A poll of university vice-chancellors shows that nearly half believe that it will become more difficult to convince young people of the benefits of a degree once higher tuition fees have been introduced.
Amid fears of a fall in applications next year, 42% of vice-chancellors said that it would be harder to dissuade teenagers from going straight into work or taking a cheaper educational option. Nearly a quarter said that they would have to do more to demonstrate an improved student experience, while 15% said that they would increasingly be trying to persuade parents of the value of degrees rather than just their children. Almost all the university heads said that they felt there was a "significant misunderstanding" about the new student finance system, while 68% said that the row over fees had got in the way of communicating the benefits of a degree.
Steve Smith, the president of Universities UK, which conducted the poll of 45 vice-chancellors, said: "What universities need to do is influence parents. Parents are getting more involved in their children's choices. Parents are much more focused on value for money, employment prospects and the general student experience."
Some of the most selective institutions are understood to be considering "downsizing", reducing student numbers slightly to improve contact time with teaching staff and enhance the overall experience.
A white paper outlining reforms to higher education is due to be published imminently. David Cameron, along with Vince Cable, the business secretary and David Willetts the universities minister, met vice-chancellors in Downing Street on Friday to discuss concerns about the plans.
The summit followed a vote of no confidence by Oxford academics in the government's higher education policies, and a warning by an influential committee of MPs that student places might have to be cut to meet the soaring cost of loans after universities flocked to charge �9,000.
Plans from the philosopher AC Grayling for an �18,000-a-year private university have fuelled anger among academics, some of whom fear it would herald a "two-track" admissions system geared to income.
The Downing Street summit was accompanied by a softening of the government's rhetoric on fees. Ministers have previously warned universities against rushing to charge the maximum tuition fee, but last week Willetts acknowledged that there was a floor of �4,000-�5,000 a year below which the "classic HE experience" could not be delivered. Speaking at the launch of a thinktank report, he compared the need for the government to subsidise students at "less fashionable" universities with the support that the pupil premium will provide for children in "some tough secondary schools".
A separate survey published today shows that a third of parents of teenagers who plan to go to university are likely to get more involved with the choice of institution. More than half of parents feel that they have not received enough information about the new fees system, according to the YouGov survey of 630 parents.
Mike Carton, an IT management consultant whose 17-year-old son, Joe, is hoping to study history next year, said: "A bunch of universities are going to be really struggling." Listing the attributes he would look for, he said: "If there was any difference in the fee structure, that would matter.
"Then it's going to be looking at the university's past performance in that particular subject, comparing it to other universities on league tables. Then it's about the environment."
Steve Smith of Universities UK, who is the vice-chancellor of Exeter University, said "clear and accessible" communication on fees was essential to win over worried students. The Universities UK poll comes ahead of Universities Week, which starts tomorrow and celebrates the contribution of universities to business and society with open days, lectures and fashion shows.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/jun/12/fees-chancellors-poll-universities
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