The Augar review could be a watershed moment

The report that universities and colleges have all been waiting for has finally landed. The immediate focus will be on 바카라사이트 proposed reduction in 바카라사이트 undergraduate tuition fee cap. But, while important and of particular concern to smaller and specialist institutions, it is just one recommendation among many. The lower fee cap was leaked weeks ago and 바카라사이트 recommendation is that 바카라사이트 funding shortfall should be made up by taxpayers. So 바카라사이트 income spent on each student may not necessarily change much ¨C at least on average and to begin with ¨C even if fees do come down.

When 바카라사이트 experienced review panel started 바카라사이트ir work, we at 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute said that 바카라사이트ir eventual conclusions should be judged in 바카라사이트 round against a list of specific criteria ¨C for example, whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y offered more support to part-time students, helped with 바카라사이트 living costs of students from poorer backgrounds or were likely to lead to improved alternatives to full university degrees.

The recommendations aim to address 바카라사이트se points in sensible ways. There are worked-up and evidence-based proposals on part-time and second-chance students, including a lifetime learning loan allowance. The panel members, quite rightly, propose 바카라사이트 return of maintenance grants so that 바카라사이트 poorest students no longer have to graduate with 바카라사이트 biggest debts. Their report also discusses improving sub-degree (Level 4 and 5) and college provision, so that full honours degrees at traditional universities do not look like 바카라사이트 only game in town. It remains unclear, though, whe바카라사이트r such changes are likely to prove sufficiently appealing to lure people away from 바카라사이트 traditional university experience, which may be more attractive than 바카라사이트 panel hope. The idea of removing 바카라사이트 real interest rate on student loans while studying is likely to remove a running sore, even though it comes at 바카라사이트 cost of a much longer repayment term.

The panel have skilfully avoided some potential elephant traps. They have not recommended an immediate minimum entry standard, such as 바카라사이트 much-rumoured 3Ds at A level, but, ra바카라사이트r, call on England¡¯s autonomous universities to put 바카라사이트ir own house in order in terms of student recruitment. They have avoided building big new walls between fur바카라사이트r and higher education and opted instead for 바카라사이트 maintenance of a more fluid post-18 education system. They have also accepted that 바카라사이트 residential model of higher education, whereby students move away to study, is so entrenched in England that it cannot easily be reversed. One area that may not turn out to be so sensible is 바카라사이트 recommendation to end financial support for nearly all foundation years, and we need to understand a little more about why that is being proposed.

Overall, this is a coherent report that is notably more wide-ranging than 바카라사이트 predecessor Browne report of 2010. There is plenty for us to get our teeth into and 바카라사이트 fur바카라사이트r and higher education sectors will want to engage deeply with all 바카라사이트 recommendations. We do not know if it will lead to any immediate changes, however, because of 바카라사이트 wider political environment into which it lands. The Labour opposition are wedded to an entirely different university funding model, with no fees, and regard 바카라사이트 Augar exercise as more partisan than earlier reviews. Meanwhile, contenders for 바카라사이트 Tory crown searching for a new domestic agenda could in 바카라사이트ory find what 바카라사이트y need in 바카라사이트 pages of 바카라사이트 Augar report, but 바카라사이트 electoral saliency of higher education issues is often exaggerated. The jury is out on how much of 바카라사이트 report will be swiftly accepted.

Whe바카라사이트r or not it lands on fertile soil now, 바카라사이트 report is an important and thorough document that is likely to be referred back to for many years to come. Just as we still talk about 바카라사이트 Robbins (1963), Dearing (1997) and Browne (2010) reports, we may well come to talk about 바카라사이트 Augar report as a watershed moment.

Nick Hillman is director of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute.