Should University Tuition Fees be free for all those who wish to study?

[Conservative,]

England is home to two of the best universities in the world - Oxford and Camebridge. Once you start allowing people into Universities for free, you're going to have pretty much everybody going from GCSEs > A-Level > Degree, simply because they can and people will take advantage of it.

If we were to have free universities, you'd have degrees being worth the same as A-Levels because everyone would be continuing in their education.. simply because they can. People would take advantage of the freebie. If you're paying a fee to get into University, you'd be more inclined to try your hardest and put the effort in. If you got into a University for free, there's a higher chance people would slack and use up taxpayers money.. and once you start slacking you're taking up someone elses space who could have tried harder.

I see University as an investment in your future. University should be considered the highest education and only a select few people who are willing to invest in their future should go for it. It should never be your average education, imo. The quality of teaching is much higher, the content is much higher and the reward is much higher. Why should people expect the taxpayer to pay for it?

May I also add, the price tag of £9,000 is the
very maximum - it's not the price that all Universities will charge!

What I wanted to say.

No average Joe (no offence to any joes here) should be able to walk in off the street and get a Uni placement. £9,000 is not that much if you try hard in life. Plus you don't have to pay for it until you are earning £21k or more and the pay rate starts very low. So the money isn't the problem. It's the people who Haven't checked their facts.

[Technologic]

Universities are far too overcrowded, so many pointless degrees and there needs to be a way of controlling it. Unfortunately the only way to do this may be through increased fees

[Redicating]

I think that its completely unfair to increase the prices. People have to get student loans which can get them into huge amounts of debt and not a guarranteed job at the end if it. I agree that if everyone had a degree then there would be no point, however a degree can seriously increase your chances of getting a better paid job and therefore increase your standard of living.

I can see that some people could argue that over time, the loan would get paid back. However, I think its unfair that students who want to better themselves through further education are getting punished. I would encourage anybody to go to university, but now the prices seem astronomical and unfair. You may as well just go get yourself a job and work your way up that way - its the same difference with less of the price.

I think the government could have cut back on alot of other things, and I don't think education should have been one of them. People who want to change their standard of living and better themselves will find it harder than ever and maybe even impossible which I don't think is right and completely unfair. Why do richer people get to have a better education because they can buy it? University isn't for everyone granted, but can seriously improve those lives who do go for it.

Asking for up to £9000 for a year is a complete scam. My parents do the very best to provide for me and my siblings and it would be taking the mick to ask for that amount of money. Its nearly a deposit for a house! I don't have that kind of money!

[Txyla]

It is not fair on the people that are going to go to university, because the people that are in university right now did not have to pay that much so it is not that much fair, because some family's might go bankrupt and not be able to get there child to get a good education or job. Seeing as they will have to pay £9k+ (I think it is). The people that have are in university that have payed for this year are lucky.. but it will hit them when they have to pay there next year..

[karter]

I think Every uni should have the same cost but not expensive because tbh Theres some people who are really gifted and talented and yet they come from poorer backgrounds whereas someone whos had tuition all their lives and aren't that bright but come from a richer background can afford to pay plus supply any other money needed/wanted .

There are scholarships for that. Tbh , it should not be free. buy yeah , it should be lowered

Universities are far too overcrowded, so many pointless degrees and there needs to be a way of controlling it. Unfortunately the only way to do this may be through increased fees

Agreed in some ways. If its free , I can see all those overcrowded universities will be. If its free , there will be more competition to get in the Universities. The system is ok and it should not be changed in some ways.

[Moh]

I don't see much problem with the cap raise. A lot of universities wont even charge that amount, a lot never changed £3,000 a year. If a uni is charging more, then they will be able to afford better lecturers and better facilities meaning that some of the lower unis in England may get a better reputation.

If you're paying more to go to uni, there's a higher chance that you will also work a lot harder to get your qualification as you wont want to waste any money. May also encourage people to work harder to find a job afterwards.

Even if you are paying £9k a year, once you've got a job using your qualifications you'll still be better off paying the loan back than if you stuck with a job that pays £15k-£20k p/a

[Ajthedragon]

Too many people go to University, I think its 47%. At the moment only 30-40% of jobs actually need degrees. We need apprenticeships, for jobs such as plumbing and electricians. I think they make University too appealing with this idea everybody will make lots of money. As a family member of myself has found, that is not the case. He now has crippling debt, and at least now he won't have to continue paying these loans with this new policy. Also, do the people rioting and destroying Tory HQ really deserve these places, and rather, would we happily have one operate on us?

