Dr Gill Wyness

This presentation was delivered as an 'IFS Public Economics Lecture', December 2010,

Last week, the Minister of State for Universities and Science, David Willetts, announced the Government's proposals for higher education funding in England, in response to last month's publication of the Browne Review. IFS released some initial reaction to these proposals last week. Here we quantify the main implications of that announcement.

The Minister of State for Universities and Science, David Willetts, has today announced the Government's proposals for higher education (HE) funding in England, in response to last month's publication of the Browne Review. Here we outline our initial response to this release.

Last week the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Vince Cable, suggested a graduate tax as a 'fairer' replacement for tuition fees in higher education. All the Labour leadership candidates - with the exception of David Miliband - have expressed support for this idea, as has the National Union of Students; the leading universities, meanwhile, have opposed it. This Observation examines whether the rationale for such a policy and the practical implications of it have been fully considered.

A project for Universities UK.

This presentation was delivered as evidence by IFS at the first public hearing of the Independent Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance, chaired by Lord Browne.