Universities that wish to charge a figure of more than £6,000 per year may have to answer to the government’s newly appointed director of the Office for Fair Access, Professor Ebdon.
The proposal sees universities entering into a contract with Prof Ebdon, outlining their support packages for students and also defining how they can appeal to undergraduates from lower incomes and disadvantaged backgrounds.
However, David Willetts, the universities minister, argued that the move from the ‘draconian’ director was unlikely to be implemented;
"We recognise that we inherited a framework of legislation in which there is this draconian power of refusing to admit a university to charge above £6,000.
"The exercise of that draconian power could be a real blow to the finances of the university. It's not a power that anyone would particularly like to exercise."
The low numbers of students from poorer income brackets entering into Oxbridge was highlighted yesterday by Business secretary Vince Cable;
He said: "Pupils from independent schools are 55 times more likely to go to Oxbridge than children with free school meals. That is the imbalance. We are trying to address it."
With this is mind, Ebdon’s demands may have some chance of coming to fruition.
The proposed contract may also be welcome news to Callum Hurley and Katy Moore, the 17 year-olds who took their opposition to the governments’ introduction of higher tuition fees in September directly to the high court, even though the case was lost.
Although this is a small concession in the University fees debate, the National Union of students (NUS) has still been moved to call for a five-day week of action in March, in response to the steep figure for tuition fees at some Universities.
Universities fees for September 2012 range from Staffordshire University’s starting figure of £1,000 (going up to £8,000) to the full £9,000 fee at other universities such as Lancaster and Lincoln.
With average student debts climbing up to as much as £53,000, any assistance that Prof Ebdon could bring would be welcome.
What do you think of the University fees debate? Do you know how much debt you are likely to leave University with? Is the whole debate enough to make you forget about striving for a graduate job?