In comparison the other nations, we're very lucky. It's a recession, changes are needed.

People should look more into the issue, university fees are going up, but not to £9K unless you're rich, otherwise, in some cases its the same, although for middle-class, maybe a little higher.

[Conservative,]

I think that its completely unfair to increase the prices. People have to get student loans which can get them into huge amounts of debt and not a guarranteed job at the end if it. I agree that if everyone had a degree then there would be no point, however a degree can seriously increase your chances of getting a better paid job and therefore increase your standard of living.

I can see that some people could argue that over time, the loan would get paid back. However, I think its unfair that students who want to better themselves through further education are getting punished. I would encourage anybody to go to university, but now the prices seem astronomical and unfair. You may as well just go get yourself a job and work your way up that way - its the same difference with less of the price.

I think the government could have cut back on alot of other things, and I don't think education should have been one of them. People who want to change their standard of living and better themselves will find it harder than ever and maybe even impossible which I don't think is right and completely unfair. Why do richer people get to have a better education because they can buy it? University isn't for everyone granted, but can seriously improve those lives who do go for it.

Asking for up to £9000 for a year is a complete scam. My parents do the very best to provide for me and my siblings and it would be taking the mick to ask for that amount of money. Its nearly a deposit for a house! I don't have that kind of money!

So what should they cut back on?

£9000 is the absolute maximum I doubt many would actually charge that much - and if they did they can afford better resources. I have 2 siblings and we're all intending to go to Uni - my parents said we'll just have to take out Student loans and pay it back when we have a decent job. Your parents don't pay - you do when you're making 21k+

It is not fair on the people that are going to go to university, because the people that are in university right now did not have to pay that much so it is not that much fair, because some family's might go bankrupt and not be able to get there child to get a good education or job. Seeing as they will have to pay £9k+ (I think it is). The people that have are in university that have payed for this year are lucky.. but it will hit them when they have to pay there next year..

Their families don't pay unless they want to - you take out a student loan and pay it back when you're making 21k+. In reality people saying "my family will go bankrupt -cry-cry-" are being stupid. You don't have to pay it back if you never earn 21k or more.

I don't see much problem with the cap raise. A lot of universities wont even charge that amount, a lot never changed £3,000 a year. If a uni is charging more, then they will be able to afford better lecturers and better facilities meaning that some of the lower unis in England may get a better reputation.

If you're paying more to go to uni, there's a higher chance that you will also work a lot harder to get your qualification as you wont want to waste any money. May also encourage people to work harder to find a job afterwards.

Even if you are paying £9k a year, once you've got a job using your qualifications you'll still be better off paying the loan back than if you stuck with a job that pays £15k-£20k p/a

Someone with sense

[Jessicrawrr]

Yes it's a high change. But this summary failed to explain the main cap will be at £6k with only the best universities who are willing to offer extensive monetarily help to poorer students are able to charge £9k.

Also compare to the USA it is nothing on what the top universities charge.

There is nothin to get so angry about,
every politician lies if there was a riot every time a politician broke a promise this country would be in anarchy.

Move on, save up shut up.

Oh and also they have upped the threshhold to pay your debts from £15k a year to £21k.

So I don't see what all the fuss is about people need to learn to deal with things they're not happy about.

how old are you?
your acting like you are because your not in the position at the moment to have to pay a rediculous amount of money to get futher education.

I think the money you have to pay is rediculous, i think univerisity should be free for those who have high enough grades for it.

[Conservative,]

how old are you?
your acting like you are because your not in the position at the moment to have to pay a rediculous amount of money to get futher education.

I think the money you have to pay is rediculous, i think univerisity should be free for those who have high enough grades for it.

I'm 14 - and tbh those of you who are 16/17/18/19/20 who are complaining - tuition fees may be even higher for me?

If it's free then Uni's which are already over crowded & full of pointless courses - then they'll get worse.

It's not a "ridiculous amount of money" it's an increase - which probably won't happen at many Uni's anyway - and as stated £9k is the ABSOLUTE maximum where they have to give grants ect. to poorer students. £6k will be the normal cap and as I said - look at America. The tuition fees are 5x that at some of the top ones - get over yourselves.

Plus they're raising the amount you have to earn before you pay it back to 21k - and 9k isn't much when you're on 21k a year - ok it's not brilliant money but it's decent money and you only have to pay a tiny amount per month (something like 1%) if you're on 21k.

So please PLEASE check your facts before replying. It's not ridiculous. It's actually ridiculously cheap against the world market.