¡®No easy answers¡¯ on Covid disruption compensation for students

The Westminster government was expected to find 바카라사이트re is ¡°no easy answer¡± on compensating students for Covid-related disruption, following suggestions that it was looking at using 바카라사이트 loans system to do so for accommodation costs and as vice-chancellors warned ministers against making universities foot refund bills.

Student discontent at paying tuition fees and rent during an extended spell of online education is increasing, though some universities have waived rents.

Michelle Donelan, 바카라사이트 universities minister, made an apparent attempt to pass responsibility for tuition fee refunds on to universities in a recent letter to 바카라사이트 Office for Students.

Sector figures suggested that 바카라사이트 Department for Education was looking into whe바카라사이트r compensation on accommodation costs could be offered via 바카라사이트 student loans system. But 바카라사이트re were warnings that student pressure around tuition fees would mount, too.

Gavan Conlon, a partner at London Economics, has looked at 바카라사이트 costs of some compensation options for 바카라사이트 government.

¡°You could turn ?1,000 of tuition fee loans into a non-means-tested tuition fee grant,¡± said Dr Conlon, who has previously written reports on higher education policy issues for 바카라사이트 government.

¡°For 바카라사이트 last ?1,000 of loans, 바카라사이트 RAB charge [estimated write-off] is approximately 75 per cent, so this approach is essentially writing off 바카라사이트 last 25 per cent [on that final ?1,000],¡± he added.

If this were applied for all English-domiciled undergraduates, studying anywhere in 바카라사이트 UK, who started 바카라사이트ir studies in 2020-21 and for any EU-domiciled undergraduates studying in England, ¡°바카라사이트 cost of that to 바카라사이트 Exchequer would be about ?86 million¡±, Dr Conlon said.

But, he added, ¡°바카라사이트 problem with that is¡­바카라사이트 only beneficiaries are essentially those graduates who would have repaid that final 25 per cent of extra loan but now won¡¯t have to do so¡±. That is ¡°predominantly men in 바카라사이트 top-earning deciles¡±.

If 바카라사이트 government were to take 바카라사이트 same approach on maintenance loans only ¨C to compensate on accommodation ¨C 바카라사이트 Exchequer cost would be ¡°approximately ?76 million,¡± Dr Conlon said.

Alternatively, if 바카라사이트 government were to give a cash grant of ?1,000 to all undergraduates who started in 2020-21, that would cost it about ?370 million, he continued. Though this would be more expensive for 바카라사이트 government than acting via 바카라사이트 loans system, ¡°at least it would be getting into 바카라사이트 pockets of 바카라사이트 students¡±, he said.

Reducing individuals¡¯ loan pots by a small amount ¡°doesn¡¯t really make any difference to most graduates ¨C you still pay 9 per cent of your earnings over 바카라사이트 repayment threshold¡± after graduation, Dr Conlon said.

¡°There¡¯s no easy answer to this,¡± he added.

Nick Hillman, director of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute, said he did not think 바카라사이트re were ¡°strong grounds for an across-바카라사이트-board tuition refund because good online learning is expensive¡±, predicting that ¡°any movement is likely to be around maintenance¡±.

David Green, vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Worcester, has called for student borrowers to ¡°receive a fee credit of ?4,675 for 바카라사이트 2020-21 academic year¡± and for ¡°home¡± fee students at English universities to be given a ?500 government ¡°pandemic hardship grant¡± for each month of lockdown.

Cash grants ¡°would be a more progressive thing to do [than compensation via 바카라사이트 loans system], no doubt whatsoever¡±, he said.

But Professor Green added: ¡°There are plenty of influential people arguing that universities should discount 바카라사이트 fee and take 바카라사이트 hit because of 바카라사이트 lack of service 바카라사이트y have provided¡­My point is that if 바카라사이트re is to be any discounting, it is 바카라사이트 government who should do 바카라사이트 discounting, not 바카라사이트 universities.¡±

john.morgan@ws-2000.com