18th June 2012 12:57
By Blue Tutors
Higher Fees Drive Students Abroad
HIGHER university tuition fees in the UK are prompting students to look overseas to continue their studies, according to a South Gloucestershire sixth form.
The Ridings' Federation of Academies Sixth Form says some of its students have turned down places at top British universities due to £9,000-a-year fees.
One, Kevin Schesser, received an offer from St Hilda's College, Oxford, to read Physics in September 2012 but the International Baccalaureate student decided to take a place at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in Germany instead.
He said: "Oxford is an internationally known institution, but I didn't feel the standard of the course offered justified the £9,000 tuition fee. I looked at the courses offered by foreign universities in great detail and found that I could gain an equally rich education at a far more reasonable price outside Britain."
Shelley Swift, who coordinates the International Baccalaureate programme at The Ridings' Federation of Academies Sixth Form, said: "In Kevin's case, his education here has given him the skill set to study abroad, and at a time when tuition fees are deterring students from British universities he has been given another option. However I believe it won't be long until students are actively demanding an experience at sixth form level that prepares them for an international education and career."
While it’s definitely a good thing that Kevin Schesser feels able to study in Germany, our lack of language skills as a nation often prevents many students from feeling as though they could study abroad in a non-English speaking environment. Although some European universities do have English as their primary teaching language there are far more who do not.
At least with an Oxford degree under his belt for £9,000/year Kevin would have had an internationally prestigious university on his CV. How can that be quantified? Students need to weigh up the name of the university as well as it’s course content as part of its value for money.