All rise
On 4 November, Bridget Phillipson announced plans to increase the student tuition fee cap in England by £285 per year, to £9,535. The Department for Education in England also set out the new arrangements for loans for living costs, and published a paper on fees and loans for foundation years.
The Education Secretary was at pains to point out that graduates will not have to pay more each month after they graduate, and that maximum maintenance payments will also increase, by an extra £414 in 2025-26. The move was given a welcome by both UUK and the Russell Group (less so by the UCU), but the lower fee limit of £5,760 for foundation years courses in classroom-based subjects (notably the social sciences) is likely to bring with it challenges.
The news arrived around the same time that the Office for Students in England published an update to its annual university financial health check, concluding that “bold and transformative action” is needed to address higher education’s financial sustainability, given the reduction in the numbers of students entering higher education. Media coverage focussed on the potential for three-quarters of England’s universities to be in the red by next year.
Elsewhere, new polling by the Higher Education Policy Institute showed considerable student speculation about the financial difficulties currently facing universities. Almost a third of students are worried that their institution could become insolvent, with those at universities in the Russell Group less likely to feel that their institution is at risk. And north of the border, the Scottish Funding Council published its annual report and accounts for 2023-24, concluding that “the financial sustainability of colleges and universities remains challenging across all indicators”.
Against this backdrop, the tuition fee rise is at best a short-term fix – hence Bridget Phillipson also talking up her five “priorities for reform”. These would cover: a more efficient sector; expanding access and improving outcomes for disadvantaged students; making a stronger contribution to economic growth; playing a greater civic role in communities; and “raising the bar” on teaching standards.
Other news in brief
- Beyond The Ballot: In mid-November, the Campaign for Social Science and Sage published a new report, entitled Beyond the ballot: social science insights on eight key policy challenges. It summarises the contributions of over 100 social scientists to the Campaign for Social Science’s Election 24 project, underlining the great potential of social science research to help shape policy and practice, and highlights the willingness of the social science expert community to apply their knowledge to informing solutions as well as to understanding issues. You can read coverage of the report from Research Professional here (£).
- New Conservative Leader: Kemi Badenoch’s elevation to become Leader of the Opposition may well have implications for future public discourse about universities and academia. As Research Professional has noted, the topic is one of Badenoch’s favourite political footballs, with her having previously criticised a “culture of intolerance” in higher education, “muzzling students as well as lecturers in academia”. In her Shadow Cabinet, she has appointed Alan Mak MP as Shadow for DSIT, and Laura Trott as Shadow Education Secretary for England.
- New DSIT advisors: Prof. Adam Tickell FAcSS, who authored a 2022 review calling for a major rollback of research bureaucracy, has been appointed to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology’s advisory board. He will be joined on the board by Nicola Hodson (chief executive of IBM UK & Ireland), Paul Willmott (chair of the Central Digital & Data Office), and Helen Milner (group chief executive of digital inclusion charity Good Things Foundation).
And finally… with the Academy engaging with MPs about our recent report, if any Fellows or supporters have a good relationship with a local MP who has a social science background, we’d love to hear from you! Please contact policy@acss.org.uk