July 17th 2023.
The Government has recently announced plans to tackle the issue of 'poor quality' degrees that don't lead to good career prospects. This is in response to the Augar Review, an independent panel set up in 2017 to investigate the state of higher education in the UK.
The Office for Students will be imposing caps on the number of people accepted on to courses with high dropout rates or a low proportion of graduates landing skilled jobs. Tuition fees for foundation year courses will also be reduced from £9,250 to £5,760.
Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer, said of the new measures: "Too many students are being sold a university education that won't get them a decent job at the end of it. So I'm cracking down on rip-off degrees and boosting apprenticeships to ensure students get the best deal possible. Widening access. Boosting jobs. Growing the economy."
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan added: "These new measures will crack down on higher education providers that continue to offer poor quality courses and send a clear signal that we will not allow students to be sold a false promise. Wherever they choose to study, it is vital students can gain the skills needed to get great jobs and succeed."
Chair of the Augar Review, Philip Augar, commented: "This is another strong signal for universities to control such recruitment as is not in students' best interests and I hope the sector responds constructively."
However, the plans have been met with criticism from opposition MPs. Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: "This is simply an attack on the aspirations of young people and their families by a Government that wants to reinforce the class ceiling, not smash it. The Conservatives' appalling record on apprenticeships means it can't be trusted to deliver the overhaul that our young people need, and new role for the Office for Students will be to put up fresh barriers to opportunity in areas with fewer graduate jobs."
Munira Wilson, Liberal Democrats' education spokesperson, also commented: "Rishi Sunak is so out of ideas that he's dug up a new version of a policy the Conservatives have announced and then unannounced twice over. Universities don't want this. It's making it harder for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to go on to further study."
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