A parliamentary inquiry into student loans
MPs have opened an inquiry examining whether the student loan system is unfair, following months of argument over the frozen repayment threshold and the interest that grows balances faster than graduates repay them. Select committee inquiries take evidence from anyone, including students, and the submissions deadline is the point at which a personal account can enter the record. Student finance explained covers the system being examined.
A new rule for degrees taught by someone other than your university
From 31 March a new condition of registration applies to franchised provision — courses where a university’s degree is delivered by a separate college under contract. It is aimed at protecting students in arrangements that have grown faster than oversight, and it gives the regulator a direct route to act where a partner fails. If you study at a franchised provider, it is worth knowing who your degree-awarding body actually is.
Cambridge’s vice-chancellor paid 10.8 times the median staff wage
Cambridge’s vice-chancellor received a £5,000 base pay rise in a year of hundreds of job cuts, with total pay 10.8 times the median for university staff. Pay ratios are published in every university’s accounts and are the figure unions cite in disputes; the comparison that matters locally is with the staff teaching your course.