In the last few weeks, students around the university will have been receiving emails from their departments detailing their plans for expansion. The university is putting in to effect the new rules for Higher Education as laid out in the White Paper, ‘Students at the Heart of the System.’ This article explores the potential impact of the white paper on students and institutions around the country.We all know, or have at least read of a person who, despite being predicted As at A level, did not get into their first choice of University. Around September every year this story is repeatedly in the news; government regulation cause universities to have to turn down able students so as to not surpass their quotas.This is an issue the government ‘White Paper on Higher education’ addresses. In chapter four it states that “We propose to allow unrestrained recruitment of high achieving students, scoring the equivalent of AAB or above at A-Level.” This means that Universities are able to accept any number of high achieving students, creating a free market model.

This proposal seems to be what we as a country have been pushing for; that students who achieve As are now able to go to their desired university. However, the proposal has not been welcomed by academics. There are fears raised by Cambridge University that the White Paper will cause higher education in England to be looked on in an unfavourable light on the international stage. As the language in the White Paper insinuates that students are purely consumers, higher education becomes as a commodity.

Russell group Universities have issued statements addressing the issue as these universities have a large intake of higher level students. The government proposal means a significant increase in students attending these universities. This could have an adverse impact on the level of teaching given by these universities especially for seminar based degrees; as there is the potential for larger seminar groups and less ability for one on one teaching. Due to this the statements given by the Russell Group Universities has been that of restraint and reassurance; claiming that although they will now be able to give more students places, they will be self-regulating. Departments at the University of Bristol, for instance, have been reassuring students that staff numbers will rise alongside undergraduate intake.

A coinciding issue is that by focusing on the higher level students this proposal has the potential to consolidate an already elite Higher Education system in the UK. Universities like Bristol will be dissuaded from making ABB offers due to the increased competition between the elite institutions. The focus is not on higher education creating social mobility but on the continuing of an elite society. The government is allowing for universities to favour those in privileged positions and not focusing on the students who do not have the quality of education to achieve AAB grades, but have the ability to do so. Ultimately the universities who will lose out will be the ones who can’t attract enough high achieving students, resulting in an increasingly stratified education landscape.

A further issue that is affecting all English universities is that the White Paper was delayed and published after the 2012 fees had been set by universities. As such it has seemingly stayed detached from those working in the higher education sector.

The push for a no confidence vote on David Willetts as the universities and science minister shows that there is disengagement between the government and the university sector. The White Paper sets out to cut government spending on higher education, yet those working in higher education fear that the long term ramifications of the proposals have not been fully thought through. The fear of a lower quality of teaching due to a higher number of students and for the continuation of an elite class, along with the clear lack of communication between government and the universities, leaves major questions as to the ultimate impact of the changes.