Student loans: part-timers need clarity

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/apr/25/student-loans-part-timers-clarity

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2012 should be a great year for part-time students. For the first time they are eligible for student loans and most will not have to pay for their fees upfront. However this message is not getting through to the people who matter most – potential part-time students.

As former students of Birkbeck, University of London, we are very disappointed to learn that the higher education sector is failing to communicate this information clearly. We have all benefited from studying part-time in the evening at a wonderful institution, and want others to be able to share the experiences and opportunities offered to us.

As we know well, part-time students need more advice than full-timers because they are mostly adult learners outside of the normal support structures provided by schools, colleges and Ucas. But confusion about the new system is deterring applications. This is why we are supporting Birkbeck's Our Promise to You campaign to help demystify the new system of fees and loans for part-timers. It provides useful information about part-time study, including eligibility criteria for student loans.

Potential part-time students must be encouraged to return to education, and seize the many opportunities we enjoyed for career development. Professor Moorad Choudhry London Metropolitan University, Juliet Davenport Chief executive, Good Energy Group plc, Alan Davey Chief executive, Arts Council England Denis MacShane MP, Jolyon Maugham Barrister, Leslie Morphy Chief executive, Crisis, Sajjad Rashid Chief operating officer, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Eric Salama Chairman and chief executive, Kantar Group, Laurie Taylor Writer and broadcaster, Trevor Williams Chief economist, Lloyds TSB