Last Wednesday afternoon (a matter of hours after last week’s Digest went to press) BIS released its grant letter to HEFCE, confirming funding allocations and highlighting government priorities for HE for the year. This year the sector faces the implementation of the new financial and funding arrangements, so the grant reflects more funding coming ‘direct’ from students for tuition fees. HEFCE point out that the “ring-fenced settlement for science and research means that we will be able to maintain overall funding for research at the same cash levels as for 2011-12”. In addition they note that institutions will find out their individual allocations on 22nd March.
The letter covers a wide range of issues, with the Times Higher choosing to focus on measures to avoid the over-recruitment of students by universities. It highlights the section that says there has been a “recent trend of strong recruitment across the sector” and that “As a result, we are now asking the council to reduce its entrant control maximum by 5,000 places in 2012-13. This brings it in line with our original spending plans and reduces the risk of over recruitment.” However, the NUS said that, coupled with the letter’s confirmation that the 10,000 extra “stimulus” places allocated in 2011-12 would not be repeated; this represented an “incredibly short-sighted” cut of 15,000 places. The letter also makes clear that the fine for over-recruitment will increase in the coming years, from the £3,800 per student set for 2012-13, the Telegraph reports.
Pam Tatlow, Chief Executive of think-tank Million+ said that while they “welcome the Government’s commitment to monitor the impact of the mini-market in AAB students… the reduction in the total number of student places available in 2012-13 by 15,000 is likely to dash the aspirations and ambitions of many well-qualified applicants”. The UCU general secretary Sally Hunt said that “'The government's university funding plans are a dangerous experiment untried anywhere else in the world that could well be disastrous for our universities”.
In other parts of the letter BIS describe their intention to review postgraduate participation, and detail the work HEFCE are doing on improving efficiency, social mobility and enhancing the student experience. There’s precious little on Sustainability though (see if you can find it!).