the downward trend in university applications started with last year’s tripling of tuition fees has continued into this year, with UCAS today reporting a further drop.

Applications were down 23.6 per cent year-on-year in England over the two years since students started applying for courses with tuition fees of up to £9,000 a year* when figures from November 2010 and November 2012 were compared.

Commenting on the figures, Liam Burns, NUS President, said:

“These are early numbers, there is still time for them to recover and I hope they do, but significant early drops in applications in England were sustained throughout last year, unlike in Scotland and Wales. The Government should now finally admit that its higher education policies are having a significant impact on application behaviour.

“We have always said that students and their families aren’t walking calculators capable of working out how much they are likely to repay based on hypothetical future earnings. Regardless of the repayment terms and the small print, students were always going to be deterred by £9,000 tuition fees.

“Those who do make it to university are struggling to make ends meet. Financial support is not reaching the right students when they need it, so we can't let this debate focus solely on funding for institutions without also questioning how the system of student finance currently operates.”

notes:

*According to UCAS

Total England domiciled applicants for 2013 entry (at Monday 19 November 2012) – 107,687

Similar point in the cycle for 2012 entry - 119,548

Similar point in the cycle for 2011 entry (before tuition fee rise) - 140,983

Similar point in the cycle for 2010 entry - 125,345