New 1994 Group Report proposes solutions to the PGT ‘funding crisis’
New 1994 Group Report proposes solutions to the PGT ‘funding crisis’
The 1994 has released a report which focuses on the health of taught postgraduate courses (there after ‘postgraduate education’, as distinct from postgraduate research). Although the number of students taking taught postgraduate courses has risen over the last decade, this masks a number of concerning factors:
- This increase is to a large extent driven by increasing numbers of studentsfrom outside the UK
- The vast majority of students are self-nancing
- The system of support through Professional and Career Development Loans is awed, with many students unable to access or afford these loans
- Postgraduate qualications are increasingly important for career development in business and the professsions.
Collectively, this raises what the Government’s adviser on social mobility has called a ‘social mobility timebomb’, with students from disadvantaged back-grounds unable to access postgraduate courses which are increasingly importantfor career development.
We are approaching an important juncture, when those students liable for un-dergraduate tuition fees of up to £9,000 a year will graduate. The implication of students graduating with this level of debt for postgraduate study is uncertain, but makes a long-term funding solution all the more pressing.
In addition to laying out the challenges facing the sector, therefore, we will also publish a series of annexes over the coming weeks exploring options to increase the availability of funding, including loans, for taught postgraduate study.
link to report
link to annex1
