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Autumn Statement: Postgraduate loans of £10,000 | |
(about 11 hours later) | |
A student loan system for postgraduate master's degrees has been announced in the chancellor's Autumn Statement. | |
George Osborne said it would "revolutionise" access to postgraduate university courses. | |
He said the cost of postgraduate courses "deters bright students from poorer backgrounds". | |
The National Union of Students' vice president, Megan Dunn, described the move as a "major step in the right direction". | |
"Creating a government-backed postgraduate loans scheme will make a fundamental difference to the lives and opportunities of students. | |
"Many postgraduates are currently funding their study through potentially disastrous measures such as credit cards, overdrafts and personal loans," said Ms Dunn. | |
Age limit | |
The government-backed loans, worth up to £10,000, will be available from 2016-17 and will benefit 40,000 students. | |
They will be offered in any master's subject, but only to students under the age of 30, and will be repaid concurrently with undergraduate loans. | |
There will be a consultation ahead of the final details, but they could be charged at a higher rate than undergraduate loans, while remaining below commercial rates. | |
"In recognition of the high private return to individuals," the Treasury says the loans will be designed that, on average, they will be repaid in full. | |
The introduction of postgraduate loans is part of the drive for a higher-skilled workforce. | |
There is rising demand for staff with postgraduate qualifications, but there have been concerns that without financial support talented students might not stay beyond their undergraduate courses. | |
Building plans | Building plans |
The UCU lecturers' union said it was a step in the right direction, but "more radical ideas were needed". | |
'It's positive that the government has moved to address the current crisis in postgraduate funding, but encouraging people to accrue more debt is not the best way to attract the best and brightest into further study," said UCU leader Sally Hunt. | |
"If we really want to expand the number of UK postgraduates, government must consider even more radical ideas such as restoring proper grants or writing off part of a student's undergraduate debt when they complete a postgraduate course." | |
"As ever, the devil will be in the detail and we will be closely scrutinising these plans and delivering our own proposals in this area in the new year. | |
"It is vitally important that there is proper support for all kinds of postgraduate student, including mature students and those undertaking research degrees, if we are to ensure the replenishment of the academic profession." | |
Michael Gunn, chair of the Million+ group of universities, said that the announcement would help to reverse a decline in postgraduate study. | |
But he opposed the age limit, calling for the loans to be "extended to all who want to study for postgraduate qualifications". | |
Universities minister Greg Clark said: "By introducing postgraduate loans, students will have greater flexibility to gain the qualifications they need to get on in life and give the UK the skilled workforce we need to secure long-term economic growth." | |
The Autumn Statement also included funding for science research centres. | |
He announced £235m in the Sir Henry Royce Institute for advanced material science in Manchester, with branches in Leeds, Liverpool and Sheffield. | |
There will be £20m for an innovation centre on ageing in Newcastle and £113m for big data at Hartree. |