Tuition fees are ineffective, says Manchester economist

Taxpayers’ money should cover the costs of tuition of English university students, according to an economist from Manchester Metropolitan University.

In a paper published on 6 April by a charity called the Intergenerational Foundation, economist Kevin Albertson writes that English graduates enter the workforce with greater student debt than those in other countries and face interest rates twice the OECD average.

The paper, titled The Economic Inefficiency of Student Fees in England: Why paying tuition fees from the public purse makes financial sense, is aimed at generating debate to coincide with the passage of the higher education and research bill.