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

[Mathew]

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.

It's not a matter of whether or not you're in the position to pay it; it's all about whether there should be a fee at all. You don't have to go to University to comment on a political issue such as this.

It's not "ridiculous" because I'm under the impression very few Universities will higher their fees to £9000. It's the very maximum they're allowed to charge - which will probably be for Oxbridge. Once you start saying "it should be free for those who have high enough grades" - where is the boundary? What happens if you missed out by one mark? How is it fair that being one mark away means you have to pay £9000? There is a blanket rule for a reason - and if you want to take the plunge and invest in you future, then you make the sacrifice and pay. Simple.

[Soy]

Nah i dont agree with Uni tutions rising I think they're fine as they are but making it free like scotland has is going to make university diplomas seem less important and the worth of a degree is going to decrease.

I'm going to uni next year lol bristol UWE probs

[,Lexiilu]

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!

this. i completely agree with you matt. if this was happening the same in america, this would be my view
i'll be honest, i'm not really with all the college fees talk and whatnot since its still awhile away, but letting everyone go free is ridiculous. there'd be no point in even bothering because everyone would have degrees anyway. people would slack off in college and not even work because its free and they don't care. also, this isn't really much compared to many american universities. my brother attends flight school in florida at Embry Riddle University and he pays something insane -- i don't remember if its for all 4 years or per year but i remember something about $66,000 coming up (i think that was tuition for all 4 years).

so that's my short opinion.

[Pyroka]

In some parts of the world such as Scotland it is free to study within University, much like the rest of your school life. But in many other places around the world such as England and the USA you have to pay. The English Government has just announced that from September 2012 all students could pay up to £9000 a year rather than the current £3000 a year fee. Many students are outraged by this, but in America there is no such cap on fees for University and they can charge upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars to study at the countries best Universities.

At first glance you would think University being free would have no down sides, but if there were no fees then there would more than likely be more people studying at University, thus more people with a Degree and ultimately everyone would end up with a degree and you may as well have just left education when you were 16/18 and go find a job.


DEBATE!!!

I myself have been lectured by the President of NUS Scotland about this said issue. I am very opinionated on it, as I am both an English Student who has studied in an English University & a Scottish University. Firstly, the "up to" figure is the key word there, but the minimum I can realistically see happening for many academic institutions is £6000. This is not okay, not in any shape or form, I feel the enforcement of tuition fees in England & Wales is already totally out of order. Whilst I see the government and Universities need to charge for University Degrees, the increase is criminal. This is a Tory Governments ideal of making Degrees exclusive to the rich, and putting even more strain on students in families in both middle-class and lower class of the British society. I'm livid about it, and I believe the view of my students that I represent as an Executive member of a Student Union are in agreement that an increase of tuition fees is out of the question.

Who are the upcoming future generation who could govern, create and re-create the country, and also the world? Graduates. They are our future, and yet they are being penalised for trying to be the country's future. Putting a heightened price on degrees to justify a budget cut for many (possibly all) Universities in the UK, is not the way to encourage people to further education. It alienates a society, and I think the protests in London and around the country show that Students will not back down on the matter that they cannot afford this outrageous sum of money.

My closest issue to this however, is that what will happen if England increases their tuition fees to up to £9000? Where will the Students go? I'll tell you where: Scotland & Wales. English, Welsh & Northern Irish Students in Scotland only have to pay half of the current tuition fee, and Wales are planning to freeze their fee to the current value. What does that mean for both countries? It means Scottish Students will be pushed out of Universities, people who would've got to University now will not be able to go as of 2012. There will be a fight for places in Scotland, with English Talent overtaking Scottish Talent. It is not my business to guess how the Scottish Government would deal with this issue, however I would take it to favor the Scottish Students over the English Students, in any and every occasion.

International Students can pay £10k and more on their tuition fees if they wish to study in the UK. I've seen firsthand that Universities will always favor International Students because of this fact. Greedy fatcats, like the government, yet again ruining the future of so many potential inventors and talents of the world.

In short, no it should not be free as the country has to float, but the increase is uncalled for and will only make the country suffer further down the line. It's a quick fix that is draining the graduates of tomorrow.

If you asked me who I thought should contribute to Education more, I offer only this: Businesses offer nothing towards the Education Fund, yet companies like BP earn millions, billions and possibly trillions of pounds. No tax is imposed on them, and instead the working class are taxed. There is a very wrong picture in the UK, and it will only get worse if Tuition Fees get raised.

If you noticed that there is no mention of the Liberal Democrats, that is because I do not believe they should be in government & that a right to recall our votes for them, for false promises to push to abolish tuition fees.

[Areva]

Let be clear. I am a Labour supporter. And a formal running contender for the Labour party. As much as I hate the morals of the Conservative party as well as their partners the Cinderella party. Tutuion fee's need to rise for many reasons.

30 years ago University was free, a Degree guaranteed you a job. Going to Uni was a great achievement. Today getting a degree doesn't get you a job. We need to stop people getting higher level qualifications as just like Habbo only a certain amount of Habbo's can be at the top.

