News

Higher Education White Paper: Durham University response

(27 January 2003)

Durham University has made a provisional response to the Governments White Paper on Higher Education. The White Paper refers to Durham's good practice and success in the area of alumni fundraising and widening participation.

Durham University is analysing the contents of the White Paper on higher education to assess its impact on two key areas of work:

- the University's ongoing success in encouraging applications from the widest range of backgrounds
- its record of high-quality research and teaching.

Vice-Chancellor Sir Kenneth Calman said: "While welcoming the fact that we now have some actual proposals, we need to look very closely at how the various measures relate to one another.

"This is all about the future financing of universities - how much money for Durham and everywhere else. We have new structures in place to help us make the best use of resources and look forward to the extra investment the Government has promised.

"Funding should continue to ensure that universities maintain access based on the ability to achieve, rather than the ability to pay. There must be measures to give able students from whatever background the opportunities they deserve.

"We welcome the Secretary of State's endorsement of activities such as the 'third-leg' of knowledge-transfer. Durham is at the heart of this process in the region, extending links between academic research and business, and working closely with the regional development agency.

"We also welcome his comments about the importance of building up endowments as a further source of income. We have already had success in this area - as noted in the White Paper (para 1.35) - and we look forward to hearing more from Government on raising incentives for people, companies and other organisations to make contributions to higher education."

The University is studying the new proposals in detail before reaching any decisions about fees and other matters, but today made these initial observations:

The removal of the 'up-front' payment of fees
This is a welcome move from the point of applicants and their families, but has to be weighed against the prospect of longer term payments in the future. Universities need to be reassured that their income is maintained during the transition period between the ending up up-front fees and the first money from the graduate payments coming on stream. That period, it seems, could be up to six years.

The option of 'top-up fees'
These could be a deterrent to many potential applicants. The prospect of immediate debts - especially over £20,000 - after graduating will be very daunting to people from poorer backgrounds, unless very strong counter measures are in place. The existing system of bursaries and other financial support will have to expand significantly to counteract that effect if top-up fees come in.

Durham has no current plans for top-up or differential fees. However, we may now have to consider these for some of our courses in the light of the Government's new proposals that clearly envisage this method as a means of providing resources for quality on higher education. It is too early say which courses or how much this might involve.

Impact on widening participation
The White Paper (in para 6.18) acknowledges Durham's efforts in this area. Durham has been working intensively for nearly four years targeting some 90 state schools in the North East to encourage more applications - especially from people in families with little or no tradition of going to university. We are working to raise future aspirations among pupils in the lower years in secondary schools, and even at primary schools, and that will take two or three more years to show its full effect in admissions. There is no "quick-fix." The university applications cycle itself takes nearly two years from weighing up options to starting your course.

Our success is already reflected in the fact that 66 per cent of our intake is now from the state sector. Also, a rising proportion comes from traditionally low-participation groups and areas - up from 7 per cent to 12 per cent.

Eight of the top 10 suppliers of students to Durham are schools and colleges in the North East.

Research, teaching and knowledge transfer
Durham is a research-led university with an equally strong teaching record. We believe that the best context for student success is one with staff engaged in both research and teaching. We would therefore aim to maintain the best quality research at Durham as the stimulus for high quality teaching. The quality of research also feeds wider benefits as a source of ideas and expertise for commercial exploitation. The University hosts the North East Centre for Scientific Enterprise, in partnership with other universities, and has helped to set up more than 10 new spin-out companies and pursued more than 40 patents.

Contact: Keith Seacroft, Head of Public Relations, 0191 374 2946