Government floats idea for extra university places

10 May 2011

On BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning, the Universities Minister David Willetts floated an idea - expected to appear in the HE White Paper next month - that universities might be allowed to offer extra places to students if they are able to pay the full cost of their course.

The idea is based on the current arrangements whereby, if an employer agrees to pay the full costs of an employee's course, they can be accepted above and beyond the normal limits on government funded student numbers.

In effect, these students are then treated as applicants from outside the UK or the EU who receive no government loans of grants and for whom there is no limit on the fees that can be charged by universities. 

Clearly this raises concerns that wealthy students would be able to buy their places at university, something that most people would regard as blatantly unfair.

However, Mr Willetts was at pains to point out that any student accepted this way would have to meet the 'same high academic standards' as any other student.

And, he said, any proposals 'would have to pass the test of improving social mobility'.

By this, he seemed to be implying that any scheme would be not so much about wealthy parents or individuals being able to buy a place for themselves but about employers or charities paying for individuals who were, as he put it,  'from a certain background'.

His focus, he said, was on the question: 'can we find ways of getting extra places at university?'.

While the government is right to look at all possible ideas for getting more people to university, especially those who may be deterred by the high cost, this sees to me a very dangerous strategy and one which - perhaps unintentionally - will send out the wrong signals.

As the government should have learnt from the whole fees issue, perception is as important as reality. And this could leave people with the strong impression that there is one rule for the wealthy and one for the rest.

Perhaps that was why Mr Willetts was keeping some safe distance between himself and the policy, insisting that 'at the moment these are just ideas being put to us'.

The White Paper is still being finalised. This was an interesting case of floating an idea in the media to see how it playes. It will need many more safeguards around it, if it is to make it into the final report.

Post a comment

After posting your comment you will need to confirm it by checking your email and clicking the confirmation that will be sent to you.

Comments will appear once reviewed for appropriate content.