Higher tuition fees are distorting the choices poorer students make

Research shows a decrease in tuition fees could see students from poorer backgrounds choosing different courses and working less during term time. Tuition fees have been at the forefront of political parties’ pre-election campaigning, but what do we really know about how the cost of higher education affects the number of students going to university, and the choices they make when applying? What happened following the trebling of tuition fees in 2012 has surprised virtually all of those working in higher education and politics: for full-time young students (the situation is quite different for part-time older students) applications have not fallen. For young people from deprived neighbourhoods it has actually increased. Read More.