Full article here – https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/dec/05/two-year-degrees-funding-university-student-fees
Ray Brogden, COO of Qualifi Awarding Organisation commented that the two-year honours degrees have been available for some time via the Level 4 and level 5 Vocationally Related Qualification accelerated learning pathway (1 calendar year) followed by a final year honours degree top-up year. In addition to gaining an honours degree in 18 months, the cost of doing so is substantially reduced. No need to pay three years of University tuition fees of £9,250, nor the proposed fast-track annual fee of £13,500 referred to below.
The standard three-year degree programme at University in combination with maintenance loans results in an averaging debt burden of over £50,000. The alternative pathway i.e. Qualifi L4 and L5, both of which are Student Loan Company and Advanced Learner Loan recognised, results in a much smaller loan plus only a single year of University tuition fees thus substantially reducing the debt associated with gaining a UK university honours degree.
You are invited to visit the Qualifi website to obtain information about the alternative value for money routes to an honours degree, masters degree and DBA. Two-year degree programmes are here now and are here to stay.
Extracts below.
“The government may be forced into a humiliating U-turn on its flagship plans for fast-track university degrees that were designed to soften the blow of paying high fees, experts are warning.
Ministers proposed that universities should be able to charge the same overall for intensive two-year degrees as three-year courses, meaning annual fees could be up to £13,500 a year. The appeal of this is meant to be that students would only have two years of maintenance to fund and they would be able to enter the workforce and start earning sooner.
The policy was a key part of the new Higher Education and Research Act, which was pushed through parliament just before the snap election. But MPs would need to agree on secondary legislation in order for fees to go up.
Jo Johnson, the higher education minister, has championed more flexible two-year degrees, despite considerable scepticism in the university sector. Johnson told Education Guardian: “Accelerated degrees mean lower costs for students and taxpayers, increased value for money, and faster entry into the labour market for graduates.
The private Buckingham University is one of the biggest providers of two-year degrees, and it says applications are booming. But Sir Anthony Seldon, Buckingham’s vice-chancellor, says that unless public universities are allowed to charge higher fees for two-year degrees, the new policy will be a flop.”