News
Universities places at stake with budget cuts
- 03rd February 2010
Between 200,000 and 300,000 students could lose out on a place at university this autumn thanks to savage budget cuts announced earlier this week. The quality of teaching is, says the president of Universities UK, at stake.
The Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce), which distributes public money for teaching and research to universities and colleges, announced its provisional funding distribution for 2010/11 which revealed the huge cuts. The cuts were unveiled following Business Secretary Lord Mandelson's demands at the end of 2009 for cuts in spending in higher education.
Spending on teaching could be cut for the first time in many years, and capital spending projects will also be hit. Universities will find out how they are affecting individually later this week.
But university leaders warned that the burden would fall on students who will face stiff competition to secure a university place. They have already warned that the budget cuts will bring higher education to its knees. If these fears become reality, the budget cuts create an additional hurdle for law students who already face tough competition to secure a training contract or pupilage.
However, David Lammy, the higher education minister, has said: “We are confident that Hefce can achieve [the cuts] in a way that minimises the impact on teaching and students."
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