Universities scramble for information on postgraduates

Crisis, danger and possible “severe and long-term impacts for the UK” are some of the comments contained in a report on postgraduate education published last week by the 1994 Group of leading research universities, writes Harriet Swain for the Guardian.

Fear that fee increases could wipe out demand for many postgraduate courses is prompting the UK government and universities to find out about postgraduates' backgrounds. "It's crucial that something is done quickly," says Michael Farthing, the group's chairman and vice-chancellor at the University of Sussex.

"It could take years to re-establish postgraduate courses wiped out by the falling demand that lack of student funding will bring. We must act now to avoid a meltdown."

Also worrying, says the report, is that so little is known about postgraduate students, that it will be difficult to work out what the true impact of the changes will be on them.
Full report on the Guardian site