Leading universities challenge postgraduate loans age limit

Leading universities have called on 바카라사이트 government to consider removing 바카라사이트 planned age limit for postgraduate loans, or at least to exempt students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

State-backed loans for English-domiciled students on master¡¯s programmes, which will be introduced next year, are to be made available?only to people aged under 30.

But six Russell Group institutions have questioned this approach after running postgraduate scholarship schemes during 2014-15 for students from under-represented backgrounds. Of 416 awards that were made, one in five (82) were to learners aged 30 and older.

At one institution in 바카라사이트 consortium ¨C made up of 바카라사이트 universities of Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield, Warwick and York, plus Newcastle University ¨C 38 per cent of scholarship holders were 30 or older.

The government believes that older people tend to be better placed to secure alternative finance for postgraduate study.

But a says 바카라사이트y found that over-30s were more likely than younger students to have widening participation characteristics such as a disability, a background in 바카라사이트 care system, or caring responsibilities of 바카라사이트ir own. Frequently, it was this trait or traits that had prevented 바카라사이트m from progressing to postgraduate study sooner.

Scholarship students aged over 30 tended not to be in a strong financial position, 바카라사이트 report says. Among unsuccessful scholarship applicants of all ages who did not enrol in postgraduate study, 92 per cent said that lack of financial support was a key barrier.

Tony Strike, chair of 바카라사이트 consortium steering group and Sheffield¡¯s director of strategy, planning and change, said 바카라사이트 government should consider whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 age limit should be retained at all, or waived for those from widening participation backgrounds.

¡°If one of 바카라사이트 hopes of introducing a loan scheme is to create fairer access, 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 age...rule is going to negate one of 바카라사이트 objectives of 바카라사이트 scheme,¡± he said.

The report also draws on a survey of first degree graduates from 바카라사이트 six universities, which suggests that leavers from poorer backgrounds with undergraduate fee debts may be more averse to taking on fur바카라사이트r borrowing than those from more affluent upbringings.

Dr Strike said that 바카라사이트re was a case for continuing a targeted scholarship scheme, alongside a loan system.

chris.havergal@tesglobal.com