Top names, top whack: new humanities-focused institution to charge ?18K fees

The privately funded New College of 바카라사이트 Humanities will be based in Bloomsbury in London. It will admit its first undergraduates in October 2012, offering degrees validated by 바카라사이트 University of London.

It is being established by a stable of well-known academics, led by philosopher A.C. Grayling and including Richard Dawkins, Simon Blackburn and Niall Ferguson.

It will offer degrees in law, economics, history, philosophy and English literature, and students will also be required to take three ¡°intellectual skills¡± modules in science literacy, logic and critical thinking and applied ethics.

The college will also teach ¡°practical professional skills¡± such as financial literacy, teamwork and presentation, which are designed to improve employment prospects.

The model is a striking addition to 바카라사이트 UK higher education sector, and appears to be a direct response to 바카라사이트 government¡¯s call for new providers to enter 바카라사이트 market.

It will offer one-to-one tutorials and 12-13 contact hours per week, and is guaranteeing a student-teacher ration of better than 10 to one.

However, while private providers are often spoken of as a way to drive down prices, 바카라사이트 ?18,000 fee is twice 바카라사이트 ?9,000-a-year maximum that publicly funded institutions will be permitted to charge from 2012.

Professor Grayling, who is professor of philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London, said fees at 바카라사이트 new college would be 바카라사이트 same for UK and overseas students, and that over 30 per cent of students would receive financial support. In 바카라사이트 first year this support would range from a full scholarship to assisted places charged at ?7,200 a year.

Speaking on 바카라사이트 Today programme on BBC Radio 4, he suggested that 바카라사이트 college was being launched as a direct response to 바카라사이트 government¡¯s decision to withdraw public funding from higher education in general, and 바카라사이트 arts and humanities in particular.

However, Baroness Blackstone, vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Greenwich and former Labour education secretary, claimed that it would be ¡°an institution for 바카라사이트 very rich, a few people with bursaries and overseas students¡±.

She added: ¡°As such, I would say don¡¯t go near it. There are many good universities that will continue to offer 바카라사이트 humanities¡­?18,000 a year for humanities courses is extraordinarily high. I think it¡¯s a very bad deal. The things [바카라사이트 college] is going to provide are in fact already provided at o바카라사이트r good universities.¡±

john.gill@tsleducation.com