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British universities are being accused of exploiting students by offering overpriced courses, and the UK government has unveiled plans to restrict low-quality degrees in an effort to protect students.
The government insists that these “low value” degrees offer little in the way of job prospects and earning potential but still leave students saddled with debt.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said too many students were being sold a university education that would not get them a decent job, explaining that the crackdown on “rip-off degrees” would boost apprenticeships to ensure students get the best deal possible.
“The UK is home to some of the best universities in the world and studying for a degree can be immensely rewarding. But too many young people are being sold a false dream and end up doing a poor-quality course at the taxpayers’ expense that doesn’t offer the prospect of a decent job at the end of it.
“That is why we are taking action to crack down on rip-off university courses, while boosting skills training and apprenticeships provision. This will help more young people to choose the path that is right to help them reach their potential and grow our economy,” Sunak said.
Under the new policy, courses that do not have a high proportion of graduates getting a professional job, going into postgraduate study or starting a business will be capped.
However, critics have argued that most of the institutions and courses that will be affected are the ones that have a high proportion of working-class and ethnic minority students.
Additionally, those working in higher education have said that this will undeniably affect the revenue of some universities as this measure is likely to act as a “red flag” to students who will not want to be enrolled in a course that has been deemed “low value”.
The shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson, said: “This is simply an attack on the aspirations of young people and their families by a government that wants to reinforce the class ceiling, not smash it.”
The government has yet to release details on how they are assessing “low value” degrees, but it is likely to be based on the Office for Students B3 framework.
The framework sets out the conditions that degrees need to meet in order to be considered “high value” and the key metrics are continuation rates, completion rates and graduate outcomes.
Prime Minister Sunak insists that this new policy is at least partly intended to reinforce the message that “you don’t have to go to university to succeed in life”.