Higher Education Funding Policy - Who wins and who loses?

Researchers: Lorraine Dearden, Emla Fitzsimons, Alissa Goodman and Greg Kaplan

In the run up to the next general election, Higher Education (HE) Funding policies will be one of the key election issues. A report that analyses the impact of the three parties' HE funding policies on students, graduates, universities and taxpayers, will be launched at a special morning presentation, held by the IFS on Friday 18th March.

The core aim of each of the parties' proposals is to augment the coffers of universities. This is to be achieved through systems of funding that contain provisions for student support, for contributions after graduation, as well as for funding from general taxation. The design of the three parties' proposed systems are all quite distinct in each of these dimensions, and we will consider each of them.

In analysing the impact of different HE funding policies on graduates, one can easily cherry pick example graduates to display the merits, or otherwise, of particular policies. However, the impact of each of the proposed policies will be different, depending on how graduates fare in the labour market and where they end up in the graduate earnings distribution. Our research will use simulations of the entire distribution of future graduate earnings to consider the likely impact of different HE funding policies on the whole population, separating out low earning graduates, compared to middle and high earning graduates, as well as considering those who take time out of the labour market.

The research for this analysis has been funded by the Nuffield Foundation. The report will be downloadable from the IFS website after the presentation.

Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Please contact Bonnie Brimstone if you would like to reserve a place.