The cumulative impact of the proposals rumoured to be in the imminent Augar review of post-18 education funding could “greatly harm the sustainability of universities”, according to a former universities minister.
Bill Rammell (pictured), now vice-chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire, said that extending the repayment period for student loans, reducing tuition fees to £7,500, and restricting access to student loans for students with poorer A-level results, would all have unwanted knock-on effects for institutions.
“For the panel to suggest that extending the repayment period for student loans will make higher education more affordable to disadvantaged students and help social mobility is a complete con,” he said in a statement. “The proposal is regressive and will lead to lower-paid graduates paying significantly more for their higher education than they do now.”
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