I believe everyone in life should do what they want to do, no one should be in a job they dislike. If they dislike there job they should be allowed on tax payers money to go back to college or whatever to gain the rights skills. But is university necessary? No. We need to focus on Apprenticeship schemes which get people the right job and generally after the Apprenticeship is over they end up with the job. If you work hard, you should get where you want to be in life.

I'd be more than happy to do a Apprenticeship rather than a Degree. Sadly I want to be a EMP (Emergency Medical practitioner) Therefore its a Foundation degree to become a Paramedic then a Masters to be a practitioner. 30 years ago I would of been able to just do a arpretiship scheme and have the right qualification for my medical career.

I think the system is fair 21k or over before you have to pay back, rather than 16k. So if you do not make it, you never pay it back. Do I agree that certain profession which end up with low paid jobs being fair? Not at all. Look at Nurses. Their make 21k and that's about it for a while. Paying back 30k worth of fee's is a lot. I'm half so Scottish so might go there for a year. End of the day everyone out to look after themselves, if you can reduce your fee's go for it.

My conclusion yes and no. Life isn't fair and us young people our paying your parents debts.

Please excuse the grammar and spelling issues. Iv only just got up and written English isn't my maiden language. Am English though lol.

[luce]

Well i live in Guernsey which is governed primarily by the UK but we still have to pay international fees because we're offshore and not in the EU which is a disgrace in itself. These changes may see my fees go down because of a rise in local ones so i wouldn't be complaining. But that aside i think that university should be exclusivised again and it shouldn't cost a lot to go. too many people (50%) are going another woeful legacy of the Tony Blair era.

[Conservative,]

I myself have been lectured by the President of NUS Scotland about this said issue. I am very opinionated on it, as I am both an English Student who has studied in an English University & a Scottish University. Firstly, the "up to" figure is the key word there, but the minimum I can realistically see happening for many academic institutions is £6000. This is not okay, not in any shape or form, I feel the enforcement of tuition fees in England & Wales is already totally out of order. Whilst I see the government and Universities need to charge for University Degrees, the increase is criminal. This is a Tory Governments ideal of making Degrees exclusive to the rich, and putting even more strain on students in families in both middle-class and lower class of the British society. I'm livid about it, and I believe the view of my students that I represent as an Executive member of a Student Union are in agreement that an increase of tuition fees is out of the question.

Who are the upcoming future generation who could govern, create and re-create the country, and also the world? Graduates. They are our future, and yet they are being penalised for trying to be the country's future. Putting a heightened price on degrees to justify a budget cut for many (possibly all) Universities in the UK, is not the way to encourage people to further education. It alienates a society, and I think the protests in London and around the country show that Students will not back down on the matter that they cannot afford this outrageous sum of money.

My closest issue to this however, is that what will happen if England increases their tuition fees to up to £9000? Where will the Students go? I'll tell you where: Scotland & Wales. English, Welsh & Northern Irish Students in Scotland only have to pay half of the current tuition fee, and Wales are planning to freeze their fee to the current value. What does that mean for both countries? It means Scottish Students will be pushed out of Universities, people who would've got to University now will not be able to go as of 2012. There will be a fight for places in Scotland, with English Talent overtaking Scottish Talent. It is not my business to guess how the Scottish Government would deal with this issue, however I would take it to favor the Scottish Students over the English Students, in any and every occasion.

International Students can pay £10k and more on their tuition fees if they wish to study in the UK. I've seen firsthand that Universities will always favor International Students because of this fact. Greedy fatcats, like the government, yet again ruining the future of so many potential inventors and talents of the world.

In short, no it should not be free as the country has to float, but the increase is uncalled for and will only make the country suffer further down the line. It's a quick fix that is draining the graduates of tomorrow.

If you asked me who I thought should contribute to Education more, I offer only this: Businesses offer nothing towards the Education Fund, yet companies like BP earn millions, billions and possibly trillions of pounds. No tax is imposed on them, and instead the working class are taxed. There is a very wrong picture in the UK, and it will only get worse if Tuition Fees get raised.

If you noticed that there is no mention of the Liberal Democrats, that is because I do not believe they should be in government & that a right to recall our votes for them, for false promises to push to abolish tuition fees.

You are really very ignorant. The MAXIMUM for tuition fees without extensive grants & pay schemes is £6,000. Not every University has raised theirs to £3,000 not every University will raise it to £6,000. Those that do will have to offer those scholarships, grants and whatnot for the poorer people.

The people who refuse to go because of this pay increase are ignorant as well. If they want to invest in their future, get a good job an actually do well in life, they have to pay this money to get them started. It's like putting money in a savings account - you pay in a bit, but then over time get it back + more.

And as others have said - degrees are not necessary for jobs now, but they were 30 years ago. We need to get back to those times. Degrees are supposed to represent someone who has dedicated extensive time and effort to their chosen subject, but now you can get degrees in "Golf Management" or "UFOs in American Society" (true ones). Why?! These are pointless - cut these back and maybe tuition fees won't have to rise, but with everyone going to Uni as you seem to want, the prices have to rise because it's so infeasible that people get cheap education for ridiculous courses.

your bolded comment "business offers nothing to education"...TAXES? Sheesh. Have common sense. Profit = Pay. Pay = Taxes. Taxes = Education, Health Service ect.

