21st February 2017 1:00
By Blue Tutors
In a response to the recent increases in student debt from sharp rises in tuition fees, the government is contemplating introducing ‘fast-track’ degrees to remove one year’s living cost, which can add up to over £12,000 a year on average, and allow graduates to enter the workforce earlier. However, students will not save on fees, with the total price of teaching remaining the same, leaving annual fee increased up to £14,000.
Some argue that despite this, the shorter course will make university study more accessible and attractive to groups from disadvantaged backgrounds or mature students returning to study. Others feel it will only widen the gap between rich and poor in UK education with two separate systems for those who can and those who cannot afford the three years.
This would leave UK fees, already amongst the highest fees in the world, higher than even US state university fees. There is some concern over damage to the reputation of UK academic qualifications, which at three years for an undergraduate are already shorter than almost other countries with four or five year first degrees. Many questions whether the quality and content can be maintained with such a short teaching time. However, some students see a more intense schedule as a positive; there are concerns, particularly amongst those on arts and humanities degree courses, that contact hours are often lacking, sometimes only a few hours a week, leaving space for a more intense schedule with less extensive holidays.
However desirable, the change would be a significant challenge for Universities, who would have to provide additional teaching time and resources each year for no overall increase in fees. University lecturers would be expected to commit increasing amounts of time to teaching, which is often in direct conflict with research and therefore career progression. The Russel Group universities have said that while the greater degree of flexibility in fees is welcome, great care needs to be taken to ensure the changes do not "negatively affect student learning or compromise the overall undergraduate experience".