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Well, that's the end of my smugness about...


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... cheap university in the UK. Scotland still has no university fees for residents (although I can't see that lasting) but it looks like England/Wales is going from around £3,000 per annum to up to £16,000 pa for the best universities and courses. That means preparing for that kind of fee if we want the boys to have a good choice of courses. We long ago decided that we would finance their undergraduate degrees; anything after that is for them to pay for.

 

Husband and I were talking this weekend, and I think - after spending the coming two years sorting out the house/garden and working on updating some skills whilst working part time - I'm going to look for a full time job. £16,000 pa is about the limit of my after-tax earning ability after all these years at home, so I'll be putting my entire income into university fees. I know that this is not unusual for many families, but we rather hoped that I could continue to spend a bit more time each week on making our lives more pleasant by managing the household. We already have savings to cover the boys' living expenses in term time; we'll expect them to work in the holidays/vacations. Oh well.

 

Laura

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That is a startling increase for which many families will be unable to plan if implemented immediately. I know that Britain is facing austerity measures, but it would seem that this particular one will significantly affect enrollment numbers. Will this really fly politically?

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That is a startling increase for which many families will be unable to plan if implemented immediately. I know that Britain is facing austerity measures, but it would seem that this particular one will significantly affect enrollment numbers. Will this really fly politically?

 

The government provides low-cost loans; there is also a proposal for a life-long 'graduate tax' instead, where if you choose free tuition, you have an extra percentage on your future income tax. The current government is preparing to make many radical cuts to balance the books; this is just one of them.

 

Laura

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Wow! So why was it so cheap before? Was it paid for by taxes? Does this mean that your government has stopped supporting education? I am always baffled by how little our government seems to value education. It seems assinine that such a foundational part of society is so neglected. I also am less than happy to see some how other countries have programs which encourage people to bring their inventions to their countries to be developped and manufactured, like Canada and Germany. So short-sighted.

-Nan

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Wow! So why was it so cheap before? Was it paid for by taxes? Does this mean that your government has stopped supporting education? I am always baffled by how little our government seems to value education. It seems assinine that such a foundational part of society is so neglected. I also am less than happy to see some how other countries have programs which encourage people to bring their inventions to their countries to be developped and manufactured, like Canada and Germany. So short-sighted.

-Nan

 

Even the famous ones like Oxford and Cambridge, and the fees were subsidised; there are very few privately-endowed scholarships. When I went to university, there were no fees and I received a non-repayable grant to live on. That is untenable now that so many more people go to university, and even more so in the current financial situation.

 

Laura

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Are there scholarships available? That is a huge offset to the high costs in the U.S.

 

Another factor driving the fees in the U.S., I think, is the vast availability of loan money. I think if we had to pay out of pocket, rather than float the cost, we'd see much different numbers in applications. Does the UK have much loan money? (Not that you'd want to use it. But if lots of others are using it, it can drive a higher-ed bubble.)

 

Lisa

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Are there scholarships available? That is a huge offset to the high costs in the U.S.

 

Another factor driving the fees in the U.S., I think, is the vast availability of loan money. I think if we had to pay out of pocket, rather than float the cost, we'd see much different numbers in applications. Does the UK have much loan money? (Not that you'd want to use it. But if lots of others are using it, it can drive a higher-ed bubble.)

 

Lisa

 

Because almost all the universities are publicly-financed through taxes, the assumption is that the government will control fees and provide loans as necessary.

 

Laura

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I see. We have similar problems here. I suppose it will be interesting to see how our two countries each deal with the problem, but it would be more interesting if we didn't have children we were trying to educate, I think. The curse of living in interesting times... It must be frustrating to have just missed the heavy public funding period. How many more years before Calvin goes?.

-Nan

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I see. We have similar problems here. I suppose it will be interesting to see how our two countries each deal with the problem, but it would be more interesting if we didn't have children we were trying to educate, I think. The curse of living in interesting times... It must be frustrating to have just missed the heavy public funding period. How many more years before Calvin goes?.

-Nan

 

He'll finish school at 17. He would like to take a gap year, however.

 

Laura

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I'm not sure how things compare to the USA, but if you were here, I'd recommend you not starting to accumulate money until after your child is enrolled. Working to pay of debt or pay forward on the house or something else wouldn't affect college, but if you have an accumulation of cash, you won't get any grants or lowered tuition here until that is spent. Crazy but true.

 

Julie

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I'm not sure how things compare to the USA, but if you were here, I'd recommend you not starting to accumulate money until after your child is enrolled. Working to pay of debt or pay forward on the house or something else wouldn't affect college, but if you have an accumulation of cash, you won't get any grants or lowered tuition here until that is spent. Crazy but true.

 

Julie

 

As far as I can see, it's based on income (and my husband's income would already put us beyond the level of any special aid) rather than savings, but it's a issue I'll research further. Thanks.

 

I won't be building up much in the way of savings by working anyway - I'll try to find full-time work in two years from now; Calvin will be going to university in four or five years. When he finishes, it will be Hobbes' turn.

 

Laura

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I wonder whether more people will choose to study abroad as a result, especially for undergrad. I'm hoping to talk my DDs into studying in South Africa. I think for professional programs and those aiming for academia it's cost-effective. The student loans I've heard kids graduating with here make me dizzy.

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