The office for students has announced calls for ‘differential fee levels’ as an incentive for universities to offer higher quality teaching. But this will price out working class students from top universities.

If class disparities within our education system weren’t bad enough already – The Office for Students has suggested that university fees could be raised or lowered depending on their quality of education. 

Whilst this might sound fair – it will push working class students into worse universities due to their ‘affordability’ in comparison to top scoring universities – which would be even more expensive. 

We already need to do significantly more to dismantle class divisions right across the education system – as those who attend private schools still continue to out perform and gain upwards social mobility – whilst working class students remain stuck. This is further social segregation between classes and will have serious consequences for the working class and lower middle class. 

Poorer students will be restricted to poor universities, which will not have the funding to improve their services, as they will be priced out of well performing universities – whose fees will likely further increase. 

If this passes – your A-level grades won’t matter – instead those with wealth will be able to pay to access the top universities, whilst working class students with the grades will not be able to apply.

Many students up and down the country feel their university courses were not ‘worth the money’, however this more so reflects the fact we shouldn’t be paying for university tuition in the first place. 

Scrap tuition fees and student debt – and start investing in working class children.

Plans are expected to be out this autumn, and all changes made will be decided by the Government.