24 October 2014 
Matt Sisson, Projects and Membership Manager
Early applications for university dentistry, medical, veterinary courses, and for Oxbridge are down 5% this year according to UCAS statistics. This equates to 2,020 fewer applications than in 2014. Applications from the EU and International Students for the same courses are up 2% so far.
The Institute of Economic Affairs has published a report calling for the end of the current loan system, replacing it with a 'levy on future earnings', paid back directly to the university. The BBC reports that the proposals could "improve value for money for students, because, with a direct interest in the future income of their students, universities would invest time and money in helping them do well in the jobs market." Million+ is opposed to the idea, saying that "Higher education provides a range of benefits for society and the economy beyond the earnings of individuals. It is right that taxpayers have a significant stake in what universities do and that the state should be the lender for students". The report's author, Peter Ainsworth, defends the report with an article in the Guardian.
The HE sector in Northern Ireland is facing cuts of up to 15%, and may have to reduce undergraduate places in order to cope, according to an article in the THE. The paper reports that "Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Ulster have already been forced to make multi-million pound savings during this financial year and now face further reductions because the executive’s failure to strike a deal on implementing welfare reforms continues to cost it dearly".
A new report from the Institute of Fiscal Studies suggests that cuts to the National Scholarship Programme will exacerbate the disparities in student support offered by different universities. The average amount of financial support offered to students from poorer backgrounds has also dropped 7% for the 2014 cohort compared to the year before. The report says that "as the NSP is to be abolished from 2015 onwards, the ability and obligation of less research-intensive universities to provide financial support will be diminished. The most likely outcome is therefore that financial support will become even more focused on highly-qualified entrants who study at research-intensive universities".
The Guardian reports that student borrowing in Scotland has jumped 69% in a year to £430million. The average student debt was £5,020, but the heaviest burden was "being carried by the poorest students after ministers cut overall spending on grants for living costs from £53m to £36m last year. The average loans taken out by students from the lowest income families averaged out at £5,610 a year, compared to £4,340 for students from better off homes".
University Alliance has appointed a new Chief Executive, Maddalaine Ansell, who will take up the post in the new year. She formerly held a number of appointments in BIS, the Home Office, and with the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit. She also worked on the HE White Paper for the then Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts. Steve West, University of the West of England vice-chancellor and University Alliance chair, said that with Ms Ansell at the helm the group would “deliver an ambitious and transformational agenda for our innovative and entrepreneurial universities over the next five years”.
Our Job of the Week for this week is for a Planning Analyst at the University of West London. All other vacancies are listed on the BUFDG jobs page. In addition, APUC have vacancies for a number of Procurement Managers. Details can be found on the APUC website.
