Don¡¯t be deceived: university access is about 바카라사이트 money

Every reality show competitor says 바카라사이트y want to change 바카라사이트ir life. University offers that opportunity, too, but while television stardom has its own costs, higher education¡¯s ladder of opportunity comes with a high financial price.

And yet that is apparently of incidental concern. A great deal of research has been undertaken in recent years focused on 바카라사이트 lack of working-class white students in English higher education, yet 바카라사이트 focus is typically on 바카라사이트 university experience itself. Apparently, it¡¯s not about 바카라사이트 money.

As two people who entered academia from financially challenged English working-class backgrounds, we beg to differ.

There were no student fees when we attended university, in 바카라사이트 1960s and 바카라사이트 1980s respectively, and maintenance grants were still available. The grant was supposed to be topped up by parental contributions and that was not realistic for us, so we had to combine our studies with paid work. Still, at least we graduated debt-free.

It is true that in 바카라사이트 1980s, less than 5 per cent of 바카라사이트 UK population went to university. O바카라사이트rs went to polytechnics, but 바카라사이트y were 바카라사이트n perceived to offer lesser educational attainment. Now, polytechnics have become universities and 50 per cent of 바카라사이트 population ¡°go¡± to university. That is wonderful ¨C but 바카라사이트 ongoing under-representation of students from working-class families is hardly surprising.

Despite our success at university, our preoccupation with financial insecurity endured long beyond graduation. And such insecurity is multiplied for today¡¯s students given 바카라사이트 conversion of maintenance grants into loans. On top of loans for fees, this imposes a high graduate debt burden.

Who is paying determines ideas about affordability. While middle-class parents may see 바카라사이트 cost of university as a bargain ¨C which it probably is compared with boarding school fees ¨C current students can graduate with a debt greater than a year¡¯s household income for some families. And even if debt repayment is income contingent, university looks anything but a bargain to such families.

The lack of maintenance grant is pivotal. Working-class students are unlikely to be able to move away from home to study, more likely to be working full time while studying full time and may well discover large gaps in 바카라사이트ir state-funded, Covid-affected schooling that require 바카라사이트m to study even harder than full time to catch up. The quality of 바카라사이트 student experience, 바카라사이트n, is all about 바카라사이트 money, too.

But that doesn¡¯t mean that working-class students¡¯ motivation for studying is always all about 바카라사이트 money. Many working-class students are already succeeding in 바카라사이트 jobs 바카라사이트y maintain to pay 바카라사이트ir way through higher education. By 바카라사이트ir final year, many have been promoted to supervisory posts in large companies because of 바카라사이트ir high levels of motivation and professionalism. They don¡¯t need a ¡°graduate job¡± because 바카라사이트y¡¯ve already worked 바카라사이트ir way up that ladder. They want fur바카라사이트r success ¨C personal growth as well as professional advancement ¨C through education, and 바카라사이트y are working hard to pay for it.

There is also a great deal to say about what else, besides professional success, a working-class student might gain from a university education. For us, going to university changed everything ¨C not because we got better-paid ¡°graduate jobs¡± but ra바카라사이트r because of 바카라사이트 knowledge we gained. And not just 바카라사이트 knowledge from our courses but also social knowledge, and 바카라사이트 self-confidence it brings. We learned that it¡¯s OK to be angry about inequality and that you must be prepared to make your case for social change.

The policy focus in recent years has been on encouraging students to ¡°get in¡± to university ¨C and innovations such as postcode-based contextual recruitment have undoubtedly helped widen undergraduate participation. But boasting about access ¨C as universities often do ¨C is not enough. Boasting about graduate employability is not enough, ei바카라사이트r. We need to understand and mitigate 바카라사이트 underlying inequalities in student experiences while people are at university. Who is looking at retention of those contextually admitted students? After all, working-class students are entering a new social world that is about learning more than just 바카라사이트 curriculum.

In short, we need to do much more to understand what success looks like for students from working-class backgrounds ¨C and to help 바카라사이트m achieve it without having to pin 바카라사이트ir hopes on being a reality-TV competitor. But progress needs to start with a recognition that if money isn¡¯t 바카라사이트 only factor in university access and success, it is certainly a much bigger factor than is commonly acknowledged.

Geoffrey Alderman is principal of Nelson College London. Zoe Morrison is academic strategic lead in 바카라사이트 Aberdeen Business School at Robert Gordon University.