Poor publicity about the new arrangements presents a real risk that students will be put off applying for wholly avoidable reasons
• David Willetts: The good news behind the tuition fee headlines
By midnight tonight, universities wanting to charge higher tuition fees must have submitted their application to the Office for Fair Access. We now know that, contrary to statements by ministers, fees of £9,000 will be the norm rather than the exception. Those opting to charge the maximum fee range from the very oldest universities to modern university colleges. David Willetts has argued on these pages that some students may pay less than the "sticker price" for university courses due to "hidden discounts". But if they're hidden, they're of little use to anyone. Confusion about the new arrangements presents a real risk that students may be deterred in the absence of the facts on fees.
As a long-standing critic of the fees system introduced by Labour, I was one of many voices expressing real concerns that the decision by the coalition to treble fees to £9,000 might deter those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds from applying to university. It is frankly extraordinary that the government has failed to launch an effective publicity campaign to ensure that potential applicants and their families are aware of the facts behind the new fees regime.
Willetts is right to highlight that students will pay nothing upfront and will only start making repayments once they start earning as a graduate. He is also right to point out that universities are putting in place a range of discounts, fee waivers, bursaries and scholarships to help those from low income backgrounds to meet their costs. But this message is failing to get through and it will take more than a few school visits by Simon Hughes, the government's advocate for access to higher education, to ensure that it does.
Given the scale of the cuts facing the public sector, the Treasury was right to place a ban on expensive government advertising campaigns, but an urgent and high profile student finance information campaign should be made an exception. The patchwork quilt of fees and financial support may be complex, but the overriding message to potential applicants should be simple: you pay nothing upfront and funds are available to help you meet the costs of living.
A hurried publicity campaign in the autumn will be too little, too late. Students in schools and colleges are already thinking about their options. The breakneck speed of the government's higher education reforms has left them making decisions in the dark. This is all the more worrying since it is those students from the most under-represented backgrounds who are most poorly served by a lack of information, advice and guidance about their options.
We do not know for certain if a higher price tag will deter potential applicants and it would be unwise to make apocalyptic predictions about the impact of higher fees on those from under-represented backgrounds. I do know that the talented students I work with through the Helena Kennedy Foundation – all of whom are from low-income backgrounds and include care-leavers, victims of abuse, carers, refugees and ex-offenders – would not consider higher education for a moment if they thought they would have to pay upfront fees.
If students are deterred by higher fees the government will need to rethink its policy. But if they're deterred because they misunderstand the system it will be a tragedy that the government could easily have avoided. It is not too late for the government to act, but they must do so sooner, rather than later. When they do, I will be the first to sign up.