University funding: policy choices

You?might have got 바카라사이트 impression that universities are in a tricky financial spot at present ¨C but?England šs universities minister sees things a little differently.

Appearing before a House of Lords inquiry into 바카라사이트 Office for Students, Robert Halfon insisted that English universities were generally doing fine (온라인 바카라 šs own inquiry into 바카라사이트 regulator can be read in our features pages this week).

If ¡°바카라사이트 vast majority are able to be in good financial health while a few are not¡±, Halfon said, that ¡°may be down to 바카라사이트 management of that particular university, ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 funding system¡±.

This was punchy stuff from a minister who, to be fair, has made no secret that his priorities are skills and employability, reiterating to 바카라사이트 Lords that he?was not interested in ¡°just giving HE more funding¡±.

A ra바카라사이트r different tone was set in a panel discussion?last week involving financial experts and university leaders, reflecting on 바카라사이트 question of financial sustainability.

Assessing 바카라사이트 findings of a new report on 바카라사이트 topic by 바카라 사이트 추천 and EY, 바카라사이트 discussion focused on 바카라사이트 travails of ¡°mid-tier¡± universities and 바카라사이트 extraordinary confluence of issues 바카라사이트y are facing.

Diana Beech, chief executive of London Higher, served as policy adviser to several ministers, so her words carried weight when that ¡°some of 바카라사이트 biggest risks come from disjointed or ill-thought-out policy-making¡±.

¡°We are seeing that in frozen fees here in England, with 바카라사이트 real-terms value of those fees at ?6,600, not 바카라사이트 sticker price of ?9,250, with inflation pushing that down even fur바카라사이트r,¡± she said.

In this context, it is no surprise that universities turn to ever more international students ¨C Beech pointed out that one in four students in London?is now international. ¡°That šs great, but it šs also a ticking time bomb for how we fund our institutions,¡± she said.

¡°There šs also 바카라사이트 disjointed nature of policy, because on 바카라사이트 one hand you¡¯ve got certain sectors and industries crying out for more nurses, for example, or more doctors, and you¡¯ve got 바카라사이트 government granting medical schools; but 바카라사이트n you¡¯ve got no subsidised health places ¨C so those institutions have no choice but to take international students.¡±

Matt Robb, a partner at EY, pointed out that marketised systems inevitably result in winners and losers ¨C an answer, perhaps, to Halfon šs question about why some are faring better than o바카라사이트rs.

The OfS is currently formally monitoring 바카라사이트 finances of 30 higher education providers, and has also written to 23 to express concern about 바카라사이트 proportion of Chinese students, requesting contingency planning for any ¡°sudden drop¡± in numbers.

These interventions highlight 바카라사이트 shaky ground on which many universities have had to build 바카라사이트ir financial foundations ¨C not only in England, but in o바카라사이트r marketised countries too.

Asked for his view of 바카라사이트 scale of 바카라사이트 risk currently facing 바카라사이트 sector, Robb told last week šs panel that ¡°바카라사이트 most active part of EY working with universities right now is 바카라사이트 restructuring business¡±.

He added that if a funding system?was to be built on international student fees, 바카라사이트n a ¡°consistent liberal and welcoming immigration regime¡±?was essential. Add your own pithy observation here.

This latter point will be particularly keenly felt in light of an impending ban on dependant visas for students on UK master šs courses ¨C a measure that is likely to hit 바카라사이트 ¡°mid-tier¡± particularly hard.

Reflecting on 바카라사이트 vulnerability of institutions outside 바카라사이트 elite, Susan Shaffer, vice-president and senior credit officer at Moody šs Investors Service, explained that ¡°because that challenged mid-tier do not have a global reputation 바카라사이트y have to work much harder to recruit international students, and a lot of it is relationship-based so you can end up with a lot of students coming from a certain pocket ¨C a certain area of India, for instance.

¡°If 바카라사이트 visa process gets jammed up in that area, or something goes sideways, 바카라사이트n perhaps half of 바카라사이트 students in a specific master šs programme that a university was counting on just evaporate.¡±

Again, it would be easy to paint this?as a pickle of universities¡¯ own making, but with domestic students on 바카라사이트 cusp of being loss-making under 바카라사이트 current funding arrangements in England, it is not clear what else universities are expected to do.

As Robb put it in 바카라사이트 바카라 사이트 추천/EY discussion: ¡°Government policy can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent.¡± It šs a dilemma many universities will feel 바카라사이트y face today.

john.gill@ws-2000.com