UEA students march last year to the vice-chancellor's office to protest about higher education cuts and fees increases.
EXCLUSIVE: University of East Anglia announces £9,000-a-year tuition fees
Steve Downes, Education Correspondent
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
6:03 PM
The University of East Anglia (UEA) today said that it wants to charge the maximum £9,000 per year in tuition fees from September 2012.
UEA vice-chancellor Prof Edward Acton.In an exclusive interview ahead of the official announcement, UEA vice-chancellor Prof Edward Acton said there had been “acute soul-searching” about the potential of the fees putting people off university.
But, with more than 50 other leading universities also pitching some or all of their fees at the highest level, he said it was necessary to enable UEA to maintain and “push on from” its position in the top 20 of Britain’s higher education institutions.
All of the proposals have to go to Offa for approval. The organisation has the power to limit fees levels if universities are not doing enough to widen access to higher education among poorer students.
UEA said its proposals, which include up to £3,000 a year off fees for young people from low-income backgrounds, could see almost one-third of new undergraduates benefiting from “some form of financial support” to cut their fees.
The University of East Anglia (UEA).Prof Acton said it was essential for UEA to protect and enhance its student experience and quality of education.
He said: “Everything’s becoming very competitive. If we want to ensure that UEA is one of the research intensive leaders and plays a dynamic regional role your ambitions have to be upwards.
“Even £9,000 isn’t really enough. But part of the gap is aspirational. We would like to spend even more on improving the employability of our students.
“There has been some very acute soul-searching in terms of the risk that we will frighten off families who will believe headlines that are a little bit misleading about what it means.”
● To read the full story, including an in-depth interview with UEA vice-chancellor Prof Edward Acton, don’t miss Wednesday’s EDP.
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17 comments
The loans are not free, they are paid back with interest. The sting in the tail is that now almost all universities, even the newest formed from FEs are charging 9K there is rumbling that student numbers will HAVE to be cut because the Student Loan Company wont have the funding to make the loans. So £27k+£15K to live on - that's a nasty debt , made worse by the repayment terms-and the result will be reduced student places available . This is a terrible policy, either stupidity or privatisation by the back door. As most PGCEs appear to be £9k for the courses-except secondary Maths science and foreign language-could we see a teacher shortage in the future? As for the UEA, I don't think I am alone in thinking that its popularity over some universities owes not a little to being in a nice place rather than some nasty urban conurbation and is not entirely down to its academic excellence..
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Daisy Roots
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Kempster: typing lessons, yes! I'm hopeless. And I didn't go to Uni 'til I was a 'mature' student... as mature as I was ever likely to be, that is (cue... Albert Cooper) :-)
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martin wallis
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
martin wallis - Maybe typing lessons then. I envy you, a fresher in '76-'79, a change in careers and retired already. I must be doing something wrong.
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Kempster
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
CB - The taxpayers is funding more now. You will be funding students £27,000 for a 3 year course instead of £9,000. Where do you think the loans are coming from?
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Jono Read
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
why shouldn't students pay £9k fees?! It means that only people serious about further education will consider going to university, instead of the tax payer supplimenting those who waste the experience....UEA should be setting its fees in line with other Universities, there is no reason why we shouldn't.
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CB
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Kempster. Thank you for that. As a retired editor and translator I think I can cope without English lessons from... you.
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martin wallis
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
@ Fry 'Ridiculous. UEA is no way worth £9000 a year'. Why is that?
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Debagio
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
martin wallis - I think a few lessons from the English Department may help you!
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Kempster
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
chasbox " a "Ratner" institution indeed" - maybe in the English department old bean, but certainly not in Dev. and Env. either when I was a little fresher (1976-79) or indeed now: both faculties rightfully enjoyed then and enjoy now world-class repute. The £9kyear fiasco was utterly predictable. Mr two-brains Willets knows that...
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martin wallis
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
I don't agree with Fry. UEA's "worth" will be defined by the amount of students that enrole when the fees become operational. I do not believe UEA had a choice, as is the case for all the top twenty.
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cat_a_wall
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
I agree with Fry.
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Disgusted of Norwich South
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
I graduated from UEA and had a fantastic three years there. I visited mates are lots of different universities and was very happy with my choice. Whilst disappointing to see they have been forced to charge the full amount I think they've been left with little choice by the horrific cuts. Since they are now ranked in the top 20 in UK, I don't think this announcement of charging full fees comes as any great surprise in truth.
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Dave F
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
I think there will be a great deal of unease amongst university lecturers when these new fees come into effect. If they try giving sub standard tuition or only spending a few hours on lectures a week to students paying £9K a term - then they will know what it feels like to be on the other end of a student revolt. Rather ironically now universities are worried about students being put off by misleading headlines. Forgive me please; but they were the very people who were stirring the pot for all they were worth when the hike in fees were first announced.
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BG
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
I think we're due an apology from the Lib Dems who reassured students £9,000 fees would be the "exception not the rule". No university wants to be seen as second class, they will not want to charge any less. The fact is they need to charge at least £8,000 to balance out the cuts made to higher education.
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Jono Read
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Ridiculous. UEA is no way worth £9000 a year.
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Fry
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Not a comment but a quote from the article. Even £9,000 isn’t really enough. But part of the gap is aspirational. We would like to spend even more on improving the employability of our students
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Capri
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
From my experience of five years of UEA teaching in the once iconic but now sadly depleted English department, I can say that the UEA's poor lecturing performances since the turn of century mean it does not deserve to charge the full amount for anything, let alone education; a "Ratner" institution indeed.
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chasboz
Tuesday, April 19, 2011