You are wrong is so many ways. The future is the people who are willing to invest in their future. If you are not willing to take out a student loan then you're not obviously not ready to invest in whatever career you wish to go into. Future business leaders, Presidents, Leaders will all be the ones willing to go and put themselves in the situation that they might not be happy with so that they get a better start to their careers.

£9,000 isn't a huge amount. As I've stated - look at the USA. Look at Asia. The tuition fees are 2 or 3 x this. So quit your complaining. £9,000 is the absolute maximum with grants having to be handed out if they put it up there. I suspect only Oxbridge will got that high - and good, I want to go to Cambridge, I don't want any old randomer coming in studying "Alien Physcology" or something pointless because it's cheap.

The problem with this all the students complaining have not checked the facts. They do not realise how lucky they are. They do not understand if they were in nearly any other part of the world this would be an every day thing - paying £10k+ for Uni. They do not realise that they're getting some of the best education in the world for some of the cheapest prices. And they do not realise that the public won't have sympathy for them if they go around smashing up Tory HQ because they're thugs and think it's how to go about things when they don't like it.

Tbh I think the student Unions need to grow up and realise life goes on.

Let be clear. I am a Labour supporter. And a formal running contender for the Labour party. As much as I hate the morals of the Conservative party as well as their partners the Cinderella party. Tutuion fee's need to rise for many reasons.

30 years ago University was free, a Degree guaranteed you a job. Going to Uni was a great achievement. Today getting a degree doesn't get you a job. We need to stop people getting higher level qualifications as just like Habbo only a certain amount of Habbo's can be at the top.

I believe everyone in life should do what they want to do, no one should be in a job they dislike. If they dislike there job they should be allowed on tax payers money to go back to college or whatever to gain the rights skills. But is university necessary? No. We need to focus on Apprenticeship schemes which get people the right job and generally after the Apprenticeship is over they end up with the job. If you work hard, you should get where you want to be in life.

I'd be more than happy to do a Apprenticeship rather than a Degree. Sadly I want to be a EMP (Emergency Medical practitioner) Therefore its a Foundation degree to become a Paramedic then a Masters to be a practitioner. 30 years ago I would of been able to just do a arpretiship scheme and have the right qualification for my medical career.

I think the system is fair 21k or over before you have to pay back, rather than 16k. So if you do not make it, you never pay it back. Do I agree that certain profession which end up with low paid jobs being fair? Not at all. Look at Nurses. Their make 21k and that's about it for a while. Paying back 30k worth of fee's is a lot. I'm half so Scottish so might go there for a year. End of the day everyone out to look after themselves, if you can reduce your fee's go for it.

My conclusion yes and no. Life isn't fair and us young people our paying your parents debts.

Please excuse the grammar and spelling issues. Iv only just got up and written English isn't my maiden language. Am English though lol.

Are you joking? I agree with most of your points but the bolded one is a completely ridiculous statement. People choose what job they do - they do not have to accept it and if they don't like it it's their fault for agreeing to do it in the first place. They should by no means be allowed to retrain for free - we'd get so many low-life badly paid workers signing up the country would make no profit - people would be retraining as doctors or w/e...then we'd have an over-load of unnecessary skilled workers and they'd just go on benefits. Then they'd complain about not having a job when they should've stayed in their old one.

[GommeInc]

Definitely not. Loads of people go to university doing lack luster degrees or real degrees and never use them. IF there was a low number of people doing Uni courses (real ones, not something silly like Equine Studies) then it would be a possibility, but it isn't with the large number of people wanting to get a degree due to the idea that somehow got around that you must have a degree under your arm to do anything in life. Besides, it's not alot to study in the United Kingdom compared to other countries, and someone I know who is American and studied in America wonders what all the fuss is about - if you need money, get a part-time job Not that you need one considering the low cost involved compared to elsewhere in the world.

[Sphut]

I don't think that it should be free but the fee is too high for some students who have a good prospective future ahead of them. I feel that the increase is just too high for me and I am having to think about whether it is worth the money or not. It also brings in alot of thought to the career ambitions and the future I want. Confusing!

[Ajthedragon]

What has to be remembered is that the University's must also show the money is being well spent, rather than just purely just to rip people off, which seems to be the image this new policy is being given.

What has to be remembered here is, the previous governments encouraged TOO many people to go to university and we now have a crumbling primary and secondary sectors as a consequence, as fewer enough people go for the less 'glamorous' jobs, in favour of in some cases, a degree in David Beckham. We don't need university courses, we need apprenticeships.

I think they should increase grade requirements, take less people on courses and the problem would be solved. Yes, some jobs would be lost, but what jobs are gained from people who graduate to end up working in a local co-op. Yes, some go on to do great things. Others do not.