Two-year degree could be answer to debt problems

Degree courses lasting only two years could soon be the norm for students after trebling of tuition fees next year, an independent think tank CentreForum has said.

New courses such as these would maintain teaching hours but reduce the amount of fees, helping combat student debt – which, as a new survey by Lloyds TSB shows, is a growing concern.

Their survey reveals that one in six students claim they do not have enough money to meet expenses.

The report suggests a split between "regular" research institutions and universities which concentrate on teaching.

This would mean one-third of these – including Oxford and Cambridge – would become high-quality research institutions still charging students the full £9,000-a-year maximum fee and the rest would become teaching institutions.

Gill Wyness, a researcher who produced the report, speaking to The Independent, said: "The Government badly needs to find a way of keeping fees at levels affordable for both students and the taxpayer."

If ‘regular’ universities concentrated on teaching and reduced research, academics would find more time for teaching and, ideally, staff would teach throughout the year rather than take long summer holidays. The report also argues that a two-year course could cost a university as little as £10,000 per student.

“By allowing only a select number of highly prestigious institutions or academic bodies to award degrees, students would easily be able to compare courses offered at different institutions," the report says.

Categories; Budgeting Advice, Current UK Economy, Recent Graduate Debt,