Value for money?

Mis-selling of degrees must end

THE DAMNING verdict of the National Audit Office on how some universities are “mis-selling” degrees to students, leaving many tens of thousands of pounds in debt but with qualifications of limited value, should provoke a reassessment of a tuition fee system which is failing to operate in the way it was intended.

When the Government introduced funding changes back in 2011, increasing tuition fees to between £6,000 and £9,000, it expected price competition to drive fees to an average of around £7,500.

But universities have instead fallen into a cycle of charging the maximum possible amounts, as they fear not doing so could suggest a degree is poor quality and therefore reduce demand for it. Last year, 87 of the top 90 English universities charged the maximum £9,000-a-year fees.

With no meaningful price competition, students are racking up ever-increasing debts while fewer than a third now feel their course offers value for money, compared with half of those asked the same question back in 2012. The situation is so bad that the NAO says if universities were banks they would be investigated for mis-selling.

Choosing a university course has lifelong implications for future career prospects, earnings and debt. Prospective students are simply not being given enough information to make educated decisions on what degree, if any, is best for them.

Once the newly formed regulator the Office for Students becomes fully operational in April, ensuring tuition fees properly tally with the quality of degrees must be a priority.