Editor's notes

With the new fees regime coming in this year, there has been increasing interest in student finance issues. According to a new study from the Higher Education Academy (HEA), the impact of ‘top-up fees’ could change the whole campus experience for English students. Part of the study was based on interviews with Australian and New Zealand students, where fees can be as much as Aus$8,000. The research reveals that ‘the economics of student life have turned students there away from heavy partying and driven them to take study more seriously, supported by part-time jobs. Student life is also likely to be less campus-oriented and more drawn out, as students struggle to pay off their debts before they have even started a career.’ The HEA study also found that although potential students in England had a broad knowledge of the new fees system, most had little knowledge of the detailed issues related to funding their study, such as the institutional support available.

In this issue of GMT, Emma Pollard from the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) gives a summary of the research the IES, in conjunction with the National Centre for Social Research, carried out on student income and expenditure (see exploring student finances). This important study was ‘designed to provide a robust baseline against which future changes, following the introduction of variable tuition fees and changes to student financial support, could be monitored’. Although this is still early days, it would be interesting to see how figures will change in any follow-up studies.

Also featured in this edition is another guest article from the IES and the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, on the Welsh graduate labour market. One of the areas covered is the often controversial topic: the financial returns to a higher education. See: Destination Wales: the Welsh graduate labour market.

On 12 July this year, HECSU and the HEA held a joint conference ‘Changing student choices’. The aim of the conference was to inform participants of the latest findings from a range of research and development projects in careers related issues. Copies of the presentation slides and reports are available at HECSU.

Pearl Mok (Editor)

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