A new report by academics at the London School of Economics (LSE) provides further damning evidence that the introduction of higher tuition fees will reverse the trend of increased participation in higher education.
The report, From Grants to Loans and Fees: The Demand for Post-Compulsory Education in England and Wales from 1955 to 2008 by Peter Dalton and Li Lin; predicts a fall in university entrance rates by 7.51 per cent for men and 4.92 per cent for women, when higher tuition fees come into force in 2012 (based on fees of £9000).
According to the authors, whose findings are based on analysis between 1995 and 2008; all the evidence points to higher tuition fees deterring people from attending university. Participation in higher education in the UK has historically been lower than in other OECD countries.
The authors state that the introduction of higher tuition fees will have a more devastating effect on young men than young women.
Commenting on the report, the UCU referred to the government’s HE policy as “a disaster from start to finish.” General secretary Sally Hunt added:
“This report should act as an urgent wake-up call to ministers. ‘Erecting punitive financial barriers is not the way to deliver a world-class higher education system and will deter the best and brightest from applying to university. “
