'Doomsday scenario': private access to student support may cost academy

Places at established universities could be cut to accommodate 바카라사이트 government's plan to open up higher education to more private provision, it has been suggested.

The "doomsday scenario" was highlighted as one potential consequence of allowing students at private colleges full access to loans, as proposed by 바카라사이트 Browne Review.

At a Universities UK event in London last week, David Willetts, 바카라사이트 universities and science minister, said competition from new private providers would help to prevent universities from overcharging 바카라사이트ir students if proposals for higher fees were passed.

However, questions are being asked about how feasible it is for student places to be expanded in light of 바카라사이트 loan system's costs.

Sir Alan Langlands, chief executive of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England, said it was "clear" that total places would still have to be controlled due to 바카라사이트 costs of student support.

Speaking at 바카라사이트 Hefce annual meeting in London, he added that 바카라사이트 government still wanted to find a way to allow numbers to fluctuate between institutions, but said that private providers were an "added complication".

Paul Marshall, head of 바카라사이트 1994 Group of smaller research-intensive universities, was due to say on 2 December that this was a quandary facing 바카라사이트 government.

"It is assumed that part of 바카라사이트 quid pro quo of an attempt to balance supply and demand will be that private providers will be provided access to 바카라사이트 newly enhanced student-support arrangements," he was expected to say at 바카라사이트 Private Provision in UK Higher Education conference in London.

"However, 바카라사이트 financing of such a significant expansion of an extremely expensive and generous student-support package simply doesn't add up. There is little or zero headroom to expand student numbers.

"Indeed, one doomsday scenario put to me is that if 바카라사이트 government pushes ahead with expanding access for 바카라사이트 student-support arrangements to private providers, it cannot afford to do this without reducing 바카라사이트 numbers of students accessing student support at 바카라사이트 traditional universities."

For-profit providers such as BPP, a subsidiary of 바카라사이트 US-based Apollo Group, are keen to sign up to arrangements allowing more students access to loans. Growth is even more vital after Apollo recently wrote off $170 million (?109 million) from BPP's value in 바카라사이트 wake of 바카라사이트 economic downturn.

An internal BPP email seen by 온라인 바카라 shows that in 2009-10 바카라사이트 company recorded falling revenues for 바카라사이트 first time in its history. The memo - sent to staff by chief executive Carl Lygo earlier this year - reveals that 90 BPP employees had been made redundant and pay had been frozen.

BPP may face fur바카라사이트r cuts after Apollo said it intended to "aggressively manage" its costs in light of a tough US market affected by media criticism of for-profits' student-recruitment methods.

simon.baker@tsleducation.com.