subject: Rising Tuition Fees May Result In Mass Student Exodus [print this page] Rising Tuition Fees May Result In Mass Student Exodus
Rising tuition fees and their effects has been a hot topic over recent months, with many students, parents, and university bodies expressing increasing concerns as to the long term effects of rising education costs.
Many onlookers foresee a sharp decline in university numbers as a result of an inherent inability to afford the new university costs, with some institutions demanding up to 9,000 per year. However, few banked on the pragmatism of school leavers, and their ability to escape the climbing costs of further education.
While tuition fees may be set to increase in England and Wales, some students have found a way to bypass such price hikes by studying abroad. A story in Sunday's Observer newspaper details the decision of one young student whose decision to complete her degree in Maastricht was based primarily on the massively reduced cost of tuition.
It may be that, as a direct result of unattractive pricing structures within the UK education system, British universities are priced out of the game by international alternatives. A generation of school leavers may be enticed away from familiar locations by the chance to save a great deal of money during their studies.
Although there are a variety of scholarship, bursary and loan options available to students from lower income families, the idea of paying considerably less initially may draw the attention of pupils and parents to the continent.
Furthermore, for many students in England and Wales, destinations such as the Netherlands are not a million miles away; far from it. In fact, for the student studying in Maastricht, the chosen location was closer to home than all the universities in Scotland which have historically been popular amongst students south of the border.
So, it may be that we start to see an academic exodus of those looking for viable alternatives to the expensive options available at home. With the top universities such as Oxford and Cambridge amongst those expected to charge top rate prices, the students from private schools in Scotland, England and Wales on whom they rely may find more cost-effective equivalents elsewhere.
