Tuition rates at universities in Scotland could increase dramatically under one proposal from Scotland’s education secretary outlined in a government report published on Thursday. The report, “Building a Smarter Future: Towards a Sustainable Scottish Solution for the Future of Higher Education,” outlines a series of options for how Scottish universities could be financed in the future.
National assemblies in the United Kingdom have responsibility for higher education, so the recent move by the British Parliament to increase tuition at universities directly affects only institutions in England. Scottish students studying at Scottish universities presently pay no tuition, while students from elsewhere in Britain studying at Scottish institutions pay a little less than £2,000, or around $3,100. With tuition set to increase at universities in England to between £6,000 and £9,000 by 2012, the Scottish government is also planning to implement changes on the same timetable to avoid a financing gap between the two systems.
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9 Responses to Scotland Outlines Possible Tuition Increases
arifkin007 - May 31, 2011 at 3:41 pm
The process of navigating college admissions has only become more complex, regardless of how much technology is applied. A good independent consultant spends their time demystifying the process to both students and parents, while keeping abreast of all the minutia required to know (and it changes each season). While high school counselors are valuable to help students get through high school, how can they be expected to be knowledgeable about the ins and outs of our complicated admissions? I am proud to be an independent consultant – I truly believe that the service I provide is worthwhile, a good-value, and for some families essential as they struggle with wrapping their arms around the mysteries of it all.
jesor - May 31, 2011 at 4:07 pm
In my work on the “other side of the fence” I’ve generally been impressed with the quality of the independent counselors I encounter. On the other hand I’ve been dismayed by the number of public high school counselors, who when faced with a 500:1 or higher advising ratio along with other responsibilities, default to the “ok…let’s just do the minimum required to get you a reasonable shot at the nearest Division I school” approach. The difference in college placement and success for students with good advising ratios is tremendous, even amongst public institutions. This should be the real story here.
margray - May 31, 2011 at 4:22 pm
I don’t see why high school counselors, with their tremendous work loads, should feel threatened by for profit people picking up the slack. I know my own experience with a high school counselor, though many years ago, is probably typical. She looked at my address and announced that I was not college material and suggested secretarial school, having totally missed my SAT scores in the 99th percentile. She gave each of us about two minutes, maybe less, then moved on. A private advisor would have been like a gift from the gods.
jakarlson - May 31, 2011 at 4:48 pm
The author may be right that the families independent counselors help are appreciative however, what about the families that cannot afford the thousands of dollars in fees required for their services? I would guess much of the criticism is about their elitist approach; only the very wealthy can hire an independent counselor. While pro-bono may help a few families, there are hundreds more in need. How about teaching the college search and selection process so that families can feel empowered to tackle the challenges on their own instead of depending on someone else to ‘do it for them’? There are MANY sites on the internet with excellent FREE information about the process of college seaerch and selection. One of my favorites: http://www.theicupsite.com.
yes_gotocollege - May 31, 2011 at 5:24 pm
It is true, figuring out the college process can be difficult and overwhelming, even for those who are not first-generation college-seekers.
We all should be committed to helping students and parents go through the process in a reflective and educational (and yes, enjoyable) way.
So, until (please do not hold your breath) our society is willing to put “real” $ for guidance counselors, college counseling assistance programs, college preparation programs (such as TRIO), funding, etc-all assistance should be welcomed.
Let’s do what is best for our furture-help our students, however it is possible.
Let’s keep sharing good, free websites. Another website which will be offering free services, I am told that will be up in a month is:
http://www.newpathtocollege.com
muntzp - June 1, 2011 at 10:28 am
Andrew Ferguson says “One out of four students enrolled in a private college or university hired a private counselor to help through admissions.” I’d love to know where he gets that stat because it simply can’t be factual. Perhaps there might be a certain profile of private institution where that might be true, but not across the board. Almost 5 million students attend private colleges and universities in the US (http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372). Did 1.25 million of them use an independent counselor to help them with the admission process?
lsadc - June 1, 2011 at 10:57 am
How about some statistics and hard data from an objective source? What percentage of consultants’ clients are pro bono? What percentage of clients are from public schools? The terms “many” and “for the most part” are too vague in this article. I am skeptical of her assertions without some evidence to back up her claims.
hoosierbeth - June 1, 2011 at 4:54 pm
JAKARLSON-People who have more resources, like wealthy people, can buy bigger houses, nicer cars, better health care, and can afford to eschew the resources provided by the public sector by opting to pay for programs offered by the private sector. This is why private schools and religious schools, in particular, exist. Its the reality of life in a free-market economy. Do you think we should tell the companies that make Hummer and Lexus cars that they shouldn’t make those cars anymore because people who aren’t affluent can’t afford to buy them? Should we prevent people from sending their kids to Catholic or other private school because poor people can’t afford them?
riddikulus - July 15, 2011 at 2:51 am
I don’t think it’s fair to equate education with cars. The former is an investment that has far, far greater bearing on one’s later success. It shouldn’t be left entirely to the free market. I’m personally rather bothered by this notion of entitlement (I say this as an ivy league student coming from a very low-income family).
The top schools are playing their part by providing scholarships and need-blind financial aid. On the other end, more needs to be done to level out the unfair advantage that some students have over others in admissions – attained simply because they can afford an ‘educational consultant.’ I know far too many people (most of whom graduated from Harvard, for some reason) who are now charging exorbitant fees (think $150 per hour) for their ‘services,’ which of course will only be available to those who can afford it. Like a commenter above mentioned, I’m skeptical of how many of the writer’s clients are actually pro bono.
With that said, I’m comforted by the anecdotal observation that those students/parents who pay stupid amounts of money for these ‘consultations’ often don’t quite end up where they want, while the truly outstanding kids have enough of a backbone to do their own research online and get into the best schools based on their own merit. The writer insults students’ intelligence by suggesting that college admissions are too complicated to figure out on their own. Seriously? Just use the damn internet.