Parliamentary briefing: higher education reform consultation

Last updated on Tuesday 20 Dec 2022 at 10:27pm

Our parliamentary briefing outlines our response to the government’s consultation on higher education reforms.

Student number controls would have an adverse impact on government objectives such as levelling up with a lack of flexibility in responding to future skills needs. It would also adversely impact student choice and aspiration as well as disproportionately affecting those from non-traditional or disadvantaged backgrounds.
Minimum entry requirements will place restrictions on student choice for those from non-traditional or disadvantaged backgrounds, create unintended consequences for government objectives such as levelling up and affect universities’ abilities to assess whether a student is qualified to enter higher education.
A reduction in the fees for foundation years would create difficulties for some universities to meet their costs in funding provision and disproportionately impact those students who need support to succeed in higher education.
A national student scholarship scheme is welcome, if it provides students with a freedom of choice and is targeted at disadvantaged individuals who have the potential to succeed in higher education, but who may not have had sufficient opportunity pre-higher education.

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